Karens Bbq Sandwiches

This is the kind of slow cooker meal you set up in the morning and forget about until dinner. Cooked and shredded ground beef simmers in a tangy-sweet homemade BBQ sauce all day long, soaking up flavor until every shred is coated.

The sauce is dead simple: tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, garlic powder, and BBQ spice. The brown sugar caramelizes slowly over the hours, the mustard adds tang, and the BBQ rub brings smoky heat. Together they create a thick, clingy sauce that rivals anything out of a bottle.

Bring the crock pot up to high first to get everything bubbling, then drop to low and walk away. That long, slow simmer is what breaks the meat down to a pull-apart texture and concentrates the sauce.

Pile the saucy beef onto rolls or bread and top with a slice of cheese. The heat from the meat melts it just enough.

Pro Tips

• Drain the cooked ground beef thoroughly before adding to the crock pot. Excess grease thins the sauce and makes it oily.
• Chop the onion fine so it melts into the sauce during the long cook. Big chunks stay crunchy.
• If the sauce looks too thin after cooking, leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes to let it reduce.
• This freezes well. Make a double batch and freeze portions in zip-lock bags for quick future meals.

Variations

• Pulled pork style: Use a pork shoulder roast instead of ground beef and shred it after cooking.
• Spicy BBQ: Add a diced jalapeno and a splash of hot sauce to the crock pot.
• Sloppy Joe twist: Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a pinch of chili powder for a sloppy joe crossover.