These Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Sandwiches are the ultimate comfort food. Beef stew meat cooks for hours in the crockpot until it's fall apart tender. Then, the pulled beef is loaded onto toasted sub rolls with melted provolone and dipped into au jus sauce. The flavors are incredible and the slow cooker does most of the work!
I'm usually a dutch oven over slow cooker kind of girl. I can typically build more flavors in the dutch oven and I don't love making dinner at breakfast time. However, this recipe may have changed my opinion, because it is absolutely packed with flavor. Plus, I understand that for people who don't work from home, the crockpot is super convenient.
The biggest tip I've learned when using the slow cooker is to sear the beef and onions before adding them into the crockpot. It's a total game changer and really enhances the taste and improves the textures. I know it's an extra step, but it's worth it.
For more slow cooker recipes that taste amazing, try this Slow Cooker Chicken Corn Soup, Crockpot Swedish Meatballs, Slow Cooker Rotel Dip (great for game day), and Crockpot Birria Tacos.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Set it and forget it. The best part of slow cooker meals is you put a little work in during the morning hours and you've got a really easy dinner ready to go at night.
- Quick Prep. The morning prep work is about 15 minutes. It could be less time if you don't sear the meat and onions, but it makes a big difference in taste.
- Big on Flavor. The Beef Stock brings so much richness to this recipe and the pepperoncini adds in just a bit of spice. Plus, after cooking, this beef just falls apart.
- Enough for Leftovers. I made 3.5 lbs of beef, which easily made 6 sub sandwiches and I had about a pound of meat leftover for the next day. Make more beef sandwiches, or serve it over my garlic cheesy mashed potatoes. You could also make burritos or quesadillas.
- Budget Friendly. This recipe only cost around $30 and can stretch it out into a few meals for the family.
For more budget friendly beef dinners, try this Ground Beef Gnocchi, Beef Macaroni, Ground Beef Tacos, and Teriyaki Beef Bowls.
Ingredients:
Beef Stew Meat: A budget friendly beef from the round or chuck roast. It's a tough cut, but when slow cooked, it's really tender.
Pepperoncini: Adds spice to the au jus sauce and the juice brings a bit of acid to help tenderize the meat.
Sub Rolls: If you can get them fresh from the grocery store, a bakery, or even a sub shop, they taste best.
Beef Stock: Cooked with the bones and has much richer flavors than beef broth. I recommend the Kitchen Basics brand in the photo above or Kirkland's Beef Stock from Costco. I do NOT recommend beef broth for this recipe because it will not make a rich au jus sauce.
*Find the full recipe quantities and ingredients in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- The meat may be labeled pot roast or chuck roast. If you need to get a slab of it and cut it into smaller pieces, that's fine too.
- If you don't like pepperoncinis, substitute them with banana peppers and the juice from the banana peppers.
- This recipe can also be cooked on low in the crockpot for 8-10 hours, but I prefer the taste better on high for 5 hours.
Try these Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Potatoes too!
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches:
Step 1: In a large dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Allow to heat up for a few minutes. Separate the beef into two batches, and add in the first one, cooking for a few minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer 1st batch to crockpot, then repeat with second batch.
Step 2: Add the second batch to the crockpot.
Step 3: Reduce the heat in the empty dutch oven to medium low. Add in 1 teaspoon of olive oil and toss in the onions. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, then sprinkle in the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Turn off the heat and transfer the onions and garlic into the crockpot.
Step 4: Into the crockpot, add in the pepperoncinis, pepperoncini juice, beef stock, salt, paprika, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours (or 8-10 hours on low). I prefer cooking it on high for 5 hours.
Step 5: When finished cooking, use tongs or two forks to shred up the meat. It should fall apart super easy. If it does not, cook for another hour on high heat.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice open sub rolls and lie them onto a cookie sheet. Layer two slices of provolone on the inside of each sub. Bake for 6-8 minutes until warm and the cheese is melty.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and top with shredded beef. Close up the sandwich and slice in half.
Step 8: Use a ladle to remove some of the juices from the crockpot to serve on the side for au jus dipping sauce. Serve, dunk into that flavor packed sauce, and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Don't skip searing the beef and cooking the onions and garlic ahead of time. It makes a huge difference in flavors and textures.
- After 5 hours, the beef should fall apart when just squeezed with tongs. If it doesn't, cook for another hour on high until you get the right texture.
Love comfort food? Try this One Pound Meatloaf, Dutch Oven Pork Chops, Boneless Pork Ribs, and Beef Short Ribs.
More Comfort Food Recipes To Try:
If you tried these Slow Cooker Beef Sandwiches or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Sandwiches
- Total Time: 5 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 sub sandwiches + additional meat 1x
Description
These Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Sandwiches are the ultimate comfort food. Beef stew meat cooks for hours in the crockpot until it's fall apart tender. Then, the pulled beef is loaded onto toasted sub rolls with melted provolone and dipped into au jus sauce. The flavors are incredible and the slow cooker does most of the work!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3-4 lbs beef stew meat, usually cut into chunks by the butcher *could be labeled chuck roast, round roast or pot roast meat
- ½ of a yellow onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 pepperoncinis, stems removed and discarded, and pepperoncinis roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini juice from the container
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 cups beef stock
- 12 deli slices provolone cheese
- 6 sub rolls
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Allow to heat up for a few minutes. Separate the beef into two batches, and add in the first one, cooking for a few minutes, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer 1st batch to crockpot, then repeat with second batch.
- Add the second batch to the crockpot.
- Reduce the heat in the empty dutch oven to medium low. Add in the 1 teaspoon of olive oil and toss in the onions. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently, then sprinkle in the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Turn off the heat and transfer the onions and garlic into the crockpot.
- Into the crockpot, add in the pepperoncinis, pepperoncini juice, salt, paprika, oregano, parsley, garlic powder, pepper and beef stock. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours *preferably, or 8-10 hours on low.
- When finished cooking, use tongs or two forks to shred up the meat. It should fall apart super easy. If it does not, cook for another hour on high heat.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice open sub rolls and lie them onto a cookie sheet. Layer two slices of provolone on the inside of each sub. Bake for 6-8 minutes until warm and the cheese is melty.
- Remove from the oven and top with shredded beef. Close up the sandwich and slice in half.
- Use a ladle to remove some of the juices from the crockpot to serve on the side for au jus dipping sauce. Serve, dunk into that flavor packed sauce, and enjoy!
Notes
- Don't skip searing the beef and cooking the onions and garlic ahead of time. It makes a huge difference in flavors and textures.
- After 5 hours, the beef should fall apart when just squeezed with tongs. If it doesn't, cook for another hour on high until you get the right texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Category: dinner
- Method: slow cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Rob says
Super good and we had them two nights in a row.
Tara Smithson says
Thanks so much for the review Rob. I loved this one and I'm not huge on slow cooker meals.