Juicy hamburger patties cooked slowly in a rich, sweet-and-smoky barbecue sauce. An easy comfort-food recipe that works well with fresh or frozen patties.
Ingredients
- 8 hamburger patties, fresh or frozen
- 1½ cups BBQ sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- ¼ cup beef broth or water
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: In a bowl, combine the BBQ sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, garlic, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir until smooth.
- Prepare the slow cooker: Place half of the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Arrange the hamburger patties over the onions. If you have several patties, slightly overlap or stack them as shown in the photo.
- Add the remaining onions between and over the patties.
- Pour the sauce evenly over all the hamburger patties, making sure the tops are well coated.
- Cover with the lid and cook:
- LOW: 5–6 hours
- HIGH: 2½–3½ hours
- About 20–30 minutes before serving, gently spoon some of the sauce from the bottom of the cooker over the patties.
- If you want a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water, stir it into the sauce, cover, and cook for another 15–20 minutes.
Serving
Serve the patties hot with plenty of the BBQ sauce on top. They are excellent with mashed potatoes, rice, roasted vegetables, fries, or inside hamburger buns.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 3–6 hours
Servings: 6–8
Tip
If using frozen patties, for best food safety it’s preferable to thaw them in the refrigerator first before slow cooking