Throw a few ingredients into your slow cooker in the morning, and by dinner you’re going to be greeted by the amazing aroma of these Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches. This saucy, seasoned shredded beef is great on a bun with a vinegary coleslaw or Swiss cheese.
This recipe is the very first gluten free recipe I shared on my site – a decade ago. All these years later, it is still a regular at our dinner table. How can you beat something that takes you 5 minutes to put together in the morning, and by dinner, you have this amazing shredded beef sandwich? You can’t. You really can’t.
This recipe was shared with me by a candle making friend a number of years ago. You see – before I was a gluten free baker here, I was a candle maker. That was years ago, when social media didn’t exist like it does today, and we used forums to communicate with each other. How things have changed in the past decade.
You know a recipe is good, and worth making, if someone has been making it, exactly as written, for this long. Whether you top it with onions, coleslaw, or Swiss cheese, you’re bound to enjoy this Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwich.
Instead of serving it on a bun, the BBQ Beef is also really good on top of a baked potato. And leftovers? You should hope there are leftovers, because the cold beef makes a great sandwich the next day.
Some tips to get the perfect Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwich:
- Be sure to use a roast that shreds nicely once it’s cooked, a chuck or blade roast works great for this. If buying roasts confuses you, be sure to check out my Roast Buying Guide.
- If you want a little more heat in your sandwich, you can add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper to the sauce.
- I cut the onions into large chunks, and remove them when I take the roast out to shred it. I save them though, because my husband likes to top his sandwich with the cooked onions. You could leave them in the sauce if you’d like though.
- Sometimes I slit the bun in half, place it cut-side up on a baking sheet, and toast them in the oven before topping with the beef. This toasts the bun, which helps prevent a soggy bun.
The perfect gluten free bun for your Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches:
- Gluten Free Hamburger (or Hot Dog) Buns
- Yeast Free Gluten Free Hamburger Buns
- Gluten Free, Dairy Free Onion and Sesame Hamburger Buns
- 5 Minute Fluffy Paleo Hamburger Buns
Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
Throw a few ingredients into your slow cooker in the morning, and by dinner you're going to be greeted by the amazing aroma of these Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches. This saucy, seasoned shredded beef is great on a bun with a vinegary coleslaw or Swiss cheese.
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 1/2 lb boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Trim excess fat from roast. Place the onion and then the beef roast in a slow cooker, cutting meat to fit if necessary.
In a small bowl whisk together the brown sugar, tomato paste, water, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, and salt. Pour over the meat in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat setting for 10-12 hours or on high heat setting for 5-6 hours. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, reserving the sauce in the cooker. Slice or shred meat using 2 forks. Return meat to cooker.
Serve hot on your favourite gluten free rolls. Top with Swiss cheese or coleslaw, the choice is yours.
This recipe, and photos, were updated in February 2018.
Dawn says
Oh, my tummy is thanking you for that recipe. I wonder if it’s like the pulled-beef sandwiches at Montana’s! YUMMY!!!!!!!!!
Charlotte says
In my opinion it is even better than Montana’s 🙂
Jeanine is genius!!!
TerryLynnL says
This is THE BEST recipe. I hadn’t made it in a few years and forgot how delicious it was. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
That Girl says
What GF rolls do you use? I'm trying to find some that taste good, for the days that I'm too lazy to make some from scratch..
Jeanine says
@That Girl Unfortunately, I'm a "from scratch" gal, so I can't help you with that. This pic was taken before all recipes were GF, so it was taken on a "regular" homemade bun. I'll ask around and get back to you. 🙂
Jaye Tee says
Looks amazing! Pulled pork is one of my all time favorites!
Charlotte says
Jeanine, I made this recipe today with pork and dried onions instead of fresh and it is so delish. My daughter now has an allergy to gluten and I have to train myself even better as to gluten free products available to us in Canada. Please tell us what gluten free product you use in your recipes for us newbies so we know it is safe to use. It took me a long time to find a gluten free Worcestershire Sauce and I finally found one made by Heinz. I found this website to be really helpful. http://www.heinz.com/glutenfree/products.html By the way, I think you are AWESOME. Thanks for leading the way for me in cooking gluten free. I will call you sometime for a private lesson in baking 🙂