Barbeque Beef & Pork

Slow cooker barbecue beef and pork is classic crowd-feeding cookout food. Cubed beef and pork tumble into the crockpot with onions, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, and a handful of pantry spices, then cook down for 8 to 10 hours into fork-tender shreds piled onto hamburger buns.

The dump-and-go approach works here because both meats release collagen during the long cook, which is what gives the finished pull its characteristic glossy, saucy texture. Beef chuck and pork shoulder are the ideal choices. Leaner cuts like sirloin or pork tenderloin dry out even in a slow cooker.

Vinegar and Worcestershire are the dual punch that makes the sauce taste like real barbecue. The vinegar cuts richness and tenderizes the meat. The Worcestershire adds umami depth, so the sauce doesn’t read as just sweet. Skip either and the flavor falls flat.

Low and slow is the only speed that works. The high setting cuts cooking time but also cuts the collagen conversion time short, leaving chewy meat instead of the shreddable result you want. Eight hours on low is the minimum. Ten hours is better.

Breaking up the chunks with a fork at the end, rather than shredding completely, is traditional. Some texture (small pieces alongside shreds) gives the sandwich real body on the bun. A puree texture just squeezes out when you bite in.

Pro Tips

• Brown the beef and pork in a hot skillet before adding to the crockpot if time allows. The 5-minute sear adds serious flavor depth.
• Toast the hamburger buns lightly before piling on the meat. Untoasted buns turn to mush under saucy filling.
• Serve with coleslaw piled right on the sandwich. The cold crunch against warm pulled meat is traditional Carolina-style.
• If the sauce is too thin after 10 hours, remove the lid for the last 30 minutes and let some liquid evaporate.

Variations

• Use just pork shoulder for a classic pulled pork sandwich situation.
• Add a can of diced chipotle in adobo for smoky heat.
• Stir a tablespoon of liquid smoke into the sauce if you want proper barbecue smoky notes without a grill.