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What’s not to enjoy about cowboy sandwiches? The barbecue shredded beef sandwiches are topped with cheese, bacon and french fried onions! SO good.
Other beef sandwiches we love are slow cooker sloppy joes and slow cooker Arby’s beef and cheddars.
Table of Contents
Tired of the same old crockpot meals? You’re in the right place! These sandwiches are here to shake things up.
The barbecue beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the crispy French fried onions add just the right amount of crunch and savory flavor. Together, they create a sandwich that’s anything but boring
Recipe Ingredients
For this simple and flavorful cowboy sandwich recipe, you’ll need a beef chuck roast, barbecue sauce, onions, green chiles, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. To assemble, have hamburger buns ready along with crispy fried onions, cooked bacon, and cheddar cheese for the ultimate finishing touches.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Add the chuck roast, half of the bacon, barbecue sauce, onions, green chiles, brown sugar, garlic and Worcestershire sauce tp the slow cooker.
- Cook on LOW for 8-9 hours or high for 5-6.
- Once cooked, shred the beef in the slow cooker using two forks. Mix well to ensure the beef is thoroughly coated with the sauce and ingredients.
How to Serve:
- Split the hamburger buns and toast them lightly if desired. Layer a generous helping of the shredded beef mixture onto the bottom half of each bun. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, crispy fried onions, and reserved bacon pieces for the perfect balance of flavors and textures. Finish by placing the top bun over the toppings. (another option for the onions is crispy jalapeno chips!)
- Serve the sandwiches warm, letting the heat from the beef slightly melt the cheese.
- For extra flavor and texture, consider adding pickled jalapeños, sliced avocado, or a scoop of coleslaw.
- Switch things up by using Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese for a different flavor twist.
- Complete the meal by pairing these sandwiches with coleslaw, potato salad, or baked beans.
- For a spicy kick, stir a dash of hot sauce or a sprinkle of cayenne pepper into the slow cooker mixture.
More Sandwich Recipes
- Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken Sliders
- Slow Cooker Meatball Subs
- Slow Cooker Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Philly Cheesesteaks
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Cowboy Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chuck roast
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 lb bacon, cooked and divided
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cans, 7 oz each diced green chilies
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
For Serving:
- shredded cheddar cheese (or sliced)
- 1 cup crispy fried onions
- Hamburger buns
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until crispy. Let it cool slightly, then chop into pieces. Divide the bacon in half, reserving one half for the slow cooker and the other half for topping the sandwiches later.
- Place the chuck roast in your slow cooker. Add the BBQ sauce, sliced onion, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, diced green chilies, brown sugar, and half of the cooked bacon on top of the roast. Mix the ingredients until combined.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 5-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Once cooked, shred the beef in the slow cooker using two forks. Mix well to ensure the beef is thoroughly coated with the sauce and ingredients.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the crispy fried onions and toast them for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden and fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Split the hamburger buns and toast lightly if desired. Pile a generous amount of the shredded beef mixture onto the bottom half of each bun. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, reserved bacon pieces, and toasted crispy fried onions. Place the top half of the bun over the toppings.
- Serve the sandwiches warm, allowing the cheese to melt slightly from the heat of the beef. Enjoy!
Sarah’s Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
- To freeze, store the shredded beef mixture for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Consider adding pickled jalapeños, sliced avocado, or coleslaw for extra flavor and texture.
- Try using Colby Jack or pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar for a different flavor profile.
- Pair these sandwiches with a side of coleslaw, potato salad, or baked beans for a complete meal.
- For a spicier kick, add a dash of hot sauce or some cayenne pepper to the slow cooker mixture.
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Tasty, easy to make. I omitted the brown sugar because I used Honey Barbeque sauce, but will definitely add it next time. Hubs preferred to have his over rice; I’ll do the same next time as the sandwich was just too messy.
OOOOOOOH, this sounds PERFECT! The only reason that I welcome winter is that I finally get to COOK – vs. assembling fresh things with grilled meat in the spring, summer, & fall!!! Bring out the slow cooker, this recipe is SAVED! Thank you for your great recipes.
Leave out the BBQ sauce and this is a great recipe. My family hates BBQ sauce so I avoid it in anything I cook or they won’t eat it. I have made my own BBQ sauce with ketchup, mustard and a couple drops of Worchestershire sauce and it’s terrific for a substitue. I have also made up one version using ketchup, mustard and Kraft Western Dressing and they also loved that one, especially on chicken legs. I have no clue how that would work on roast. We have our own version of how I’ve been making rump roasts from many years ago (a recipe I got in an old Taste of Home Magazine) and it’s simple to do you just have to remember to keep the roast covered with foil or it will dry out quickly.
From looking at some of your other recipes I am now hungry for crock pot beef stew. I need to go to the store tomorrow anyway, so I will see what they have. I’m not paying premium prices for meat that’s half fat. I save the fat whenever I do buy a fatty meat and try to make a sort of “tallow” out of it but it doesn’t always turn out the best unless I have a LOT of the beef fat to begin with. Last time I was at the store I bought (specifically from the butcher, a good cut of it) a pound of beef fat, used half of it to make tallow and the results were terrific. Will make up the other half when we are ready for it. It’s great for frying steaks and stew meat (which I fry ahead of time when using the crock pot).