Pour ketchup over beef roast, along with 3 ingredients, into slow cooker for a tender treat that disappears faster than anything else

This slow cooker Amish-style barbecue beef is the kind of no-fuss, church-supper comfort food that Midwestern cooks quietly rely on. You literally pour ketchup over a raw beef roast, add three pantry ingredients, and let the slow cooker do the rest. The result is a tangy-sweet, fork-tender shredded beef that tastes like it took all day in a farmhouse kitchen, but it’s almost embarrassingly easy. It’s perfect for busy weekdays, potlucks, or any time you need a main dish that disappears faster than anything else on the table.

Serve this shredded barbecue beef piled onto soft hamburger buns or buttered slider rolls with classic Midwestern sides: creamy coleslaw, potato salad, or baked beans. It’s also lovely spooned over mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles with a side of green beans or a crisp garden salad. For a more casual spread, keep the beef warm in the slow cooker and set out pickles, sliced onions, and cheese so everyone can build their own sandwiches.

Servings: 8

3 to 3 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat

Place the raw beef chuck roast in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, trimming any large, hard pieces of fat but leaving some marbling for flavor and tenderness.

In a medium bowl or measuring cup, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture looks smooth.

Pour the ketchup mixture evenly over the beef roast in the slow cooker, making sure the top of the meat is well coated. It should resemble a thick blanket of ketchup-based sauce over the raw beef.

Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork.

Once the beef is tender, use two forks to shred the roast directly in the slow cooker, discarding any large pieces of fat. Stir the shredded beef into the surrounding sauce so every strand is coated.

Taste the saucy beef and season with kosher salt and black pepper if needed, stirring well to incorporate. If the sauce seems too thick, you can loosen it with a splash of water; if it seems too thin, let it cook uncovered on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce slightly.

Serve the barbecue beef hot on buns, over mashed potatoes, or however you like, making sure to spoon some of the extra sauce over each portion.

For a smokier profile, add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or a few dashes of liquid smoke to the ketchup mixture before pouring it over the roast. If you prefer more heat, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes or a spoonful of your favorite hot sauce. You can also use a slightly leaner cut like bottom round; it won’t be quite as rich as chuck but still works well when cooked low and slow. To make this more sandwich-friendly for a crowd, keep the shredded beef on the WARM setting in the slow cooker and set out an assortment of buns, pickles, and sliced onions. Leftovers freeze well—cool completely, pack into freezer bags with some sauce, and freeze for up to 3 months; reheat gently on the stove or in the slow cooker with a splash of water if needed.