Tangy, slightly spicy Italian beef is slow cooked all day until it’s fall apart tender, and then shredded. Perfect on it’s own, on a bun, or a baked potato!
If you’re looking for a great no-fuss meal, you have to try this amazing Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef! It cooks away in your slow cooker (hello easy weeknight meal!), until it’s so tender it practically falls apart by itself, then shredded. It’s tangy, a little bit spicy (totally customizable though), and SO versatile!
Even though the weather may be getting warmer, I’m still a huge fan of using my slow cooker. Think about it… this way you don’t have to heat up your kitchen by having your oven or stove top on, plus, dinner practically cooks itself!
This Italian beef is unbelievably easy… you don’t even have to sear the beef first! Of course you totally can, if you have the time and feel like it. About half the time I make this beef I sear it, and the other half I skip it. Sometimes, it’s more work than I feel like doing lol.
I like to use an English cut chuck roast for this (just because of the great marbilization and I like the relatively flat cut), but feel free to use your favorite cut of beef that you usually use for a roast.
Have you heard of the famous Mississippi Pot Roast? This Italian beef is fairly similar, except it uses no packets full of additives. You just add your seasonings and chopped peppers to the bottom of your slow cooker and stir in the vinegar. Add your beef on top of that, top with some extra peppers and a few tablespoons of butter. Pop a lid on the slow cooker and cook on low all day. Easy as pie!!
So now that you have this gorgeous slow cooker full of the most tender and flavorful beef ever… what are you going to do with it? Well you can do a few things…
- Serve it up by itself, with some great side dishes alongside (I’ll link to my favorites later in the post)
- Toast a buttery brioche bun and pile the beef on with some extra peppers
- Bake some potatoes and top them with plenty of butter and Italian beef
- Bake some crispy oven fries (or even fries from a bag), and top them with beef and some mozzarella cheese
I actually have another recipe using this Italian beef coming up next week… so stay tuned for that… you definitely don’t want to miss it!
Alright, so some side dishes that are great with this beef are
- Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
- Garlic and Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms
- Cheesy Brussels sprouts with Bacon
- Crispy Oven Fries
Can’t you just imagine sinking your fork into that bowl full of succulent beef?!
The next time you’re craving some comfort food on a weeknight… whip up this Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef and prepare to fall in love!!
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 Tbsp 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 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- 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.
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Chef Tips
Robin Morgan says
Making it now! TBC
Ree says
Could I make this a day ahead and reheat in crockpot?
The Chunky Chef says
Absolutely! When reheating, you might want to add a little beef broth so it doesn’t dry out though.
Cody says
Ever used this recipe in an instapot? How long does it take to cook if so?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Cody 🙂 I haven’t tested this one in my instant pot yet, so I can’t say for certain, unfortunately.
Patricia Ann Barkley says
If my roast is 5 lbs., should I double the spices???
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Patricia 🙂 I would either double all the ingredients, or 1.5x the ingredients, so it has the same flavors.
Jacqueline Lauria says
This was super easy and delicious! Thank you for the idea!
Laura says
I made this and it turned out fantastic! Slightly spicy and so flavorful! I also had leftovers for the week which is a win! I’ll definitely make this again soon.
Kathleen says
I don’t use a slow cooker. How would I cook it in a conventional oven? It sounds like a wonderful recipe. Kathleen
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Kathleen, I’ve never not made this in a slow cooker, so I can’t guarantee the results…. but I would bake it at 275 in a dutch oven for about 5 hours, or until very tender and easily shredded.
Rob says
I tried it – everyone loved it and wanted more of it. My only concern is the quantity of beef. I would seriously almost double the quantity of beef for 8 servings.
Catherine says
This was delicious! I used red wine vinegar since that’s what I had and I added some dried Italian herbs just because. I eat low carb/keto, so I just reheated it over low heat in a skillet, melted some mozzarella/provolone on top and served it with a side of roasted broccoli. So so good and super simple to make. Definitely adding this to my meal rotation.
Mark says
Absolutely Amazing!!! Thank you
Sarah F says
LOVE this recipe!
I made homemade potato chips, and served them with this pulled beef, homemade guacamole and sour cream. (I edited this recipe for my children’s mild taste-buds – lots of capsicum instead of the multiple chillis, with a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes).
It was delicious – a healthy version of nachos. My three children and hubby absolutely devoured this meal. I will definitely make this again as an easy midweek meal.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sarah 🙂 I’m SO glad to hear that everyone loved the meal!! LOVE your idea to serve this with homemade chips, guacamole and sour cream 🙂
Morgan Myers says
Making this today! I like that your recipe doesn’t call for the packaged dressing mixes. Hoping it is as good as it looks 🙂
Justin says
Made this today and it was awesome! Served it on fresh bread I had made and the whole family raved. Thank you for sharing this recipe and I look forward to trying more that you have posted.
Genie says
Couldn’t you use the peppercini juice from the jar instead of the vinegar? Seems like it would give more flavor, not that it doesn’t have enough flavor but would enhance it. Delish and will definitely be making it again and will try the jar juice. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Genie 🙂 Oh yes, you could absolutely do that!
Jen says
This looks So good! Would be perfect for busy weeknights!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That looks so good, pass me a sandwich please!
maris (in good taste) says
Anything in the slow cooker is a-ok with me!
Katerina @ diethood .com says
I LOVE this! Such a great idea! I looks and sounds incredibly delicious!
Delaney | Melanie Makes says
This is a great weeknight dinner!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I love this technique for cooking a roast! I have never tried the baked potato! Such great idea!