Easy and Affordable Beef on a Bun

Originally published on June 30, 2016

Beef on a bun is one of my favourites whenever I find myself at a fair or carnival this time of year. I like getting it there because to make it at home with all of that pricey roast beef, is more than I’d like to spend on a weekday dinner. That is, unless you adopt my trick and use stewing beef instead of that lean sliced stuff. It’s so easy in the slow cooker, just make it the same way you would beef stew (except ya know,without all the veggies and gravy and stuff), smother it in barbecue sauce and then pile it onto the freshest buns you can find. It’s so yum, you might think you’re back at the carnival.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds stewing beef, cubed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 4 – 5 cups beef broth
  • 8 hamburger buns
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1.) Heat the two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the stewing beef in batches if necessary. You don’t want to overcrowd the pan or the beef won’t brown. Sear the beef until is browned on most sides.

2.) When the stewing beef is just about done browning, but not quite, add the onions and the garlic. Stir to mix, and then add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

3.) Place the stewing beef in the slow cooker and add just enough beef broth to almost, but not entirely, cover the beef.

4.) Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 6 – 8 hours, until the beef is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

5.) Remove beef from the broth and set aside just until it’s cool enough to handle, then shred with your hands or with two forks.

6.) At this point, you can either press it down on one side into a frying pan to get some crispy bits before dousing in barbecue sauce, or just toss it in barbecue sauce.

7.) Pile high on hamburger buns, serve and enjoy!