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This easy, 5-minute prep Slow Cooker Shredded Beef is so juicy and melt in your mouth with amazing flavor. A tender chuck roast cooked low and slow that is so versatile and can be eaten over noodles, mashed potatoes, in tacos, and more. A perfect dump and go slow cooker dinner recipe!
Why We Love This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
Nothing beats a cozy, slow cooked meal that takes only a couple minutes to prepare. This super simple, dump and go crockpot pulled beef is just that. It is even easier than my easy pot roast recipe and I thought that one was easy!
Less than 5 minutes to prep. Seriously, nothing more than adding all the ingredients into the crock pot to make this easy shredded beef. No chopping, slicing, searing, nothing. Just dump and go, the way slow cooker recipes should be.
Very minimal ingredients. The ingredients used in this slow cooked shredded beef are pantry basics and other simple ingredients. When I find a chuck roast on sale at the grocery, I grab it knowing that when I am in the mood one night for an easy dinner recipe, I will have everything I need for the shredded beef.
Slow cooked for tender, melt in your mouth meat. A slow cooked chuck roast just falls apart into the perfect chunks of pulled beef. You seriously can’t beat it.
A super versatile recipe. This shredded beef is great in so many recipes. Easily served as is over mashed potatoes or noodles, but also great beef sandwiches, in tacos, quesadillas, burrito bowls, on nachos and so much more!
Try this short rib ragù slow cooked shredded chicken, shredded beef chili, mushroom beef stew, or crockpot mississippi pot roast.
reader Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I made this for some fussy eaters…..everyone raved about it and went back to seconds and thirds! (Karen)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Made 4 times now! Perfect every time!” (Zaina)
What is the Best Cut of Beef for this recipe?
Not all cuts of beef are great for shredding. Some are better for slicing and hold together, so you will want to avoid those cuts.
When slow cooking the best shredded beef, opt for chuck roast first. It is fairly inexpensive and also has lots of marbling which helps with the shredding. Other cuts you can opt for include round roast or rump roast.
Ingredient Notes
- chuck roast: as mentioned, chuck is the best cut of meat for this crock pot shredded beef. When it is slow cooked, it literally falls apart and it so tender. You could use round or rump roast if chuck is not available.
- beef broth: I opt for low sodium beef broth so that I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- soy sauce: again, i like low sodium. For gluten free, use tamari sauce.
- Worcestershire sauce: This is a major key flavor enhancer. Avoid skipping this if possible.
- red wine: red wine is completely optional, but it does add another layer of flavor to the shredded beef. Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon are best for cooking beef. If you omit the wine, this is still a great recipe!
- Italian seasoning: even if you are making tacos with this beef, the Italian seasoning is still amazing in my opinion. You can adjust the seasoning if desired. A bit of cumin, chili powder and oregano is great for making the shredded beef for tacos. If you are wanting just tacos, then definitely make these slow cooker shredded beef tacos!
Ways to Vary This Recipe
- add balsamic vinegar in place of the wine or some of the beef broth
- add a couple tablsepoons of brown sugar
- vary the seasoning–as mentioned previously, if you want to make beef tacos, omit the Italian seasoning and use a teaspoon or two of chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Smoked paprika is another option as well as a big squeeze of lime juice.
- use fresh herbs
- add some vegetables: slice up some red onions, add bell peppers, banana peppers,
- sear the beef chuck roast prior to slow cooking for several minutes on each side
- add some tomato paste for a saucier texture
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add the beef to the crock pot, pour the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and red wine (if using), use extra broth if you are not using the red wine.
Step 2: Cover the beef with the salt, pepper, garlic and seasonings.
Step 3: Cook on low heat for about 7-10 hours. The beef is ready when it easily falls apart and the time can vary based on the size of your beef, the amount of marbling, quality of the meat, etc.
Step 4: Pull out any major pieces of fat and shred the beef while still in the slow cooker or pull it out and shred and then return to the pot.
How to Serve This Shredded Beef
- Our favorite way to serve this slow cooked beef is over mashed potatoes. If you have an Instant pot, these Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes are the very best. Other potato recipes include these parmesan crusted potatoes or air fryer baby potatoes.
- Over pasta is always a great idea as well. Wide egg noodles work really well.
- Add this slow cooked pulled beef to a hamburger bun with some cole slaw.
- Tacos, quesadillas, add to enchiladas. I love adding the slaw from this fish taco recipe over top.
- Shredded beef on nachos like these is also so delicious! Using leftover beef makes for a fun and easy dinner!
Recipe Tips
This shredded beef is not ready until it falls apart easily. A lot of times, readers think their meat turned out tough when it in fact just needs more time to cook. Don’t be afraid thinking you are overcooking your crock pot beef. If it’s too tough, it typically means it has not cooked long enough. Continue to cook on low until it easily falls apart. Cooking time can certainly vary based on your crockpot, the piece of meat, etc.
To thicken the juices, add corn starch. Ladle about 1/2 cup of the juices and whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of corn starch until smooth. Add the mixture back into the crock pot and stir to combine.
Storage
Leftover shredded beef can easily be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
This recipe is great for freezing as well. Allow the beef to cool completely and then place in a freezer safe container. Freeze for about 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Other Beef Recipes
- Beef Pot Pie
- Ground Beef Pasta Skillet
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Air Fryer Steak Bites with Lemon Garlic Butter
- Parmesan Crusted Steak Sheet Pan Dinner
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Crock Pot Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb chuck roast, round or rump will work as well
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce, tamari for gluten free
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup red wine, optional
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- ½ – ¾ tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp corn starch* (see notes), optional
Instructions
- Add the chuck roast to your slow cooker. Pour the beef broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine (if using) over top of the meat. Cover the meat with the garlic, sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and onion powder.
- Cover and cook on low for about 7-9 hours or until it easily falls apart with a fork. It can even take up to 10 hours depending on your crockpot, the beef, etc. The meat is ready when it begins to fall apart!)
- Shred the beef when it is ready and allow to keep warm in the juices until ready to serve. Add more salt or pepper to taste and serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do you have any left over ideas?
Lots!!! You can serve it on buns as sandwiches, add to tacos or quesadillas (I like to add a touch of taco seasoning if doing so), add it to a pot pie recipe in place of the meat, mix it into your favorite marinara and serve over pasta, add to nachos, and much more!
Hello,
I accidentally put Red Wine Vinegar instead of Red Wine. Will it change the taste?
Hi! So sorry for the delay. Hope it went ok, should t have been a major issue at all!
Hi, hoping to try this tomorrow! Is it 1/2 – 3/4 teaspoon of sea salt? Or tablespoon?
Hi! It’s teaspoon! Hope you love it!!
Thank you so much for the speedy response!
Absolutely! You caught me at just the right time!
Hello, I’ve made this many times and we love it!
This time I have 5.5pds of brisket, should I double the Ingredients and cook for longer? It’s for a big gathering so I really don’t want to ruin it . Thanks
Hi! Sorry for the delay, this went into the spam folder somehow. I am not sure how exactly a brisket will come out, but I do know that for that size brisket you will likely need about 9-10 hours. Brisket is more easily overcooked and doesn’t shred the same as a chuck roast, so just keep an eye on it and once it is fork tender, it’s for sure done!
I made this last night exactly by the directions and it was Amazing!! I served it over mashed potatoes and added sauté mushrooms to the gravy and we Loved it. With the left over meat, I made enchiladas and they were delicious. Definitely adding this to our Favorite meal List. Thank you for sharing!!
Yay! Love to hear this so much, Paula! Thanks!
This sounds really good
I made this beef for Easter, and it was a huge hit!
I followed the recipe exactly; however I made it the day before so I could refrigerate overnight and easily remove some fat from the juice. It also gave me more time on the holiday since I had shredded the beef the day before.
Making it again today for tomorrow’s dinner.
Thank you
Love hearing this so much! Being able to make it a day ahead is always a bonus. Thanks so much for sharing, Jacqueline!
I am making this tomorrow. Should I double the sauce if serving over mashed potatoes? Thank you!
Hi! I think there’s plenty of juices and what not. But if you want it super saucy, you totally could!
Basically perfect. I used brisket as we prefer our roasts shredded. The juices were superb, especially with the red wine which I’m starting to think is a must with beef. Thanks!
Yay!!! I am seriously feeling the exact same way about red wine and beef! Glad it was a hit, Chris!
Great
Thanks
That’s what I love to hear!!! Thanks so much!