The Best Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Recipe
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This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef makes the juiciest fall-apart-tender pulled beef. We use this versatile recipe to make dozens of different meals, including shredded beef sandwiches, tacos, pasta, and more!
This post is sponsored by Ohio Beef. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Shredded beef is my back to school BFF. When I’ve got a busy week ahead, I know this recipe has my back. It’s meal prepping MAGIC that makes a whole week of meals a breeze.
My favorite part about this pulled beef is just how easy it is! It takes less than 10 minutes to prep and only requires a few seasonings, onions, garlic, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. I don’t add any broth to the slow cooker, so the meat cooks in its own delicious juices. The resulting pulled beef is rich, savory, and accented by caramelized onions and garlic. In other words, it’s AMAZING.
What to Make with Shredded Beef
Ok wait, I changed my mind. My actual favorite part about shredded beef is alllll the delicious things you can make with it.
Today, I’m thrilled to be starting a a series of big batch recipes, where we meal prep one recipe, then repurpose it into new recipes throughout the week. Cook once, eat 3 (or 4!) times.
This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef makes enough for at least three dinners, and it’s the perfect protein-packed anchor for so many different meals.
The first night we make it, we keep it simple and serve the pulled beef over homemade egg noodles (store bought noodles are also 100% on the level) or creamy mashed potatoes.
You can even get crazy and do noodles AND mashed potatoes in a beef-inspired version of this Amish Chicken and Noodles. The juices from the crock pot meld into the noodles and mashed potatoes and make the most amazing silky, savory sauce. I’m getting excited just talking about it, you guys. It is so darn good.
More Shredded Beef Recipes
Alright, but what about night 2 and 3 and 4? Well, my friends the choice is yours.
- Make it a Taco Tuesday with some Shredded Beef Tacos.
- Shake things up a bit by adding pulled beef to a sweet and spicy Beef Ramen Stir Fry!
- Toss it with your favorite BBQ Sauce for some BBQ Shredded Beef Sandwiches.
- Sub ground beef for shredded beef in these Quick Greek Gyros.
- Use the beef as a filling for Easy Shredded Beef Enchiladas.
- Layer pulled beef with tomato sauce, ravioli, and cheese to make a Ravioli Lasagna.
- Or impress the pants off all of your teenage son’s friends (or, let’s be real, your husband’s grown man friends), and make a whole bunch of Pulled Roast Beef Sliders for them to devour in a disturbingly short amount of time.
How To Make Pulled Beef in the Crock Pot
Now that you’re dreaming of all the delicious beefy recipes that await you, let’s break down how to make this easy shredded beef!
When I make roasts, I usually recommend browning the meat in a skillet before adding it to the crock pot. However, with shredded beef, this extra step really isn’t necessary. That makes this a truly dump-and-go recipe. HOORAY!
To make the pulled beef:
- Place your chuck roast (or roasts) on a cutting board and use a knife to stab a few holes on all sides of the meat.
- Whisk together some olive oil and red wine vinegar then rub it all over the meat.
- Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder.
- Cut a large onion into wedges, placing half of it on the bottom of the slow cooker, followed by the roast. Sprinkle with sliced garlic cloves and top with the remaining onion.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beef shreds easily with a fork.
How do I know when roast is done?
If you test the roast after 8 hours and it doesn’t easily pull apart, it needs a little longer to cook. It’s a common misconception that a tougher roast is overcooked. In most cases, the opposite is actually true! Give the roast an extra hour or two, and it should shred easily with a little help from two meat forks.
What is a good cut of beef for shredding?
It may sound counterintuitive, but the best cuts of meat for tender, juicy shredded beef are actually the toughest cuts. Tough cuts like chuck roast stand up well to slow cooking, and become succulent and pull-apart-tender after hours in the crock pot.
My favorite cut is a chuck roast, which may also be labeled as a shoulder roast, chuck eye roast, or arm chuck roast. Look for a roast that has good marbling (or white fat) running through it.
Brisket is another great choice for shredded beef. In fact, I use brisket to create these amazing Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Brisket French Dip Sandwiches.
Because I like to have enough beef for several meals, I always use at least 4 lbs. of boneless meat. You likely won’t find a single roast this big at the grocery store, so I usually just pick up two 2-3 lb roasts at a time. Look out for deals to save money! Our local grocery store often runs Buy One-Get One sales on roasts. Learn more ways to save when buying beef here.
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.So we already know this slow cooker shredded beef is:
- easy
- unbelievably tender
- crazy flavorful
- perfect for meal prepping
- great in all kinds of different recipes
Did you know it’s also packed with nutrition? Just a three ounce serving of beef provides 25 grams of protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins to fuel busy parents and their even busier kids. Beef is an excellent source of protein, which is one of the most satisfying nutrients. It also promotes focus, helps build muscle, and provides sustained energy for busy days.
Oh, and shredded beef also happens to be gluten free, dairy free, and Keto and Whole 30 friendly!
Visit www.OhioBeef.org, and follow the Ohio Beef Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more beef nutrition facts, cooking tips, recipes and to meet Ohio’s beef farming families. Use #OhioBeef to share photos of your healthy meals this school year!
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 - 5 lbs. boneless chuck roast (or 2 2 lb. roasts)
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 3 teaspoons dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 really large yellow onions, sliced (or two small )
- 5 cloves garlic (sliced)
Instructions
- Preheat your slow cooker to low heat.
- Remove the chuck roast (or roasts) from their packaging and use a knife or fork to stab a few holes on all sides.
- Whisk together the olive oil and red wine vinegar then rub it all over the meat.
- Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and garlic powder on all sides.
- Place half of the onion on the bottom of the slow cooker followed by the roast. Sprinkle with garlic cloves and top with the remaining onion.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beef shreds easily with a fork. If you check it after 8 hours, and it's not easy to pull apart, continue cooking for another 1-2 hours.
- Remove the roast from the crock pot and transfer to a cutting board. Pull the beef apart using two meat forks. Beef can be served immediately with juices over noodles or mashed potatoes. It also makes a great sandwich, taco, or burrito!
Video
Notes
- Store leftover beef in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- It also freezes very well! Freeze in a freezer safe container or freezer bags (frozen flat for easier storage) for up to four months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or on the stove top.
- If you prefer less salt, you can reduce the amount to 1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt.
Can it be cooked on high in half the time? Or it must be down on low in the slow cooker? Thanks!
Can you omit the vinegar and use beef broth? Or would you recommend something else?
Thank you
Hi Teresa! You can use beef broth, but the flavor of the vinegar is really nice with the beef. You could use balsamic or white wine vinegar instead, or even a little red wine to get that hit of acid.
Can I add more vegetables to the pot or will that change the cooking of the meat process?
Could I use apple cider vinegar instead of red whine vinegar?
Many thanks!
Hi Nina, You can substitute apple cider vinegar, but I would use less as it has a stronger flavor than red wine vinegar.
Could you post the nutrition information please! I made this recipe (cut in half) exactly as written and my husband absolutely loved it! This will be in the regular rotation, it was so easy and will make a few meals for the two of us. Thank you for this perfect pulled beef recipe!
Yes! The nutrition information is now included. I’m so glad you loved the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let us know.
I made this yesterday using almost 6 lbs total (2 pieces) of chuck roast and it turned out delicious! As suggested in some of the comments, I only used 1/2 the salt the recipe calls for. I’ll definitely make this again.
I wanted to try this recipe, but hesitate to. Shouldn’t it have some liquid?
I know it might seem wrong, but you actually don’t need any liquid. The beef fat will render in the slow cooker, leaving plenty of liquid for the beef to cook. You can see in the photos that there’s a lot of liquid in the crock pot by the end! I hope you give it a try!
Hi, I have beef tenderloin. Do you think it would still workout with this recipe?
Beef tenderloin won’t shred like a roast does in the crock pot. That’s a great cut of meat for a special occasion. I recommend roasting it instead and slicing into beautiful filets.
It cooked nicely for me tonight. The oil and vinegar and the natural juices help cook it
Honestly I will be making this recipe tomorrow, but I do similar steps with pork all of the time and I believe you would be surprised at how much liquid comes out of the meat… It is a misconception that you need to add liquid to a crock pot in order to make something good and juicy. The only liquid I add when I make pork is orange juice that I freshly squeeze over the top of it and that is more than enough until the liquid comes out of the beef and when the fat and connective tissues begin to melt along with the collagen and everything else that’s in beef – all of these things melting and frequently being called liquid gold… It will take care of it for you!
Hi,
I made this a few times over the past few,weeks and it was a huge hit.
We felt it needed less,salt personally. And I didn’t have red wine vinegar the second time and just used white vinegar, and it was still delicious.
Do you think this could also work in a slow oven in a covered dish?
I’ve never tried it in the oven, but I imagine it would. Please come back and let us know if you try it in the oven!
Wonderful recipe! Can this recipe work well with different types of beef cuts?
I really recommend sticking with a chuck roast. Chuck roasts tend to have the best marbling, and become very tender and easy to shred when slow cooked. Other cuts might be tougher to shred and come out more in slices.
Do you think it would work to shred the beef and then add it to a stew?
Absolutely! This works great for beef stew!
I used tri tip because it was on sale and I like it. Came out great although I did use some broth since there is less fat and collagen available. The pulled strands are wonderfully long and the dish was more enjoyable than I had expected. Thank you!
Do you have to add water to slow cooker?
Nope. This recipe shouldn’t need added water. The liquid you see here is all moisture and fat drippings from the ingredients.
As a general rule, if a slow cooker recipe lacks moisture, it’s better to add it as part of flavorful ingredient (more veggies, sauce, or broth) rather than plain water (which will just leech flavor OUT of the dish).
I have a bottom round roast. Would this work with this recipe?
In my experience, bottom round roast is a bit leaner and less fatty than chuck roast. You may have a slightly harder time shredding it. I think the flavor would be great, but it might not be fall apart tender.
I had a 3 lb bottom round cut and wanted to try this recipe (since I’m still kind of inexperienced when it comes to cooking meats), and it came out great. I basically eyeballed everything but followed the same procedure. I placed the meat fat side up so when it renders it flows over the rest of the meat, in the crock pot on low for about 9 hours, shredded with 2 forks no problem, and there was plenty of liquid as well. I was able to shred it fine enough plus mixing it with the liquid that my 16 month old with 6 teeth was able to eat it.
This looks amazing! I’m going to throw it in the crock pot for tomorrow night. I don’t think I have red wine vinegar on hand, would white vinegar be ok to substitute?
That should work just fine!
Hi!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I just cooked the beef and it’s the first time I’ve been able to make successfully a cut that falls apart! The meat however is a little on the dry side and not super moist… I’m wondering where I could have gone wrong?
Hmmm, it’s so tough to know without being in the kitchen with you. I recommend always looking for cuts of meat with lots of marbling (fat), for the best results.
Sounds amazing. Will give it a try with my flavored olive oils and vinegars that are infused with herbs. Thank you so very much for sharing.