Slow Cooker BBQ Bison Sliders with Coleslaw
I am SO excited to share the recipe for these Slow Cooker BBQ Bison Sliders with Coleslaw with you today! I highly recommend whipping these up for 4th of July weekend or any other summer gatherings you have coming up. They are sure to be a hit! My whole family devoured them AND they were super fun and easy to make.
I used bison from TenderBison to create this recipe, who I’ll be sharing more about in this post, as well as the many nutritional benefits of including bison in your diet!
Disclosure: this post is sponsored by TenderBison and I am being compensated monetarily, but as always, all opinions expressed are my own! #TenderBisonSummer
get to know TenderBison
I have been blogging for about 7 years now and have had the opportunity to work with a lot of brands throughout that time.
I was contacted by TenderBison to work together for this campaign and they organized an event for us to meet some of the leadership in person, as well as try the product ourselves prior to moving forward with content creation. A handful of creators, including myself (and our families!), got to attend to ask specific questions to the brand about their “why”, their product and values and more.
It was great to meet some of the faces behind the brand, and it was clear that they are extremely passionate about what they are doing at TenderBison, and their goal is to make it easy to provide nutritious, good quality meat to people by shipping it straight to their door.
what are the health benefits of bison?
As a Registered Dietitian, I am passionate about helping people eat a more well-rounded, diverse diet that includes a variety of nutrient-dense foods.
I think meat gets a bad reputation these days, but we know that including a variety of protein sources in the diet is KEY to getting all the important nutrients that you need. Foods like bison can be a really delicious way to incorporate essential vitamins and minerals in your family’s diet.
As you can see on the handout below, bison is very lean, high in protein and a valuable source of iron, which is a super important nutrient for adults and children to consume in the diet. The recipe I’m sharing today produces a very moist end-product that would be great for feeding to babies and toddlers (who are developmentally ready to consume solids).
does bison taste gamey?
Another thing that drew me to this opportunity was that bison is something I had never personally tried before. I knew it was a great source of nutrition, but I was really curious to see what it tasted like, and I was pleasantly surprised!
I can promise you when I say that NO, bison does not have a gamey taste at all! Now, you all know that we eat venison here on a regular basis since my husband is a deer hunter, but I assure you that multiple other people have confirmed that they loved it and didn’t find it gamey at all.
My mother-in-law doesn’t love venison because of its somewhat-gamey taste, but she loved this recipe made with bison.
what is the best way to prepare bison?
TenderBison actually has a ton of delicious recipes on their website that you can look to for inspiration! Click here for some ideas.
Of course, I might be a little biased, but I think the recipe I’m about to share is pretty darn good, too. ; )
where can I purchase bison?
You can purchase bison directly from TenderBison’s website HERE. They offer free, 2-day shipping and they even gave me a code – WELLNESS10 – so you can get 10% off your purchase!
what is the best cut of meat for slow cooker bbq pulled bison sliders?
I would recommend using bison chuck roast for this recipe.
what do you serve with slow cooker BBQ pulled bison sliders?
I think these Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Bison Sliders with Coleslaw would be perfect to serve at summer gatherings, so here are a few other sides or apps you could make to serve alongside them!
- Tomato Mango Bruschetta
- Easy Roasted Vegetables
- Healthy Baked Spinach Dip
- Easy Mexican Corn Dip
- Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Sweet Potato Fries
slow cooker bbq pulled bison sliders ingredients
Here’s what you need for the BBQ Pulled Bison Sliders!
- Bison chuck roast
- White or yellow onion
- Beef broth
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Slider buns
- Barbecue sauce
- Optional toppings: crispy fried onions, pickles, etc.
homemade coleslaw ingredients
- Coleslaw mix
- Shredded red cabbage
- Carrots
- Green apple
- Green onions
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- Honey
- Lemon
- Salt
how to make slow cooker bbq pulled bison sliders
Thinly slice white or yellow onion and set aside. Combine chili powder, garlic powder and paprika in a small bowl and mix well.
Pat bison dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour about 1/2 of the dry rub mix on one side of the bison, using your hands to spread it around until evenly coated, and use the remaining spices to coat the other side.
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, add thinly sliced onions and lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add seasoned bison on top.
Next, add about 24-28 oz of broth, or enough to almost cover the meat with liquid.
Cover with a lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (For a 1.5 lb chuck roast, my bison was easily shreddable around the 6 hour mark. Cook time will vary depending on the size of meat.) The proper internal cooking temperature for bison is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once bison is ready, use two forks to shred it, then add meat back to the liquid in the slow cooker. Pour in 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce and stir well. Place lid back on the slow cooker and let sit on low for another 30 minutes or so.
Now you are ready to serve! Top each slider bun with about 1/3-1/2 cup of pulled bison meat and top with coleslaw, and any additional toppings such as, barbecue sauce, fried onions, pickles, etc. as desired.
Store any leftover bison in the refrigerator in an airtight container and enjoy within 3 days, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and stick in the freezer to be consumed within 3-6 months.
how to make easy coleslaw
While bison is cooking, prepare coleslaw. (Coleslaw does not keep very well, so I would suggest making it closer to the time you are planning to serve, or waiting to add wet ingredients until that point.)
Use a food processor or grater to shred carrots and apple.
Make coleslaw by combining all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. You will top each slider with about 1/3 cup of prepared coleslaw.
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Bison Sliders with Coleslaw
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
For The Pulled Bison:
- 1.5 lbs bison chuck roast
- 1 medium white or vidalia onion thinly sliced
- 24 oz beef broth or enough to almost cover the meat
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce original or flavor of choice, plus additional for topping
- 8 slider buns
- Salt and pepper to taste
For The Coleslaw:
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 3 cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 large carrots peeled and shredded
- 1 green apple shredded
- 4 green onions chopped
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp honey
- 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
- Freshly cracked salt liberal amount, to taste
Optional Extras:
- Barbecue sauce
- Fried onions
- Pickles
Instructions
- Thinly slice white or yellow onion and set aside.
- Combine chili powder, garlic powder and paprika in a small bowl and mix well.
- Pat bison dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour about 1/2 of the dry rub mix on one side of the bison, using your hands to spread it around until evenly coated, and use the remaining spices to coat the other side.
- Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray, add thinly sliced onions and lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add seasoned bison on top.
- Next, add about 24-28 oz of broth, or enough to almost cover the meat with liquid.
- Cover with a lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (For a 1.5 lb chuck roast, my bison was easily shreddable around the 6 hour mark. Cook time will vary depending on the size of meat.) The proper internal cooking temperature for bison is 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
- While bison is cooking, prepare coleslaw. (Coleslaw does not keep very well, so I would suggest making it closer to the time you are planning to serve, or waiting to add wet ingredients until that point.)Use a food processor or grater to shred carrots and apple.
- Make coleslaw by combining all ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well and store in a covered container in the refrigerator. You will top each slider with about 1/3 cup of prepared coleslaw.
- Once bison is ready, use two forks to shred it, then add meat back to the liquid in the slow cooker. Pour in 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce and stir well. Place lid back on the slow cooker and let sit on low for another 30 minutes or so.
- Now you are ready to serve! Top each slider bun with about 1/3-1/2 cup of pulled bison meat and top with coleslaw, and any additional toppings such as, barbecue sauce, fried onions, pickles, etc. as desired.
- Store any leftover bison in the refrigerator in an airtight container and enjoy within 3 days, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and stick in the freezer to be consumed within 3-6 months. Enjoy!
Nutrition
I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe! If you give it a try, please be sure to tag me and TenderBison on Instagram at @wellnessforthewin and @tenderbison – we would love to see your creations!
Shanna
