These Shredded Beef Sliders are an easy meal or appetizer for your family or for company. The beef becomes ultra tender after cooking in the crockpot and when combined with caramelized onions and a garlic mayo dressing makes an incredibly tasty little sandwich perfect for your next game day or gathering.
What we love about this Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Recipe
This meal is easy and almost hands-free. I love making it for friends and family because I stick it in the crockpot and forget about it. A simple rub and Au Jus sauce give the beef so much flavor and after several hours of cooking, the tender beef easily shreds for sliders.
The caramelized onions and garlic mayo dressing are simply amazing with the beef and take the sliders to a whole other level. The onions cook separately in a little butter for the last hour or so on low and just need a few stirs. The garlic mayo dressing, easy to prepare with garlic, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper, combined with the caramelized onions delivers a ton of flavor. This is a definite must-make for family and friends!
For another easy meal, try my Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta, a weekday family favorite ready in under 30 minutes!
What you need to make this Pulled Beef Recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- 3-pound boneless beef chuck pot roast
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 ⅛ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 packet Au Jus Gravy seasoning mix (1 oz)
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup butter
- 12 slider buns
Shredded Beef Sliders Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- A boneless chuck roast is best for this dish. It has the best marbling and fat which makes it ideal for pulled beef and flavor. A round steak or blade steak could be substituted if needed.
- In place of an Au Jus packet and water, beef stock with beef bouillon or dry onion soup mix could substitute. Also, beef consomme or brown gravy could replace the Au Jus mix.
- If you don’t like caramelized onions, you could omit them or cook the onions with the roast if you prefer.
- You can omit the mayonnaise, or the garlic from the mayonnaise, but the garlic mayonnaise does add great flavor.
- You could use just salt and pepper or different seasonings for the rub on the roast.
- Larger hamburger buns could be substituted for the slider buns for larger serving sizes.
Step-by-step Instructions for Shredded Beef in Crockpot
Step 1. Rub the salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder into the roast on all sides before placing in the slow cooker.
Step 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the Au Jus mix and the water.
Step 3. Pour the Au Jus sauce over the roast and cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 9-10 hours.
Step 4. While the roast is cooking, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate before serving time.
Step 5. 45 minutes to an hour before the beef is done, add thinly sliced onions and butter to a heavy pot and cook on low, stirring occasionally to caramelize the onions.
Step 6. Transfer the cooked beef to a cutting board and shred the beef with two forks, discarding any fatty pieces. Return the beef to the sauce in the slow cooker. When ready to serve, using a slotted spoon, heap a serving of beef onto the slider roll, top with a tablespoon or two of caramelized onions, and spread the garlic mayonnaise on the bun. Serve immediately so the bun doesn’t get soggy.
Tips
- I used Pepperidge Farm slider buns, but other brands of slider buns work well. I like these better than the Hawaiian rolls with this dish since they have a little more structure and substance to hold up to the shredded beef. I’ve also used Brioche slider rolls that work well.
- The garlic mayo is basically garlic aioli and it is flavorful and versatile. Try making extra or use any leftovers as a dip for vegetables, fries, or chips!
Frequently Asked Questions
| How to store shredded beef? |
| Cover and refrigerate in leftover juices once cooled. Do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. The USDA recommends that cooked beef be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for 2-3 months. Cooked beef does not last as long in the freezer as raw beef. |
| How to reheat the shredded beef? |
| Put in a pan and cover with foil to reheat in the oven. Warm at 250 for 30 min or so. Add a little extra sauce from the roast or broth to keep it from drying out. You can also gently simmer over the stovetop with a little extra sauce or broth. Microwaving until warm in the microwave is also a possibility. You can also reheat in the slow cooker for 1-2 hours on low. You just don’t want too high of a heat for too long to avoid having the meat become dry. |
| What should I serve with shredded beef sliders? |
| Potato sides are a popular choice. Potato salad, fries, or chips are all delicious with the sliders. Various pasta salads, vegetables, chips and dips, or salads are all great choices as well. |
Shredded beef sliders
6
servings15
minutes5
hours5 1/4
hoursIngredients
3-pound boneless beef chuck pot roast
1 ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
1 ⅛ teaspoon pepper, divided
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 packet Au Jus Gravy seasoning mix (1 oz)
1 ½ cups water
1 cup mayonnaise
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup butter
12 slider buns
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, the onion powder, and the garlic powder. Rub the mixture onto all sides of the beef roast and place in a 6-8 quart crockpot.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the water and Au Jus Gravy mix. Pour over the roast and cook the roast on high heat for 5 hours (or on low heat for 9-10 hours).
- While the roast cooks, mix mayonnaise, minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving time.
- About an hour before the roast is done cooking, melt the butter over medium-low heat in a heavy pan or Dutch oven and add the onions. Cook the onions for 45 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring periodically to prevent burning. The onions will slowly brown, caramelize, and reduce in size. Turn off the heat and place in a serving bowl. Refrigerate if needed before the roast is done cooking.
- Carefully remove the roast from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. It should be very tender and may break into chunks when removing it from the slow cooker. Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-size pieces. Remove and discard any fatty pieces.
- Return the shredded beef to the crockpot and serve immediately or keep warm until time to serve.
- To serve, using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the desired amount of meat and place it on a slider bun. Top with a tablespoon or two of caramelized onions and spread the garlic mayonnaise on the underside of the top bun. Place the top bun over the beef and onions and serve immediately before the juices from the beef cause the slider bun to get too soggy.
Notes
- The size of the roast is flexible here and you can use the size that would best meet your needs, anywhere between a 2-5 pound roast.
- You can serve the sliders plain without the onions and garlic mayo, but we prefer the flavor of the caramelized onions and dressing with the beef, as they complement the beef so well. The garlic mayo is a garlic aioli that is flavorful and versatile. Try making extra or use any leftovers as a dip for vegetables, fries, or chips!
- Use a sturdy bun for these sandwiches, I prefer Pepperidge Farm slider buns or Brioche slider buns to Hawaiian rolls with this recipe. These can also be served as sandwiches with larger hamburger buns.
I made this for dinner and my family loved it! So delicious. The garlic mayonnaise also made a great dip for potato chips.
I am so glad to hear that you loved it! We love this recipe too and it really is a hit for all ages. I love that you used the garlic mayo for your chip dip, it’s such an amazing versatile condiment. Happy New Year!
Such a fun and quick meal. Cant wait to try these.
Thank you so much! We love how the crockpot does all the work and they are great for feeding a crowd. Thanks for taking the time to stop by and leave a review!
I’ve been looking for quick and easy recipes like this. It’s perfect!
I’m glad to hear you like the recipe! It really is such a quick prep, and always a crowd pleaser. The crockpot does all the work. Thanks for taking the time to share some feedback!
Saving this recipe for sports season! This is perfect!
Thanks so much for the great feedback! This really is an easy recipe where the crockpot does all the work and has been a kid favorite for a long time. Hope you enjoy it!