Slow Cooker Cowboy Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Cowboy Sandwiches are the ultimate BBQ beef sandwiches. Colby jack cheese, BBQ pulled chuck roast, bacon, diced jalapenos, and crispy fried onions come together to create a BBQ sandwich that will have everyone drooling.
BBQ sandwiches are a staple of summer around here, and one of our favorite ways to make them is in the slow cooker. We can cook our beef until it’s falling apart any time we don’t want to fire up the grill or on rainy days. It’s perfect!
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It features tender, juicy BBQ beef.
- It only uses a few ingredients.
- It’s a hearty, delicious sandwich that’s so easy to make.
🛒Ingredients
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The beauty of these sandwiches is that they pack a punch of flavor without using a ton of ingredients. Be sure to check the recipe card at the end of the post for exact amounts.
- Chuck roast
- BBQ sauce
- Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Onion – sliced
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic cloves – minced
- Brown sugar
- Canned diced jalapenos
- Colby Jack cheese
- Crispy fried onions
- Buns
🔪 How to Make Slow Cooker Cowboy Sandwiches
Making these sandwiches is incredibly easy, and we all like that! The majority of the work is done by the slow cooker. After that, you just make the sandwiches and enjoy!
Step 1: Add the Ingredients to the Slow Cooker
Add the chuck roast, BBQ sauce, half of the cooked bacon, the onion, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and half the diced jalapenos.
Step 2: Cook
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours until the meat falls apart with a fork.
Step 3: Shred the Beef
Drain most of the liquid from the slow cooker, reserving about a cup, and shred the beef using two forks.
Step 4: Make the Sandwiches
Add a slice of cheese to the bottom buns. Then, top with shredded beef, bacon, jalapenos, and crispy fried onions. Add the top bun and enjoy!
📝Variations
Do you want to change up this recipe and make it your own? Here are some ways that you can do that!
- Mild – Omit the diced jalapenos.
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite BBQ sauce for this recipe.
- Cheese – Use your favorite cheese for these sandwiches.
- Chips – Potato chips make a tasty variation used in place of fried onions.
If this slow cooker BBQ beef sandwich looks good to you, then check out our slow cooker rodeo sloppy joes.
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Slow cooker
- 2 forks
🥫 Storage
Refrigerate the BBQ beef with the reserved liquid in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container.
💭 Tips
- Choose a chuck roast with plenty of marbling for the juiciest, most tender beef.
- Reserve some of the liquid for easier reheating.
- Steam your buns for extra soft and delicious buns.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Chuck roast is the best cut of beef for pulled sandwiches. It’s full of fat and conective tissue that breaks down as the roast is cooked slowly over low heat, creating tender, juicy pulled beef. You might also find chuck roast labeled as shoulder roast, chuck eye roast, or amr chuck roast.
Look for a roast that has plenty of fat and marbling. That’s what breaks down as the roast cooks to make it incredibly tender.
Slow cookers do an exceptional job when it comes to pot roast. The low temperature and long cooking time are perfect for this cut of beef.
🍽 More Recipes
Do you enjoy slow cooker recipes? Then try these delicious recipes:
📌 PIN IT!!
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Slow Cooker Cowboy Sandwiches
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pound chuck roast
- 2 cups bbq sauce
- 1 pound bacon cooked and crumbled
- Half an onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons worcheshire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 ounce can diced jalapenos
- Sliced colby jack cheese
- 6 Buns
- Crispy fried onions
Instructions
- Into the slow cooker add your beef, bbq sauce, half of the cooked bacon, the onion, worcheshire sauce, garlic, brown sugar and half of the jalapenos.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours until the meat fall apart with a fork.
- Shred the beef using 2 forks.
- Drain most of the liquid from the slow cooker.
- Assemble your sandwiches.
- Place a slice of cheese down on your bun.
- Add the shredded beef.
- Top with the leftover bacon and jalapenos.
- Top with the crispy fried onions.
- Serve!
Notes
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
Are there other types of meat to use as a substitute? My husband is curious how it would turn out with pork tenderloin, because he likes all of the ingredients, but we don’t have any roast
Yes, you can use pork. We usually use a pork roast if cooking with tenderloin just make sure not to overcook so it won’t dry out
Made this tonight and it was a big hit with the family! I didn’t change a thing. Perfect as is. Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
Is there a bbq sauce you prefer
We use a bunch of different BBQ sauces. Sweet Baby Ray’s any flavor you like or Stubb’s is a favorite too
This is by far in my top 5 of things I’ve ever eaten!! The flavor profile is amazing! I followed the recipe to a T!
Yay!! So glad it made your top !
I just put this in my slow cooker, hoping it won’t disappoint as I’m taking to a potluck!
I assumed the minced garlic goes in with the other ingredients, only makes sense right?
I wondered if I should have mixed all the ingredients together before adding on top of roast 🤔….i didn’t and now still wonder if I should stir it occasionally?
Wish it well!!
You can stir it of you like but don’t really have to
This is great!!