Slow Cooker Cola Barbecue Beef

Slow Cooker Cola Barbecue Beef: This is the kind of easy, slow-cooked dinner that’s perfect for a busy weekend or a calm, quiet Sunday at home. We’ve always called it “poor man’s barbecue” because it takes a cheap beef chuck roast and turns it into soft, juicy, shredded meat using just a can of cola, a bottle of barbecue sauce, and a bit of onion. I first learned how to make something like this back in the late 1970s, when slow cookers were becoming a big hit at church potlucks all across the Midwest. All you do is put the raw roast in the slow cooker, sprinkle the onion on top, pour on the barbecue sauce, and finish it off with the fizzy cola straight from the can. After it cooks for a while, the beef turns into sweet, tangy shreds that taste like they slow-cooked in a smokehouse all day — even though your slow cooker really did all the hard work.

Pile this shredded poor man’s barbecue high on soft hamburger buns or buttered toast, and spoon plenty of the tasty sauce right on top. It goes great with classic Midwestern side dishes like creamy coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, or corn on the cob. If you’re feeding a big group, add a large green salad along with a pan of macaroni and cheese or scalloped potatoes. Leftovers heat back up really well too, and they taste amazing rolled into tortillas, spooned over baked potatoes, or served on top of buttery egg noodles for another tasty meal the next day.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds beef chuck roast
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
• 2 cups (about 16 ounces) bottled barbecue sauce
• 1 can (12 ounces) cola, not diet

Slow Cooker Cola Barbecue Beef: Directions

1. Add the beef. Place the raw beef chuck roast right into the bottom of a large slow cooker. If you see any very thick chunks of fat on the outside, trim those off, but there’s no need to do a lot of trimming. The roast can go in cold, straight from the fridge.
2. Add the onion. Spread the thin onion slices all around and over the top of the roast. As it cooks, the onion will get soft and melt into the tasty juices at the bottom of the pot.
3. Pour on the sauce. Cover the roast and onions with the barbecue sauce. Use the back of a spoon to spread it around gently so most of the meat gets a nice coating.
4. Add the cola. Slowly pour the can of cola over the roast and sauce. Let it run down along the sides of the slow cooker. Make sure the liquid comes up at least halfway on the sides of the roast so it can cook properly.
5. Cook it low and slow. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. The beef is ready when it’s very soft and falls apart easily with a fork. Try not to lift the lid while it cooks, since this lets heat escape and slows down the cooking.
6. Take out the beef. Once the roast is nice and tender, turn the slow cooker off or switch it to WARM. Carefully lift the beef out and place it in a big bowl. Leave the onions and most of the cooking liquid behind in the slow cooker.
7. Shred the meat. Using two forks, pull the beef apart into small, bite-sized pieces. Throw away any big chunks of fat you find while shredding. If there’s extra fat floating on top of the liquid in the slow cooker, skim it off with a spoon.
8. Mix it all together. Put the shredded beef back into the slow cooker with the onions and sauce. Stir everything together so the meat gets fully coated in all that tasty liquid. Give it a taste, and add a little salt or pepper if you think it needs it.
9. Let it rest and serve. Cover the slow cooker again and let the beef sit on WARM for 15 to 20 minutes so it can soak up even more flavor from the sauce. Serve it hot piled onto buns or spooned over potatoes, with extra sauce poured on top.

Slow Cooker Beef and Acorn Squash