Slow Cooker Pulled Beef

Cooked pulled beef on white plate garnished with parsley and served with mashed potato.

5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Pulled Beef is an easy recipe with minimal prep work needed. Serve with creamy mash and drizzle over the in built sauce to serve.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time5 15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: slow cooker pulled beef

Servings:

Calories: 547kcal

Author: Adrianne

Ingredients

Dry Rub

1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon ground paprika Note 1
2 teaspoons dried oregano Note 2
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Sauce

1 cup/250 ml beef stock
½ cup/125ml barbecue sauce Note 3
½ cup/125ml tomato sauce
400 grams/14 oz diced tomatoes Note 4
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Note 5

Beef

1.5 kg/3.3 lb beef chuck

Slurry

2 tablespoons corn flour Note 6
1 tablespoon tap water

Instructions

Dry rub: add the garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, paprika, salt and black pepper to a small bowl and stir until consistently combined.
Beef: remove any packaging from the beef then use a folded piece of paper towel to pat it dry. Also remove any butchers string. Place it in the centre of a clean, dry chopping board.
Massage: sprinkle the dry rub over each side of the beef chuck, massaging it in as you go. Ensure the whole cut is covered in the rub.
Grease: lightly grease the slow cooker insert with olive oil spray.
Sauce: add the beef stock, barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker. Use a wooden spoon to stir and gently combine.
Beef and sauce: now place the seasoned beef into the slow cooker and put the lid on. Set the timer and temperature to 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low.
Slurry: combine the cornflour with the water in a small jug and stir till consistently combined.
Remove beef: once the initial cook time is up, remove the lid from the slow cooker. Then transfer the cooked beef to a chopping board. Use 2 forks to shred the beef.
Thicken sauce: pour the slurry into the sauce and stir to combine.
Add beef to sauce: now add the shredded beef back to the slow cooker and put the lid on. Set the timer to 1 hour on high or 1 ½ hours on low.
Separate: once the final cook time is up, remove the lid of the slow cooker. Use a sieve or colander with a jug under it and pour the beef into the sieve using the jug under to collect the sauce.
To serve: serve the beef with creamy mashed potatoes and drizzle desired amount of sauce over the top.

Video

Notes

Note 1 - Paprika: use ground paprika for more of an intense flavor and use smoky paprika for a less intense flavor.
Note 2 - Dried oregano: or use the equivalent of either dried rosemary or thyme.
Note 3 - Barbecue sauce: we want to use a pretty regular or standard barbecue sauce. The flavor profile for the sauce for the pulled meat brings together both sweet and savory flavors and the dry rub ensures we are flavor packing the meat. We don't want to overdo it too much with 'smoky barbecue sauce' or 'spicy barbecue sauce'.
Note 4 - Crushed tomatoes: I like to use crushed tomatoes. The plain version with no additional 'Italian flavours' or other additives. If you use diced tomatoes the texture will be noticeable and it is not a 'pulled meat' matching texture.
Note 5 - Worcestershire sauce: or you use the equivalent of balsamic vinegar.
Note 6 - Corn flour: this won't sift, as is will be fine, it will dissolve easily in the water

Nutrition