An easy slow cooker pulled beef recipe made with tender pull-apart beef brisket in a sweet, smoky, and tangy BBQ sauce!
Five minutes of prep and eight hours in the slow cooker produce the most delicious and tender BBQ pulled beef, perfect for feeding a crowd! You might also like my slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken recipe.
This BBQ crock pot pulled beef is so versatile! You can serve it with rice, tortilla chips, burritos, tacos, in sandwiches, and leftovers are great on air fryer jacket potatoes!
It's a quick dump-and-go recipe so it's great for sticking on first thing in the morning before work and leaving it to do its thing during the day. A saviour on busy weekdays when we have lots of after-school clubs.
👩🍳 Love easy slow cooker recipes? Try my simple slow cooker chilli con carne or slow cooker chicken chasseur next!
Jump to:
✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Tender pull-apart beef.
- Easy dump-and-go slow cooker meal.
- Feeds a crowd.
- Freezer-friendly.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Beef Brisket - 1.5kg beef brisket joint.
Onion - one large onion peeled and roughly chopped.
Sauce - BBQ sauce, light brown sugar, cider vinegar, yellow American mustard (not English mustard - it's too hot!), smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, water).
🥄 Equipment
Which slow cooker? I use a Morphy Richards Sear and Stew 6.5 litre slow cooker, which means I can brown and slow cook in the same pot! The 6.5 litre capacity serves 6-8 main portions, so it’s ideal for large families and those that like batch cooking. There is also a 3.5 litre version for smaller households.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the beef brisket joint in your slow cooker basin.
Two: Mix together the onion and sauce ingredients in a jug then pour over the beef joint.
Three: Cook on low for 8 hours. Take the beef out of the slow cooker and place it on a chopping board. Cut thick slices of beef with a sharp knife then shred the beef with two forks. Place the shredded beef back into the slow cooker and mix it into the sauce.
💭 Expert tips
- Use American yellow mustard in this recipe. English mustard and Dijon mustard are too strong and will overpower the other flavours in the sauce. You can find American yellow mustard next to BBQ sauce and Tomato Ketchup in the supermarket.
- If you would like to thicken the sauce, sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of thickening granules, or pour the sauce only into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and cook until it has thickened to your liking.
🍴 Serving suggestions
There are plenty of ways to serve/use slow cooker pulled beef. Here are a few ideas!
- Tacos and Burritos
- Fajitas and Enchiladas
- Pizza Topping
- Rice
- Sandwiches
- Jacket Potatoes
- Nachos
- Dirty Chips
- Burger Buns
- Salad
- Pico De Gallo
- Lime Wedges. Sliced Red Onion & Sour Cream
📖 Variations
- Make the sauce spicy and add a teaspoon of chilli flakes or chili powder.
- Use pork instead of beef.
- Add Italian seasoning, Chinese five spice, taco seasoning, or garlic powder to the sauce.
- Make it in the pressure cooker instead.
- Squeeze over fresh lime juice at the end of cooking.
- Substitute the cider vinegar for red wine vinegar.
- Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a tablespoon of tomato puree for a richer savoury flavour.
🥡 Storage
Store - The slow cooker shredded beef can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat - Microwave until piping hot.
Freeze - Once cool, place the shredded beef into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Although slow cookers are designed to cook food for long periods of time, you can still overcook beef in a slow cooker so try and keep an eye on it. Test it with a fork to see if it's falling apart and tender.
Yes you can!
Beek brisket or braising steak are both great for cooking long and slow in a slow cooker, and easy to shred with forks at the end of cooking.
😋 More slow cooker recipes
- Slow Cooker Chilli Con Carne
- Slow Cooker Pork Ragu
- Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole
- Slow Cooker Hunters Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
- Slow Cooker Pork Casserole
- Slow Cooker Beef Keema
- Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl
Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen! You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram too!
Recipe
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Beef Brisket Joint
- 1 Onion peeled and chopped
For the sauce
- 200 ml BBQ Sauce
- 3 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Yellow American Mustard NOT ENGLISH MUSTARD
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne
- 20 ml Water
Instructions
- Place the beef brisket joint in your slow cooker basin.1.5 kg Beef Brisket Joint
- Mix together the onion and sauce ingredients in a jug then pour over the beef joint.1 Onion, 200 ml BBQ Sauce, 3 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar, 2 tablespoon Cider Vinegar, 1 tablespoon Yellow American Mustard, 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika, 1 teaspoon Cayenne, 20 ml Water
- Cook on low for 8 hours. Take the beef out of the slow cooker and place it on a chopping board. Cut thick slices of beef with a sharp knife then shred the beef with two forks. Place the shredded beef back into the slow cooker and mix it into the sauce.
Notes
- Use American yellow mustard in this recipe. English mustard and Dijon mustard are too strong and will overpower the other flavours in the sauce. You can find American yellow mustard next to BBQ sauce and Tomato Ketchup in the supermarket.
- If you would like to thicken the sauce up, sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of thickening granules, or pour the sauce only into a saucepan, bring it to a boil and cook until it has thickened to your liking.
- Make the sauce spicy and add a teaspoon of chilli flakes or chili powder.
- Use pork instead of beef.
- Add Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, or garlic powder to the sauce.
- Make it in the pressure cooker instead.
- Squeeze over fresh lime juice at the end of cooking.
- Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce for a savoury flavour.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This beef looks so tender and tasty and can be used in so many meals with so little effort. Thanks for sharing this.
Dannii
We love making these for tacos. Perfect comfort food.
Biana
This beef looks perfect for tacos! Thank you for sharing such an easy recipe.
Tara
Oh yum! You had me at sweet, smoky, and tangy BBQ sauce. This pulled beef looks so good and I love how easily it comes together in the slow cooker.
Dana
This pulled beef has such a nice and tangy flavor! It also makes the house smell amazing while it's cooking. The perfect cozy comfort meal for rainy Sundays!