slow cooker heaven: loose meat sandwiches

Recipe by
Andy Anderson !
Wichita, KS

I love loose meat sandwiches. As a matter of fact, we have a restaurant in Wichita called: The Nu Way, that serves these tasty treats. This version takes advantage of a slow cooker to give the ingredients a chance to know each other. Serve them on nice soft buns with your choice of condiments. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.

yield 4 - 6
prep time 20 Min
cook time 4 Hr
method Slow Cooker Crock Pot

Ingredients For slow cooker heaven: loose meat sandwiches

  • PLAN/PURCHASE
  • 1/2 c
    dried chopped onions
  • 1 c
    beef stock, not broth (hot)
  • 1 lb
    ground chuck, fine grind
  • 1/2 tsp
    salt, kosher variety
  • 2 clove
    garlic, minced, or 1-teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tsp
    sugar, granulated variety
  • 1 tsp
    ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp
    mustard, yellow variety
  • 2 Tbsp
    white wine vinegar
  • 1 c
    beef stock, not broth (hot)

How To Make slow cooker heaven: loose meat sandwiches

  • 1
    PREP/PREPARE
  • 2
    Gather your ingredients
  • 3
    Reconstitute the dried onions by combining them with 1 cup of the hot beef stock.
  • 4
    Chef’s Note: Allow them to absorb the hot stock for about 20 minutes.
  • 5
    Chef’s Note: Why dried chopped onions? For some reason I love the flavor they impart to this recipe. Dried onions that have been reconstituted with beef broth do have a different depth of flavor. You could, of course try it with fresh chopped onions.
  • 6
    Place a pan over medium heat, and add the ground beef.
  • 7
    Cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon until almost cooked through.
  • 8
    Chef’s Tip: The reason we are precooking the beef is because the proteins in raw beef act like little hooks to bind the beef together as it cooks. If you put the meat in raw it will come out like a big round meatloaf. Precooking breaks that bound and allows the beef to cook without binding together.
  • 9
    Add the onions, salt, garlic, sugar, cumin, mustard, vinegar, and the additional beef stock to the slow cooker.
  • 10
    Mix until combined.
  • 11
    Add the partially cooked beef, and combine.
  • 12
    Set the slow cooker to low, and allow the ingredients to cook for 4 hours.
  • 13
    After 4 hours, remove from the slow cooker.
  • 14
    Prep/Prepare
  • 15
    Use a slotted spoon to remove a generous amount of the loose meat, and place on a nice soft bun. Add mustard, pickle, or whatever you fancy. Enjoy.
  • 16
    Keep the faith and keep cooking.
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