Slow Cooker Maple Chipotle BBQ Beef is a delicious, kid-friendly weeknight dinner with only 15 minutes of prep. And it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and wheat-free!
As I sit here at my desk, all I can hear is the drumming of the rain out on the garden. Early September here in the foothills of the Green Mountains is that in-between-time, when it is cool enough that I am wearing long sleeves and pants, but I’m staunchly holding on to summer and leaving the windows open a bit. When it’s sunny (obviously not now) it actually gets hot during the day, but at night, blankets are required. The leaves are still green, but a shockingly red leaf or twelve can be found in the gravel of the driveway foreboding the oncoming season change.
Meanwhile, if you walk into the kitchen, you’ll see that I’ve already moved into fall kooky buzy back to school mode. Summer is in the rear-view mirror in this kitchen, and the kids have been back at school for only, count-them, seven days. That’s all it took! On my counter is a wooden bowl of garlic, harvested and cured from my garden. There’s a carinval of heirloom tomatoes on the window sill. My canning pot is sitting out, in hopes that I’ll magically find two hours to make the candied jalapenos from Rebecca’s book. And there is a recipe simmering in the slow cooker, making tonight’s dinner while I get my office work tended to.
The recipe inside, bridges the gap between the seasons. It’s barbecue food- that which we associate with outdoor summer ease– buns dripping with slow cooked and smoky meat– married with the time-saving necessity of using a slow cooker while all the days school and work activities are happening.
Slow Cooker Maple Chipotle BBQ Beef is that half-summer-half-fall chimera for early September. Though if you want to make it 12 months a year I don’t blame you, because it is spot on delicious my people. Hope your school year is off to a great start! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Questions:
What’s on your kitchen counter that says which season you’re in?
What is early September like where you live?
Do you feel torn in early September by the change of the season?
What are you making in your slow cooker?
Other Recipes You’ll LOVE for this time of year!
Harvest Vegetable Soup
Potato Kale Andouille Soup
Maple Chipotle Pulled Chicken
Slow Cooker Chinese Five Spice Beef Stew
Maple Chipotle Flank Steak Tacos
Healthy Sloppy Joes
One Pan Roasted Squash Sausage and Apple Bake
Slow Cooker Maple Chipotle BBQ Beef is a delicious, kid-friendly weeknight dinner with only 15 minutes of prep. And it’s naturally gluten-free, dairy-free and wheat-free!
Ingredients
- 3 to 3.5 pounds beef chuck roast, preferably grass-fed
- 1 large sweet onion, finely diced
- 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, dark or amber
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coarse grain or brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Place beef chuck roast in the insert of a large slow cooker. Top with onion.
- Whisk crushed tomatoes, maple syrup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, chili powder, salt, chipotle chili powder and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour over the beef.
- Cover the slow cooker, and set to low heat for 8 hours.
- When timer is up, remove beef to a cutting board, and remove any visible pieces of fat. Shred the meat with forks. Skim any fat off of the sauce. Return the meat to the sauce and stir to combine. Serve with the barbecue sauce.
Unless I’d read your post, I’d have never believed that something so delicious as this could be made in 15 minutes! I’ve got guests coming round for a mini party this weekend and these are definitely doing to be making an appearance!
Well, that is 15 minutes of prep, then let the slow cooker do the work. Have a great time this weekend!
What a beautiful meal to kick off Fall~ I love maple, especially in savory dishes like this one. Love that gorgeous slaw, too!
It has been hitting the spot for us. And the smell of it simmering on the counter is so cozy! Thanks about the slaw Sue- funny story, we just whipped that up for the photo, but both Stephanie and I loved it so much, I decided I need to make it into an official recipe soon too. It was too yummy not to share! Lol.
This is my perfect meal! The photos are stunning as well
Thanks so much Amy!
Your description of this slow cooked burger is absolutely mouthwatering and the pictures deliciously enticing! What a treat this will be. I love the spices and flavors you’ve combined.
Thanks Debra. Have a great day.
There is nothing better than a slow-cooked recipe. This zingy tender brisket is one of my favorite comfort food. Yum!!
I sure rely on my slow-cooker to make dinner time easier.
They look droolworthy, Katie, and I am not even a red meat fan. The red cabbage slaw looks amazing!
Thank you! I think I need to develop out that slaw. You’re not the only one who has asked about it. 🙂 Thanks for visiting today Angie.
I know it’s early fall here in southern CT when my island has a mountain of garden tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers & beans. My favorite time of year! And this recipe looks amazing! Trying it this coming week as an easy weeknight dinner.
Oh I am jealous of your garden bounty. My garden really slowed down in the last couple weeks. And my lab has been eating every tomato that ripens. Ha! What kind of peppers did you grow. I ended up planting 4 jalapeno plants by mistake. Serves me right for shopping for seedlings while being distracted by my misbehaving children. I meant to buy some sweet peppers too. Oh well. Good thing for this canning cookbook. {Canner is still on the counter by the way. Lol.}
Wow oh wow! I’m getting the feels for dinnertime. This beef burger looks yummy. I usually just make the same beef stew in my slow cooker, but I think I should’ve been making this all along. The change of fruit on my kitchen counter really shows which season we’re in and I hate September because not only it’s the start of colder months, it’s the start of school. 🙁
The seasonality of a countertop… I see a post title in the making. Ha ha. I know what you mean about the start of school making me sad too. I miss my girls so much already!
This recipe sounds delicious. But it is not even looking like fall here. The main difference is that the temperatures have mitigated somewhat. But we probably have 8-9 months of summer here in the desert in far west Texas… I have nothing on my counters to show what season it is. Since we pretty much don’t have farmers markets, because we don’t have farmers (except pecan and cotton growers), I really don’t see much seasonal change at the grocery store. Sometimes I miss being able to have farmers markets and seasonal produce, but I wouldn’t trade our weather for serious cold, snow, ice, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.
That’s so funny you say west Texas, my mom’s side of the family is from Midland. Are you near there? My uncle has a “farm” where he bucks the desert and grows all sorts of produce. He goes to the Midland Farmers Market. Here’s their website: http://www.dragonflyfarms.biz/ But, having visited West Texas a fair amount, I totally get you about not really feeling the seasons. It can be so dang hot there! I know my uncle is the exception for sure. Good thing you can always get good beef in Texas (so you can at least make this BBQ beef! Ha ha!) Thanks so much for coming by Susan. And let me know if you’re near Midland. That would be such a coincidence.
Katie, we are actually in El Paso – you can’t get much further west than that. When we go back to North Carolina in the summer, we have been going through Midland. I think they have more water than we do, but it has never seemed like a place where one would expect farming. I know I see the same Mesquite trees and Creosote bushes that we have here. Apparently it is still part of the Chihuahuan desert. Didn’t realize that until I just looked it up. Midland is about half a day’s drive from El Paso. I already have a chipotle beef recipe that I like, but I’ll have to try yours and see if I like it better – always a possibility. 🙂
I haven’t done that drive from Midland to El Paso in so many years, but you’re right about the similarity of the landscape. I hope you like the new recipe! Have a great day.
Looks incredible do you happen to have a receipe for the slaw on the side?
Thank you. Oh man, now I know I need to fully flesh that slaw out and make it an official recipe. During the shoot we discussed how great it was, and that it should be a separate recipe.
Can you use another type of meat? We don’t eat beef.
The only kind that I can think of would be pork shoulder or pork butt. If you like chicken I have a chicken recipe that is very similar. Here’s the link: https://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/slow-cooker-maple-chipotle-pulled-chicken/ Thanks for coming by Indoo! Happy Cooking!
Katie, I’m wondering if you have tried this recipe in the Instant Pot. I know there’s not enough liquid in the slow cooker recipe. What liquid would you suggest adding?