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Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Sandwiches take only 15 minutes to prep and use simple ingredients. Cooking chuck roast in the crockpot results in super tender, flavorful shredded beef that’s ready to be piled into toasted hoagie buns.
Why We Love This Recipe
- 15 Minute Prep Time – Just a quick sear on the roast and toss everything in the crock pot. This pulled beef recipe couldn’t be easier to prep!
- Juicy and Tender – The chuck roast practically falls apart after slow cooking.
- Versatile – You can use the shredded beef for sandwiches, over pasta, or alongside mashed potatoes.
Ingredients For Pulled Beef Sandwiches
Turn an affordable chuck roast into tender and flavorful sandwiches! You only need a handful of pantry staples to add lots of flavor to the crockpot shredded beef.
- White Onion – you can use a yellow onion as well.
- Garlic Cloves – peeled and thinly sliced.
- Chuck Roast – This becomes the most tender roast since it has a good amount of fat. You could also use a tri-tip or sirloin roast, but they won’t be quite as tender.
- Olive Oil – Extra virgin, or canola or vegetable oil.
- Spices – salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder.
- Beef Broth – I highly recommend using low sodium to help control the salt level.
- Soy Sauce – Again, low sodium is a great choice.
- Hoagies or French Rolls – for serving. You want a nice sturdy rolls that’s soft inside.
- Sliced Provolone Cheese – optional, for serving. You could opt for Mozzarella, Havarti or Gruyere instead.
How To Make Slow Cooker Pulled Beef
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
It takes only minutes to prep slow cooker pulled beef then your crock pot does all the work. Pile the pulled beef into hoagie buns to make the tender shredded beef sandwiches.
- Prep – Start by peeling and quartering the onion and adding half to the crockpot.
- Season and Sear Roast – Rub the chuck roast with the oil and season with the spices. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear the seasoned roast for 1-2 minutes on each side before transferring to the slow cooker.
- Add Ingredients to Crockpot – Pour the broth and soy sauce around the sides of the roast then place the garlic and remaining onion on top of the roast.
- Slow Cook – Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours. The meat should shred easily when done.
- Shred – Transfer the roast to a cutting board or rimmed baking sheet and shred with two forks. You can strain the juices and use as a dip for the sandwiches or drizzled over the top. At this point you can make sandwiches or serve the shredded beef on pasta, in tacos, or with some fluffy mashed potatoes.
How to Make Shredded Beef Sandwiches – Heat up the rolls, split open, in a 350 degrees F oven for 5 minutes then stuff with the shredded beef and top with cheese. Broil for a few minutes until the cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with the juices.
FAQs
The best cut of meat to use is a chuck roast. It is a fattier cut of beef that has marbling to make the pulled beef super tender and flavorful.
If the chuck roast isn’t falling apart then it needs to cook longer. Close the lid and cook for another hour before checking if it easily shreds.
It is better to cook on low in the slow cooker. This slowly cooks the meat over a longer period of time. The results are more tender and more developed flavors.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this recipe with your favorite side or salad! For a big green salad, this Olive Garden Copycat Salad is the perfect pairing. Or we love serving the sandwiches with this creamy Macaroni Salad, Creamy German Cucumber Salad, Air Fryer Home Fries, or Air Fryer Tater Tots.
I highly recommend saving the juice from the crock pot to make an au jus for dipping your sandwiches. Just strain the juices out of the pot and warm serve them with the sandwiches.
Variations
- Italian Beef – Instead of the soy sauce, you can add ½ cup of vinegar, chopped pepperoncini peppers, and banana pepper rings to make tangy Italian beef.
- BBQ Shredded Beef – Try tossing the shredded beef with some of your favorite barbecue sauce.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – Leftover beef can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, I would store the beef and hoagie rolls separately so the buns don’t get soggy.
Reheating – The shredded beef can be reheated in the slow cooker on low for about an hour or two until warm, in a pot on the stove, or on a sheet pan in the oven.
- Cooking on LOW is best – While you can cook on HIGH, cooking on LOW results in more tender and more flavorful beef.
- Sear for extra flavor – Taking the 5 minutes to sear the chuck roast adds so much flavor and is worth the extra time.
- Add Tangy Toppings – I love topping the sandwiches with sliced pepperoncini peppers or fire-roasted red peppers to add tang.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken with Pasta
- Crockpot Ribs (Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs)
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Kalua Pork (Slow Cooker, Instant Pot, or Oven)
- Perfect Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chuck roast
- 1 large white onion
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- Hoagie or french rolls
- Provolone cheese slices optional
Instructions
- Peel the onion and cut into quarters. Place half of the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Peel and slice the garlic.
- Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl.
- Rub the olive oil all over the roast, then sprinkle with the spice mix.
- Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Sear the roast for 1-2 minutes on each side, then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Pour the broth and soy sauce around the sides of the roast. Place the garlic and remaining onions on top.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours, or on HIGH for 5-6 hours. If the meat does not shred easily after the cooking time is up, cook for an additional hour.
- Transfer meat to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Strain the juices and reserve for serving as a dip. Serve on split french rolls, or over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes. Store in an airtight container for later use.
- For sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the rolls on a baking sheet and heat for 5 minutes, with the rolls split open so the insides get nice and toasty. Switch the oven to broil, stuff with the beef, top with cheese and broil for a few minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Sprinkle with a little fresh parsley before serving. Serve with strained juices from the slow cooker.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
