Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef {Freezer Meal}
Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef is an easy, healthy, dump-and-go, delicious dinner. This freezer friendly recipe is a win for my family and is a great recipe for large groups. So simple!
Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Beef might be the easiest and very best slow cooker meal I’ve ever made for my family. You simply can’t beat the aroma of slow cooked chuck roast. It’s one of the best dump-and-go meals you’ll find!
Everyone, from ages 4 to 42, devoured this tender, flavorful meat dish. I have served it with mashed potatoes (and of course veggies and fruit), which is perfect for all that extra sauce in the crock, or Basic Roasted Veggies go well with it, too. Then, the next night we had this same Slow Cooker Shredded Balsamic Beef on mini wheat rolls as “french dip” sandwiches. Again, a huge win!
How to Freeze Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef
This recipe works great to prep ahead and freeze. You can make lots of batches at once if you plan ahead a bit.
Freezer Meal Instructions:
Method One:
To Freeze: Place all ingredients together in a freezer friendly plastic bag and freeze. To prepare, let bag thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours.
To Prepare: After thawed, cook as directed.
Method Two:
To Freeze: Fully cook the meal (through Step #4). Let it cool completely. (Safety Note: Do not let the meat sit on the counter more than 2 hours.) Store meat and sauce in a freezer container or freezer bag after it’s cooled completely.
To thaw: There are at least three safe ways to defrost and warm up this meal.
- – Let meat thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then warm gently on the stove top or in the microwave. (This is the preferred method.)
- – From frozen on stove top: Place the frozen meat and sauce on the stove top in a pot over medium-low heat. Dump 1 cup of water or beef broth over the top. Put a lid on and stir periodically until warmed through.
- – From frozen in microwave: Place frozen meat and sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Use the DEFROST setting to thaw, stirring occasionally. Then heat in the microwave on the COOK setting in 30-60 second increments until warmed through.
Can You Make Slow Cooker Balsalmic Shredded Beef in the Instant Pot?
You bet! Just follow the instructions in the recipe below but make the following changes:
- Cut the beef into 2×2 pieces.
- Place the beef and the sauce in a 6-quart Instant Pot. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 30 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10+ minutes.
If you want to know how to convert other recipes to the Instant Pot, be sure to download our Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart. We also have a cookbook that gives slow cooker AND Instant Pot instructions for EVERY recipe. You can check out From Freezer to Cooker here.
Here is a quick video of how Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef Comes together:
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PinDescription
Slow cooker balsamic shredded beef is packed full of flavor and oh-so-easy to savor. So. Good.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound boneless roast beef (chuck or round roast)
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 cup beef broth (or sub chicken stock)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Gluten-free option: Use coconut aminos or gluten-free Tamari Soy Sauce)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (increase if you want more heat)
Instructions
- Put roast beef into slow cooker and season with Kosher salt and pepper on all sides.
- In a small bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients. Pour over roast beef.
- Slow cook on LOW for about 8 hours, or until meat easily shreds apart.
- Using two large forks, shred the meat apart in the slow cooker.
- Serve meat warm on top of mashed potatoes or on a bun with a bit of the sauce over the top. There should be plenty of sauce for dipping sandwiches, too!
Notes
Freezer Meal Instructions: Method One: To Freeze: Place all ingredients together in a freezer friendly plastic bag and freeze. To prepare, let bag thaw in refrigerator for 24 hours. To Prepare: After thawed, cook as directed. Method Two: To freeze: Fully cook the meal (through Step #4). Let it cool completely. (Safety Note: Do not let the meat sit on the counter more than 2 hours.) Store meat and sauce in a freezer container or freezer bag after it’s cooled completely. To thaw: There are at least three safe ways to defrost and warm up this meal. – Let meat thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours and then warm gently on the stove top or in the microwave. (This is the preferred method.) – From frozen on stove top: Place the frozen meat and sauce on the stove top in a pot over medium-low heat. Dump 1 cup of water or beef broth over the top. Put a lid on and stir periodically until warmed through. – From frozen in microwave: Place frozen meat and sauce in a microwave-safe bowl. Use the DEFROST setting to thaw, stirring occasionally. Then heat in the microwave on the COOK setting in 30-60 second increments until warmed through.
Need a side dish idea?
Serve this with our 3-Minute No-Boil Corn on the Cob or our Simple Baby Boiled Potatoes.
This is a recipe that you hold onto. Delicious with basic, identifiable ingredients. One of my top, if not top, slow cooker recipes.
★★★★★
That’s great to hear, Emily. Thanks for the feedback!
Husband claimed top ten of all meals I’ve ever made. He never offers compliments on meals but he sure was vocal about this one. Will make this again. Everyone loved it
★★★★★
That’s fantastic!
This was amazing! I made it for a party with some slider rolls. I don’t often eat meat and I couldn’t stop. Delicious!
★★★★★
We’re so glad you liked it and it worked well for your party!
Can you cook it for 4 hours in high??
It may take more like 5 hours, depending on the size of your roast.
Tips on cooking this in the Instant Pot instead of slow cooker?
Yep! Just cut the beef into 2×2 inch cubes and cook with the sauce for 30 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. Shred and you’re good to go! Check out our Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart here for more help: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/instant-pot-cooking-times-chart/
This recipe is delicious! We just cooked and served it to about 100 people for a Lenten dinner at our church and it was a big hit, with adults and kids alike! Many people asked for the recipe. Thanks for sharing it!
This makes my heart so happy, Amy. Wow, so cool to see our recipes used to benefit a community like yours. Thanks for leaving a comment.
I made this last night for dinner. I put the meat in around 10 in the morning and everything was cooked by 6:30. I did turn the temp up to high around 3:30 to make sure the meat was cooked all the way through. The meat easily shredded, and I threw it back into the crock pot juices until my husband got home from work. I served it with roasted root veggies. My husband ate it on a muffin like a french-dip sandwich. We both loved it. I mostly made this to freeze the leftovers to eat once baby arrives (I’m 38 weeks pregnant), and I am excited to have a delicious dinner to thaw when we’re too busy to cook dinner. Thank you for such an easy and delicious meal!
★★★★★
We eat it like french dip sandwiches, too. So glad you liked it. Definitely the longer it cooks, the more easily those tough cuts of beef will shred apart.
Wondering if I can prep the roast with marinade, freeze, then pop in the slow cooker and cook from frozen? Might take a little longer, but that would be ok. Any experience with this or hang-ups to think about?
Hi Tara. We don’t recommend cooking a frozen meal in the slow cooker. From the research we have done, it sounds like there is a chance it can sit at the unsafe temp for food too long. I’ve done it, but it’s just not worth the risk to me in the future.
Has anyone tried substituting the beef for chicken in this recipe?
Chicken might work, but you’d need to adjust the cook time depending on what cut you are using. Chicken breasts cook quickly in the slow cooker, like in 2-3 hours.
i read the comment about the nesco roaster. You need this roaster! its like a crockpot but it cooks the same temperatures as a oven.You will not be sorry!! It cooks the best lasagna ive ever had!!My grandmothers secret recipe.
If I put carrots and chopped red potatoes in the crockpot under the meat, would it all cook together ok? I need something I can put on in the morning before I leave for the office and it’ll be ready when I get home in the evening with no maintenance during the day.
Jamie, I’ve made veggies all day like that and they get completely mushy, especially with the sauce. You can try it, but it’s not my favorite. You’d be better off just throwing the veggies in some boiling water when you get home, boiling them for 8 minutes or so, and tossing with butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Here’s an easy recipe: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/2016/11/simple-and-delicious-boiled-baby-potatoes/
I am thinking of making this ahead of time and reheating for a family reunion in the crockpot, any suggestions?
It will work great! Just thaw overnight and re-warm over low in the crockpot when ready to serve.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I put carrots and new potatoes in the bottom and let them cook all day with the roast and they turned out great. Not too mushy! Everyone loved it and said this is a keeper!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback and for letting us know about the veggies. I’m totally trying that next time. Thanks!
This is fantastic! I’m happy to report every member of my family enjoyed it, including me, and I’m not really into beef. Thanks, ladies!
★★★★★
Woo hoo! Great to hear this, Ashley.
This looks so good! Do you know if it could be doubled and still fit in a standard 6-quart crockpot?
I haven’t tried doubling this recipe. It would certainly fit, but may take longer to cook.
Do you think this would work in a large Nesco type roaster? I need to feed large crowd and would double possibly triple recipe. If so what temperature would you recommend and how long?
I’m sorry but I’m not familiar with that appliance.
Is it spicy with the red pepper flakes? Just want to make sure my kids will like it!
★★★★★
It doesn’t have too much heat. But, feel free to pull back on the red pepper the first time you make it.
We enjoyed this Balsamic Shredded Beef tonight. I had a cheap cut of beef in the freezer and threw it in the crockpot this morning along with the other ingredients. It turned out sooooooo good. This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Awesome! I’m making it tomorrow for my fam!
If I wanted to make this without honey so my almost one year old could enjoy it with us, should I substitute something else, or just leave out the honey?
I think the concern with honey for babies is that it might be contaminated in the bottle it comes in. Once it’s cooked (for 8 hours, no less), wouldn’t it be fine? You might Google to find out. But, if you want to substitute it, just add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar. That would be tasty.
Just found your site, these recipes look delicious! I think what Meredith meant was that honey has botulism toxins in it and is not safe for children under the age of 1.
“Don’t give your baby any honey before she’s a year old, even if it’s to treat a cough. This is because honey can, very occasionally, contain a spore of a bacterium called clostridium botulinum. This can cause a rare form of food poisoning (botulism) in babies.”
Yum yum yum! So easy and such a good twist on my basic slow cooker chicken! Would be so yummy on salads too.
Yum! We don’t eat a lot of beef in our house but I might have to make an exception and give this a try!