Cranberry Shredded Beef Sliders are flavorful little sandwiches! Bottom round roast, cranberry sauce and onions are cooked in the slow cooker and piled on a slider roll for a delicious, quick bite.
Update: This recipe was originally posted in February 2015. The recipe and photos have been updated and republished in November 2021.
Fall, and subsequently, football season are upon us. It seems as though everyone is looking for easy recipes that can will you up with minimal prep work so you don't miss those important plays in the game. Enter the Cranberry Shredded Beef Sliders to the rescue.
What is a cranberry shredded beef slider?
Cranberry beef sliders are a pulled beef slider sandwich, where the beef roast is cooked nice and slow in the crock pot. Cranberry sauce and onions are added to the meat while cooking to impart extra flavor. Then the shredded beef and onions are served on a slider roll with cheddar cheese for an easy appetizer or meal.
Ingredients for this recipe
- top round or chuck beef roast
- cranberry sauce
- onion
- beef stock
- Worcestershire sauce
- apple cider vinegar
- spicy brown mustard
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- paprika
- dried rosemary
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- fresh cranberries, optional
- slider rolls
- cheddar cheese slices
- unsalted butter
Instructions for this recipe
Start off by layering ingredients into the slow cooker. Arrange the onions in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. Then whisk the Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and spicy brown mustard into the beef stock. Pour into the slow cooker.
Then season the roast. Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle over all sides of the roast.
Next, place the roast in the slow cooker. Place the seasoned roast into the slow cooker and add the prepared cranberry sauce to the pot, along with fresh cranberries, if using. Cook on low for 8 hours or until beef is fork tender. Shred the beef with two forks.
Then prepare the slider buns. Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil. Stir melted butter and garlic powder together and brush over the tops of the buns. Then spread a little spicy brown mustard on the inside of the slider buns and add cheese to both sides. Bake for 8 minutes or until just lightly toasted.
Finally, prepare the slider sandwiches. Pile the shredded meat on top of the slider rolls and serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
These shredded beef sliders made in the crock pot are great on their own as an appetizer, but if you're serving them as a meal, they go great with:
- mashed potatoes, Parmesan Parsley Roasted Potatoes, or french fries
- green salad, Healthy Cucumber Vinegar Salad, or potato salad
Switch out the cheddar cheese for provolone or swiss, add some additional cranberry sauce to the sandwich or top it with pickled jalapenos for a spicy take! The possibilities are endless with these sliders.
If you would like to make your own cranberry sauce, I highly, highly recommend my Spiced Apple Cranberry Sauce or Bourbon Cranberry Sauce.
Alternate Cooking Methods
Oven Preparation: season beef with spices. Sear over medium high heat in a Dutch oven on all sides until browned. Remove, add some olive oil and the onions and cook 5 minutes. Add all ingredients to the Dutch oven, increasing the beef stock to 2 cups. Cook in a preheated 325 degree oven for 2 hours.
Instant Pot Preparation: follow directions above to sear meat and sauté onions. Use the same amount of beef stock as above and cook on manual for 1 hour. Natural release for 10 minutes, then quick release.
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Recipe
Cranberry Shredded Beef Sliders
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
Shredded Cranberry Beef
- 2.5 lb beef roast top round or chuck roast
- 1 large onion sliced
- 14 oz cranberry sauce
- ½ cup fresh cranberries optional
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
Sliders
- 12 slider rolls
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup spicy brown mustard
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Cranberry Shredded Beef
- If desired, line a 6 quart or larger slow cooker with a liner.
- Whisk beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and spicy brown mustard together. Pour into the slow cooker and arrange the onions in a layer on top.1 cup beef stock, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard, 1 large onion
- Then combine the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt and pepper together and spread over the beef roast.1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Place the roast into the slow cooker and add the cranberry sauce and fresh cranberries.2.5 lb beef roast, 14 oz cranberry sauce, ½ cup fresh cranberries
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours, then shred the beef.
Sliders
- Preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Stir the garlic powder into the melted butter and brush on top of the slider rolls.2 tablespoon unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Spread spicy brown mustard onto the slider rolls and break each slice of cheese into 4 pieces, adding one piece to each slider sandwich.4 slices cheddar cheese, ¼ cup spicy brown mustard, 12 slider rolls
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the slider buns are lightly toasted and the cheese is melted.
- Add a pile of the shredded beef onto each slider, place the bun on top and serve immediately.
Kelly
Ooooh! Don't these sound wonderful!! 😀 I will definitely keep these in mind to make soon! 😀 What a fun choice for the SRC! 😀
The Harried Cook
Welcome to Group B! I have never made a cranberry slider or burger before… this sounds yummy! Fabulous pick for SRC
Camilla Mann
Wow! I LOVE this. Thanks for posting with Group B...welcome. Great job.
Ashley Lecker
We are in the same group now! 🙂
Renee Paj
Anything from Miz Helen's blog is a hit! lol I am a transfer from Group A too...and so happy to be posting with Group B now. A change of scenery is good now and again!
Rebekah
Welcome to Group B! I've never had cranberries with beef before...sounds really good!
Colleen Bauer
Welcome to Group B! You got a fantastic blog to start with and picked an excellent recipe. Looks great. I really enjoyed cooking from your blog this month.
Saundra Contreras
I love the onion and beef combo! This looks great!