Slow Cooker Pulled Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

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Slow-cooked in homemade barbecue sauce and then shredded, this easy dish of pulled beef is wonderfully flavorful.

While often served in a hamburger bun, it's just as good when served in lettuce wraps!

Slow Cooker Pulled Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog (1)

This recipe was inspired by two of my family's favorite dinners - pulled pork and pulled chicken. Looking at the chuck roast in my fridge one morning, I thought to myself, why not try the same concept with beef? Combine the meat with homemade barbecue sauce and let them cook away in the slow cooker.

The resulting pulled beef is amazing - rich, flavorful, filling, and so comforting. I've been making it often. In the winter, it's wonderful over hot cauliflower mash. And in the summer, I love serving it in lettuce wraps.

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  • Ingredients
  • Instructions
  • Expert tips
  • Frequently asked questions
  • Variations
  • Serving suggestions
  • Storing leftovers
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Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

BBQ sauce: As mentioned above, I use my tried-and-tested homemade bbq sauce in this recipe. It's easy to make, requires no cooking, and it's delicious. But you can certainly opt for a store-bought sauce instead. My homemade sauce is made with tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, and a sweetener.

Beef chuck roast: One of my favorite cuts of beef. It's very flavorful, but it requires slow cooking or it's tough.

Instructions

Making pulled beef is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

You start by mixing the BBQ sauce in a bowl or a jar. It's very easy! Simply add all the ingredients and whisk to combine.

Next, place the meat in your slow cooker. Pour the BBQ sauce on top and use your hands to make sure the meat is well coated.

Cook the meat for 8 hours on LOW or for 5 hours on HIGH, until it's very tender.

Carefully remove the lid - hot steam will escape - and use two forks to shred the meat and mix it with the cooking juices.

Slow Cooker Pulled Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog (2)

Expert tips

For the best most tender results, cook the meat on LOW for 8 hours. If you need to cook it for a shorter time, 5 hours on HIGH is acceptable. I tried cooking it on HIGH for 4 hours and it wasn't tender enough to shred - so I do recommend 5 hours.

When buying the meat, try to select a well-trimmed piece, or ask the butcher to trim it for you. I've got nothing against fat (it's delicious!), but when making shredded meat, you don't want large pieces of fat in there.

Frequently asked questions

What cut of meat is used for pulled beef?

Chuck roast is a good choice for any recipe that requires slow cooking and shredding beef. Slow cooking makes it beautifully tender and since it's a fatty cut, it won't dry out during prolonged cooking. Slow Cooker Pulled Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog (3)

Why is it called "pulled?"

It simply means shredded beef. You pull two forks away from each other, slowly and methodically shredding a cut of tender slow-cooked meat. So the term "pulled" refers to the technique used to shred the meat.

Can I use store-bought bbq sauce?

Yes, absolutely. That would obviously be the easiest choice. But do go over the ingredients list and make sure it looks ok - nice and short, and not too much sugar.

Variations

As mentioned above, you can use store-bought bbq sauce instead of making the homemade version.

You can also make this recipe with no bbq sauce at all. In fact, you can use this carnitas recipe with chuck roast, skipping the broiler at the end of cooking, and substituting a cup of beef broth for the orange juice.

Serving suggestions

I like to serve this dish on a bed of cauliflower rice with a side of microwave steamed broccoli. The cauliflower rice works really well tosoak up the yummy sauce.

Another great bed for this dish is mashed cauliflower. And you can also serve it on top of raw young spinach leaves. The warm sauce will wilt the spinach just enough to lightly cook it.

And as mentioned above, in the summer, I prefer to serve this dish in lettuce wraps, as shown in the photos.

Storing leftovers

Leftovers keep very well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power, to prevent splatters and also to prevent the meat from drying out.

Slow Cooker Pulled Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog (4)
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Recipe Card

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4.99 from 104 votes

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Slow Cooker Pulled Beef

Slow-cooked in homemade bbq sauce and then shredded, this easy dish of pulled beef is wonderfully flavorful.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time8 hours hrs

Total Time8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

Ingredients

  • 3 lb. beef chuck roast well-trimmed

Barbecue sauce:

  • 7 oz tomato paste (¾ cup)
  • ¾ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons sweetener of choice (I use ½ teaspoon stevia glycerite)

Instructions

  • Place the meat in your slow cooker pan.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the barbecue sauce ingredients.

  • Pour the BBQ sauce over the meat. Use your hands to ensure the meat is well coated.

  • Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 5 hours.

  • Carefully remove the lid (hot steam will escape). Use two forks to shred the meat and mix it with the cooking juices. Serve immediately.

Video

Notes

For the best most tender results, cook the meat on LOW for 8 hours. If you need to cook it for a shorter time, 5 hours on HIGH is acceptable. I tried cooking it on HIGH for 4 hours and it wasn't tender enough to shred - so I do recommend 5 hours.

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Nutrition per Serving

Calories: 263kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 467mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g

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Slow Cooker Pulled Beef - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

What cut of beef is best for shredded beef? ›

Chuck roast is arguably the best cut to use for pulled beef. Similar to the front shoulder of pork (or the pork “butt”) chuck roasts, being from the front shoulder of the steer, are chock full of fat, collagen, and marbling. This is the stuff we need to make delicious juicy pulled beef.

How do you keep pulled beef moist? ›

How do you keep pulled beef moist? Place your shredded beef in an ovenproof dish or catering pan add in a little liquid to replace some of the lost moisture. This can be apple juice, cider vinegar, broth, or a thick BBQ sauce.

What is the best beef for a slow cooker? ›

Chuck. Chuck steak was practically designed for slow cooking. It comes from the shoulder and upper arm of the cow, so it's done a lot of work over the life of the animal — with its abundant collagen, it's the type of cut that gets tough when grilled quickly, but becomes tender and juicier the longer you cook it.

What makes meat pulled? ›

The connective tissue softens during cooking, making it easy to pull the meat apart. Cooking the meat slowly keeps the strands of meat tender. It is important to ensure your meat doesn't dry out, especially with extended cooking times.

What is the best cut of beef to slow cook and pull? ›

Here are the very best beef cuts to keep on hand to slow cook:
  • Chuck steak.
  • Round steak.
  • Blade steak.
  • Topside.
  • Silverside.
  • Skirt steak.
  • Shin (gravy) beef.
  • Sausages.

Why is my shredded beef not tender? ›

The two things to consider in order to achieve tender and flavorful shredded beef are the cut of meat used, and how it is cooked. For shredding beef that is not dry, always use chuck or arm. Chuck is the best. Use a roast cut, not steak.

Can you overcook pulled beef? ›

Can you overcook pulled beef in slow cooker? Yes, you absoultely can overcook meat in the slow cooker and it will end up tasting dry and mushy.

How do you reheat pulled beef without drying it out? ›

To reheat beef without drying it out, you can use the sous vide method, oven method, or slow cooker. Adding leftover cooking juices also helps to keep the meat moist.

Why is my pulled beef dry? ›

Dry meat is almost always the result of overcooking. If you just “leave it on low for 8 hours”, some kinds of meat that will work, and other kinds it won't so well. Foods that overcook easily are lean.

Why is my beef tough in slow cooker? ›

Meat that is over-cooked, even if it's submerged in liquid, will eventually dry-out, and get tough, and different cuts of meat cook differently. There are a few reasons for that. Not having enough liquid in the pot can do it. A poor cut of meat can result in toughness as well.

Do you need to brown beef before putting in slow cooker? ›

It can be nice to cook the onions beforehand, as the flavour is different to when you put them in raw, but experiment both ways as you may find you prefer one. It can also be good to brown meat to give it some colour, but again, this is not essential.

What is the juice that comes out of beef? ›

But actually that red juice in your meat is not blood. Blood is removed during the slaughter process and afterwards very little blood remains in the muscle tissue. That red liquid is water mixed a protein called myoglobin. See as meat ages, the muscle tissue breaks down – and it doesn't take long.

What do you serve with pulled beef? ›

Pull the beef apart using two meat forks. Beef can be served immediately with juices over noodles or mashed potatoes. It also makes a great sandwich, taco, or burrito!

What is the juice that runs out of meat? ›

Well, the liquid you see in those packages isn't blood at all. It is actually a combination of water and a protein called myoglobin. Myoglobin is a protein found in red meat that transports oxygen in the cells. As a piece of meat ages, the muscle tissue breaks down, causing the liquid and myoglobin to leak out.

What are the best cuts of meat to shred? ›

The Best cuts for Shredded Beef
  • Chuck roast.
  • Rump roast.
  • Brisket.
  • Flank.
  • Skirt.
Aug 23, 2017

What is another name for chuck roast? ›

A chuck roast is cut from the shoulder and neck region of the animal and may be labeled chuck roast, shoulder steak, boneless chuck roast, or chuck shoulder pot roast.

What is the most tender beef roast for slow cooker? ›

Chuck roast is one of the more popular slow-cooker options because of how tender and flavorful it becomes after several hours of cooking on low.

How do you soften shredded beef? ›

How to Tenderize a Tough Cut of Meat
  1. Pound it out. Pounding softens and tenderizes meat, making it easier to cut and eat. ...
  2. Use salt. ...
  3. Use an acidic marinade. ...
  4. Use kiwi, papaya, or pineapple. ...
  5. Score it. ...
  6. Slow cook it.
Jan 17, 2024

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