Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Juicy Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is our family’s newest dinnertime obsession. Use this pulled beef to make Shredded Beef Sandwiches, or store leftovers in the fridge or freezer for easy meal prep.
If you love easy crock pot recipes like Slow Cooker Pulled Chicken, you’ll love this meltingly tender, flavorful shredded beef. Serve it in hoagie rolls with the au jus dipping sauce for a crowd-pleasing, French Dip Sandwich-inspired sandwich.
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. A hand dipping a shredded beef sandwich into a ramekin of beef drippings.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-5.jpg)
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Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Sandwiches
This slow cooker shredded beef was a happy accident. We had a tri-tip roast in the fridge and my husband had the inspiration to rub some Montreal steak seasoning over it and place it into the crock pot, along with a few other simple ingredients.
Fast forward 8 hours, and we opened the lid to the juiciest, most flavorful slow-cooked beef roast. After shredding the beef, we loaded it between hoagie rolls with caramelized onions, mushrooms, and melty mozzarella to serve dipped au jus. Needless to say, these shredded beef sandwiches were an instant hit with the whole family. If you’re a fan of mouthwatering, cheesy, beefy sandwiches like our Philly Cheesesteak, then I’m certain these shredded beef sandwiches will be your new go-to favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
What makes this tri-tip recipe a must-try? Let me count the ways…
- Easy to Prepare – With a bit of trimming and prepping, have your roast beef ready for the crock pot in minutes. Aside from some eventual shredding, it’s mostly hands-free.
- Great for Sandwiches – Slow-cooked, shredded beef is amazing in a hoagie roll with melted mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and sautéed mushrooms. It’s truly a winning beef sandwich that’s also family-friendly.
- Ideal for Meal Prep – This recipe makes a generous batch of tender, shredded beef, and it’s perfect to portion out and keep refrigerated for healthy meal prepping.
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. Tongs in a slow cooker with shredded beef](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-3.jpg)
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make extra-juicy slow cooker shredded beef. Below is a short overview, with the full details available in the recipe card below the post.
- Beef – We use a tri-tip roast for this recipe. This is a triangular-shaped sirloin cut (where the name “tri” comes from). It’s tempting to use chuck roast because it’s less expensive, but I highly recommend tri-tip. Tri-tip is less fatty, tenderizes faster, and shreds easier.
- Seasoning – Montreal steak spice adds wonderful flavor to a beef roast. It’s one of our favorite seasonings for beef and is available in most US grocery stores. Onion powder, garlic powder, and dried rosemary bring even more flavor to the beef and marinade.
- Oil – Use a high-heat oil to get a nice golden sear on the beef.
- Beef Broth – We like to use low-sodium beef broth, but you can substitute chicken stock.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Adds depth and richness and brings out the natural umami flavors of beef.
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. The ingredients for slow cooker shredded beef.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef.jpg)
Pro Tip: If you can’t find Montreal steak seasoning where you are you can get it online, or use regular all-purpose steak spice or carne asada seasoning instead. A rub with coarse black pepper will also do in a pinch.
How to Trim a Tri-Tip Roast
Before cooking your tri-tip, we recommend trimming off the layer of fat that sometimes covers one or both sides of the roast. If you’ve purchased trimmed tri-tip, you can skip this part as the fat is already removed. Otherwise, use a sharp knife to carefully cut the fat away from the rest of the meat. Fat is nice to have when oven-roasting, but not so great for slow cooking.
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. Side-by-side photos showing how to trim the fat from a tri-tip roast and season the beef.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-7.jpg)
How to Make Shredded Beef in a Crockpot
Shredded beef is great for making French dip-style sandwiches, and it’s just as good for meal prep. Here’s how to make extra juicy slow cooker shredded beef:
- Season and Sear the Beef – Give the roast a generous seasoning with Montreal steak spice. Use your hands to rub it all over and pat it on the meat. Next, sear the beef in a hot skillet with a bit of oil, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Add to the Slow Cooker – Add the broth to the slow cooker along with Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, and rosemary. Place the meat into the marinade, turning it over a couple of times to make sure it’s nice and coated.
- Cook – Cover and cook on low for about 7-8 hours.
- Shred – When the beef is tender enough to pull apart, take it out of the slow cooker and use two forks to shred it.
- Strain the Au Jus – Use a sieve to strain the pan juices. Discard any solids then spoon off the excess oil from the pan juices.
- Combine – Put the beef back into the slow cooker and add about half of the leftover juices. The remaining juice makes a delicious au jus for dipping!
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. Photo collage showing the process for cooking shredded beef in the slow cooker.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-8.jpg)
Pro Tip: Before returning the shredded beef to your slow cooker, I recommend straining the liquid left in the pot through a sieve and spooning out any excess fat. Your beef will be cleaner, and the juice will also be better for dipping.
Common Questions
When I tested this recipe using chuck roast, I ended up throwing away a fair amount of fatty meat, which felt like a waste. If you absolutely must use chuck roast, add an extra hour to the cooking time as the beef takes longer to become tender.
It’s not 100% necessary to sear the beef first, however, it does enrich the flavor and also speeds up the cooking time in the crock pot.
You can double it if you have 2 separate slow cookers and can cook it in 2 different batches, otherwise, it may overload a single slow cooker and it won’t cook through properly.
You can use the slow cooker function on your Instant Pot (most of them have this function nowadays),
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. Tongs stuck into shredded beef inside the slow cooker.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-2.jpg)
How To Make Shredded Beef Sandwiches
We serve our shredded beef with hoagie rolls or hamburger buns to make easy beef sandwiches to dip au jus. The kids love it and it’s quickly become one of our family’s favorite weeknight meals. Here’s how to make your own shredded beef sandwiches:
- Toast the hoagie roll with a bit of butter.
- Pile on the beef, add mushrooms and/or onions (if using), followed by slices of mozzarella.
- Broil the cheese until melted.
- Dip – Pour the leftover pan juices into ramekins and use them for dipping the sandwiches.
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. Photo collage showing how to assemble a shredded beef sandwich on a hoagie roll.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-9.jpg)
More Ways to Serve
Alone or in a sandwich, this slow cooker shredded beef is a seriously tasty, no-fuss meal. Try these other easy serving suggestions:
- Additional Toppings – Fill your shredded beef sandwich with pepperoncini, sauteed bell peppers, jalapeños, Refrigerator Pickles, or Coleslaw.
- With Fries – Serve with a side of Air Fryer French Fries or Sweet Potato Fries.
- With Salad – Pair your slow cooker beef or sandwiches with a Macaroni Salad or Easy Garden Salad.
- As a Main Course – Turn your shredded beef into easy meal prep and portion it over White Rice with Roasted Vegetables.
Make-Ahead
Shredded beef leftovers reheat really well (and don’t taste like leftovers), which makes this recipe perfect for meal planning.
- To refrigerate: Store your leftover beef airtight in the fridge either all together or in portions for up to 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Warm shredded beef in the microwave or in the oven until heated through. If you find that your beef is a bit dry on the reheat, add a bit of water or beef broth to help loosen it up.
- To Freeze: Store the cooled shredded beef airtight in containers or freezer bags (preferably vacuum-sealed) and keep it frozen for up to 6 months.
![Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is a must-try crock pot recipe! Make shredded beef sandwiches for dipping au jus, or store leftovers for meal prep. A shredded beef sandwich in a hoagie roll served on white plate next to au jus for dipping.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-4.jpg)
A soft hoagie roll piled high with mouthwatering slow cooker shredded beef – what’s not to love? My kids are always so happy when I make these shredded beef sandwiches and it’s a recipe you won’t want to miss.
More Sandwich Recipes
Looking for more family-approved sandwich recipes to try? These are our top-rated sandwiches and burgers.
- Grilled Cheese
- Crispy Chicken Sandwich
- Reuben Sandwich
- BLT Sandwich
- Smash Burgers
- Sloppy Joe Sandwich
Shredded Beef Sandwiches (A Slow Cooker Recipe)
![A shredded beef sandwich in a hoagie roll served on white plate next to au jus for dipping.](https://natashaskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Slow-Cooker-Shredded-Beef-SQ-150x150.jpg)
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs beef Tri-tip roast
- 2 Tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
To Serve:
- Hoagie Rolls
- Caramelized onions or sauteed mushrooms, optional
- Sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese
- Reserved juices from slow cooker beef, for dipping
Instructions
- Season beef all over with Montreal steak seasoning and pat it into the meat. Heat a large heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Once the oil is hot, sear the meat for 2-3 minutes per side or until a golden brown crust has formed.
- In a slow cooker, add beef broth, Worcestershire, onion powder, garlic powder, and rosemary. Set meat into the juice and turn to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until easily shredded with a fork.
- Transfer beef to a large bowl and shred beef with 2 forks. At this point, I will remove and discard any excess fat on the meat for really clean meat.
- Strain the liquid in the slow cooker through a sieve into a separate bowl and discard any solids. Spoon out and discard excess fat floating at the top and keep the remaining juice as a dipping sauce for serving.
- Add the shredded beef back into the slow cooker and pour in about half the liquid or enough to make the beef juicy and moist (the beef will soak up most of the juices).
To Make Shredded Beef Sandwiches
- Toast a hoagie roll with butter on a skillet or griddle until golden. Top with beef, onions, mushrooms, or your desired toppings. Add cheese and broil for 1-2 minutes until melted. Dip with reserved beef juice to serve.
Notes
- Makes 6 hoagie-sized sandwiches or 8 burger-sized.
- Nutritional information is for shredded beef only.
Loved this! Shreds easily and no waste. Cooked in 200 degree oven for 7 hours. Absolutely delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Can you use a Top Round for this recipe? Would I need to adjust the cooking time?
Hi Jeannine, I haven’t tested that with a top round to advise on the outcome. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Looks wonderful. Could this be done in a pressure cooker? I.e. instant pot.
I may have to try it
Hi Robin! I have not tested it in the pressure cooker but I think so. Let us know if you experiment with it.
This was super good! I slow cooked the meat for 8 hours. I turned it it a few times to keep it moist. The meat fell apart. My husband finely chopped the meat, toasted the bread and then re-toasted with the meat and Swiss cheese. We served it with aujus. Wowzer! Our family really enjoyed this meal!
That’s wonderful! I’m so glad your family enjoyed it! Thank you for the review!
Another fantastic recipe! Juicy and delicious and amazing 2hen topped with carmelized onions.
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Pat.
Can this be done in Dutch Oven on low in the oven? Any idea of temp. and how long (maybe 4 hours at 300?)?
Hi Margaret! I have not tested that to advise. I think it’s possible but it would require some experimentation. Let us know how it turns out if you attempt.
This recipe is amazing! Such a simple handful of ingredients to make the most mouth watering shredded beef. My family of eight quickly devoured this as pulled beef on party buns, topped with Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce or provolone cheese. Just the taste I was looking for as I replicated a recipe from a family gathering. Thank you!
Hi Pamela! I’m so glad it was enjoyed. Thank you for sharing.
I used a chuck roast instead of the tie tip in the crock port and it turned out perfect! I left out the rosemary because I don’t like it.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Liz!
Made this for supper tonight and it was delicious!! Huge raves from my family. Will definitely be making it again. Thanks Natasha for the recipe!
That’s wonderful, Sara! So glad it was a hit.
Yummy, it was really good and easy. I made Corn avocado salad with the it which is also Yummy.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Lona!
I live in Cincinnati and went to 4 grocery stores and 2 meat markets. No one carries tri-tip roast beef. You mentioned not recommending a chuck roast so what is a substitute that you would use? Thank you.
Hi Barbara, it’s tempting to use chuck roast or another substitution because it’s less expensive, but I highly recommend tri-tip. Tri-tip is less fatty, tenderizes faster, and shreds easier.
Just a comment. In my part of the country, tri-tip is not a cut that is found in stores or butcher shops anywhere, so an alternative has to be used. 🙂
I haven’t made it, but have a question.
Could I cook the meat in an Instant Pot?
Thank you.
Hi Marigold, yes, you can use the slow cooker function on your Instant Pot (most of them have this function nowadays),
FYI – The Instant Pot Slow Cooker only heats from the bottom, so its not the same as other slow cookers. Because of this I will not use it for slow cooking, but rather use my Crockpot that heats the bottom & sides.
I am having a hard time finding the tri-tip. I was able to finally locate it but I would have to buy 2 bc only 2 lbs each and $13.99 a lb 🙈. It does sound amazing 🤩
Can I use a Chuck Steak (3 with a total of 3.33 lbs) for this recipe?
It’s tempting to use chuck roast because it’s less expensive, but I highly recommend tri-tip. Tri-tip is less fatty, tenderizes faster, and shreds easier.
One of the easiest and tastiest recipes I’ve tried, this is definite keeper. You just can’t beat a great slow cooker recipe… Thank you Natasha!
Hi Joseph! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m glad you love the recipe.
I can tell this recipe is a Winner! Winner!! Winner!!! And that I’ll be adding it to my repertoire! Right along with the Natasha’s Kitchen Philly Cheese Steak sandwich, and the Meatball sandwich recipes that I’ve already made many times. Thanks Natasha!
I hope it becomes your new favorite!
Any other beef cuts that could be used if not chuck roast? I couldn’t find the specific cut in my store!
Hi Lily, We use a tri-tip roast for this recipe. This is a triangular-shaped sirloin cut (where the name “tri” comes from). It’s tempting to use chuck roast because it’s less expensive, but I highly recommend tri-tip. Tri-tip is less fatty, tenderizes faster, and shreds easier.
Tri-tip is not available everywhere. This cut first appeared on the west coast and for years those who knew about this secret were enjoying this fine cut at dirt cheap prices. Then everybody found out about it, and now it’s up in the $10/lb range even at Costco. It may still be relatively unheard of in the midwest, where it is/was thrown into the grinder with the rest of the hamburger meat. Personally, I shudder at the thought of using this cut, especially at the cost now, for a pot roast style cook. IMHO it belongs on the grill. It has been my #1 go-to choice for the grill, for over 30 years. Natasha’s recipes get 5 stars from me as I’m sure this one will, but I will be “putting up with” a chuck roast for this recipe. Best
M’mmm….delicious! This was SO tender and juicy and full of flavor. Making it again for an upcoming party!
I’m so glad you loved it, April! Thank you for the feedback.
This recipe sounds amazing…..how to make it without a Slow Cooker/ Instant pot. I have a Dutch oven. Thanks, Jasmine
Hi Jasmine! I’m sorry, I don’t have a recipe or instructions for baking this in the oven.
Tender & tasty!! We make these quite a bit! They are perfect for entertaining, too. It’s easy to make & everyone loves a good beef sandwich!
I couldn’t agree more – this shredded beef recipe is perfect for entertaining – sandwiches, tacos, as a main course… so many options!
This is an ultimate favourite! It is bursting with flavors that are incredibly delicious!
Hi Sharina! I’m so glad you loved the recipe. Thank you for sharing.