Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Everyone, from preschoolers to adults, devours this tender, flavorful dinner at our house.
- Impressive enough to serve for Christmas dinner or birthday dinner.
- Like our Slow Cooker Short Ribs recipe, it’s a dump and go slow cooker meal. Perfect to put in the Crock Pot at the beginning of the day!
- It’s freezer friendly. Double and freeze one for your future self!
- It’s high in protein with 21 grams per serving. We explain how important protein is in our Round up of High Protein Slow Cooker recipes.
- Serve it over Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Healthy Mashed Potatoes, or polenta (pictured) which are perfect for all that extra sauce left in the crockpot.
- Use the leftover shredded beef on Bread Machine Wheat Rolls as “french dip” sandwiches the next night. Again, a huge win!
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are the flavor-enhancing ingredients that you’ll need for this dump-and-go slow cooker meal…
- Beef broth – If you don’t have this on hand, chicken broth will work.
- Balsamic vinegar – This is a key ingredient that adds a slightly sweet, acidic note.
- Soy sauce – Use low sodium soy sauce, because you can also add salt at the end if needed (but you can’t take it out). Gluten-free option: Use coconut aminos or gluten-free Tamari Soy Sauce.
- Honey – Adds a little sweetness to balance out the salt and acid.
- Garlic – I just used minced garlic from the store to save time.
- Boneless roast beef – Look for a beef roast with some marbling throughout, which adds a lot of flavor. Chuck or round roast works well.
How to Make Balsamic Shredded Beef
Add Ingredients to Crock Pot
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 the Beef
Place a lid on top and cook on LOW for at least 8 hours, until the beef easily shreds.
Shred and Serve
Use two forks to shred the roast. Stir into the sauce and serve warm.
How to Serve Balsamic Shredded Beef
Here are a few ideas of how to serve this savory-sweet Shredded Beef:
- Serve over Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes, Cream Cheesy Mashed Sweet Potatoes, or polenta (as pictured), and drizzle the juices from the cooker over it all.
- Use the meat for mini sandwiches on rolls. Put the au jus (leftover juices) from the cooker in small ramekins for dipping…like Crockpot French Dip!
- Serve with our Microwave Corn on the Cob or our Baby Boiled Potatoes.
How to Freeze Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
This recipe works great to prep ahead and freeze, so you may want to cook two roasts at once in a large crockpot. It should take about the same amount of time. Cook until they shred easily.
Here are two methods for turning this into a freezer meal:
Method 1: Uncooked
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 2: Fully Cooked
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 Prepare: 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 stovetop or in the microwave. (This is the preferred method.)
- From frozen on stovetop: Place the frozen meat and sauce on the stovetop 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.
Recipe FAQs
Chuck roast is a popular choice because it turns out so tender when slow cooked. Brisket, rump roast, and short ribs would also work.
In our tests, we didn’t notice a significant enough difference in the end result to justify the time and mess it takes to sear the beef.
No, the USDA says it’s not safe to cook a frozen roast in a slow cooker. It will sit in the “danger zone” temperature where bacteria grows at a rapid pace for too long. It’s important to thaw the roast in the refrigerator for about 2 days ahead of time first.
Can You Make 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.
More Dump-and-Go Recipes
If you like this easy crockpot recipe, be sure to try a few of these favorites.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef
Slow cooker balsamic shredded beef is packed full of flavor and oh-so-easy to savor. So. Good.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 – 3 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 cup beef broth (or sub chicken stock)
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (Gluten-free option: Use coconut aminos or gluten-free Tamari Soy Sauce)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (increase if you want more heat)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- 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 polenta (pictured). Alternatively, serve on a bun or ciabatta roll with sauce on the side for dipping, like French Dip Sandwiches.
Freeze For Later:
Method 1: Uncooked
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: Thaw in the fridge overnight and then cook as directed.
Method 2: Fully Cooked
To freeze: Fully cook the meal (through Step #4). Let it cool completely. (Safety Note: Do not let the meat sit on the counter for more than 2 hours.) Store meat and sauce in a freezer-safe container after it’s cooled completely.
To thaw: Use one of these safe thawing methods and then warm on the stove over low heat or in the microwave.
Notes/Tips
- Instant Pot Instructions: Cut the beef into 2×2 pieces, and place the beef and 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.
- To Thicken the Sauce: If you’d like to thicken up the sauce at the end, here’s how. After removing the cooked roast to shred it, turn the slow cooker to HIGH. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Whisk that into the sauce in the slow cooker, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes or until thickened. (For the instant pot, turn on the Saute function after removing the cooked roast and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. It should thicken up in 1-2 minutes.)
- Gluten-Free Version: Replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos or gluten-free Tamari soy sauce.
- Storage Tip: A great way to store this freezer meal or leftovers is in our favorite freezer meal containers. Either store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
- Where We Get Our Beef: We get our beef from ButcherBox. The beef is grass-fed and curated from trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, chicken, and wild salmon–and have used it for years ourselves.
- We also have a similar recipes for Slow Cooker Short Ribs and Crock Pot Beef Bourguignon.
This recipe is fabulous! Easy to follow, smells great and tastes even better. I sometimes double the sauce so I can have more gravy at the end – it’s so good! It’s a family favorite!!
Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback and a review, Kimberly. Super helpful!
We couldn’t believe how easy this was to make and how delicious and flavorful it was!! I’ve since told everyone I know they must make this recipe ASAP.
Woo hoo!!!
This one is SO good. When my husband was sick last week, the only thing that sounded good was ‘that roast you make’….. After nearly 30 years of believing he didn’t like roast, this one changed his mind!
This is one of the best compliments ever, Lois. I’m glad it provided some comfort to your sick hubs and it changed his mind. 😉
Y’all must make this ASAP! Hands down The BEST roast we’ve ever tasted!!! I used mushroom broth instead of beef broth. Served it with skin on roasted butternut squash, extra balsamic & cold arugula salad greens. The juices are the salad dressing.
Wasn’t just the BEST thing I’ve had since my special fight cancer diet but, BEST EVER!
Oh my goodness, that sounds amazing. I’m totally going to do this. Yum! Thanks for the review and wishing you many blessings on your cancer-fighting journey.
What size crock pot does this recipe require?
It was tested in a 6 quart slow cooker, but I think a 3, 4, or 5 quart crock pot could work.
I am so sorry. I don’t know why I’m not seeing the mistakes in my writing. My original question, would it be helpful to brown the meat first for either the slow cooker or instant pot?
You can certainly brown it first if you’d like. But, I don’t do that (too much mess and time) and it still turns out delicious every time. I hope that helps!
That should gave read instant pot.
Hello. Is browning the meat helpful for either the slow cooker or I stand pot?
Can this be cooked in a Dutch oven?
Yes, but I’m not sure on the timing for temp since I haven’t tested it that way.
Can I make this with flank steak?
I think this marinade would be great on flank steak. I wouldn’t slow cook it, though, if that’s what you were thinking. Flank steak is great on the grill and cooks very quickly.
Made this again this week. Had it the first night over mashed potatoes/cauliflower. The second night, I slipped brioche hot dog buns and a couple of slices of mozzarella/provolone under the broiler and topped with the meat for French Dips, using all that good broth as au jus. SO good!! I’m guessing we’ll fight over who gets the last serving for lunch today!
Yummmm! Such a great idea for reusing the leftover meat. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review and some ideas, Lois. 🙂
Made this last night in my instant pot. So easy and so good. I served it both ways on a hoagie with dipping sauce and I made gravy with the other half of the sauce. I will make this again.
Thanks for taking the time to share your review and feedback, Suzie! So glad you liked it!
Hi how long in the instant pot? I was thinking the same thing, but i dont want to deal with a slow cooker, since I’m leaving to go out of town the day it needs cooked. (Hubby just told me he has to bring lunch to feed 7 guys at work on Wednesday, lol)
Hi Jo. I make it all the time in the Instant Pot. Cut the meat in 2×2 inch pieces and pressure cook for 30 minutes and then natural release for 10 minutes.
This recipe is so good! I made it in my Instant Pot and it was perfect. It’s so tender and flavorful that ever my picky kids will eat it!
We love hearing that, Ashley. Thanks for letting us know!
This was great tasting and super easy! My husband loved the flavor. I made two at once so I could pop one in the freezer!
So smart! It is such an easy freezer meal.
This was so good. All 4 of my kids and husband ate it up! I have made it multiple times.
Now that’s a win!
This recipe was so good and so easy! I did this as a part of a 1 hour meal prep and made two at once…we cooked and ate them within 2 weeks! Im intimidated by beef recipes sometimes because I don’t have much experience with different cuts of meat but this recipe made it so easy! Make it; you won’t be disappointed!
That’s awesome to hear. We love inspiring confidence in the kitchen. You should try out our BBQ shredded beef recipe next. Yummmm