Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef

Photo from The
Chunky Chef

Apparently, Sherrie and I have developed a bit of a chuck roast obsession. It all started while I was in the hospital. Sherrie called to ask whether the sale price on chuck roast was any good. A little background: Not long before my hospital stay, I had made a chuck roast for dinner and casually mentioned that at $40 a pop, it was going to be a while before I bought another one. Sherrie remembered this little financial trauma and wanted to make sure she wasn't passing up a bargain.

And so began the chuck roast collection. Every so often, I'd get a call from Sherrie announcing that she was stopping by to deposit a couple more roasts in the downstairs freezer because she'd found another sale. Before long, we had quite the inventory. I actually counted eight at one point! I finally suggested that perhaps we should put a temporary freeze (pun intended) on chuck roast purchases.

So when this recipe landed on my to-make list, I confidently headed downstairs, knowing I had plenty of chuck roast waiting for me. Imagine my surprise when I opened the freezer and discovered we had apparently eaten our way through the entire stash. Eight roasts down to one lonely, rather small one. So much for our stockpile!

As for the recipe, it was pretty good. I completely forgot to get everything into the crock pot that morning, so I had to improvise and use the oven instead. I cooked it at 300 degrees for somewhere between 3 and 4 hours, checking along the way. The meat turned out incredibly moist and tender, with plenty of delicious flavor.

Not a bad outcome for a recipe that nearly got derailed by my lack of freezer inventory management!

Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef

Recipe from The Chunky Chef

Serves 8

1/2 c white vinegar

1 T dried minced onion

1/2 T garlic powder

1 - 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

7 pepperoncini peppers, chopped - (I use the mild jarred ones)

7-10 banana pepper rings - (I use mild)

2-3 lb beef chuck roast

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 T butter

Spray slow cooker insert with cooking spray. Add vinegar, dried onion, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, chopped pepperoncini peppers, and banana pepper rings to bottom of slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Add beef chuck roast on top of spice mixture, season both sides with salt and black pepper. Top with butter.

Place lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Remove beef from slow cooker and shred. Return to slow cooker to soak up any residual juice and serve.

Jenn Add Oven:

Temperature: 300°F

Cooking time: Approximately 3–4 hours