Another easy dinner recipe! Shredded Beef made in the slow cooker with balsamic glaze is perfect when you crave comfort food but don’t want to turn on the oven.
Love using your slow cooker? Try our delicious crockpot carnitas for a tex mex dinner the whole family will love. Or give our easy slow cooker buffalo chicken dip for an appetizer or serve it as a meal.
Why this Beef is Best
I think I’ve mentioned it once or twice that I love my Slow Cooker!
We seriously use it for dinner recipes 3-4 times a week. You can never have too many recipes for slow cooker meals and this slow cooker Shredded Beef is a new favorite.
Tangy and aromatic with just a hint of brown sugar sweetness, this beef holds nothing back when it comes to taste!
The fact that it cooks on its own in the slow cooker with almost no hands-on prep time is a major bonus.
Let’s get back to this beef though.
Choose the right beef
A versatile dinner starter, shredded beef cooks beautifully in the crock pot.
We love it served over mashed potatoes, piled onto toasted buns for a hot sandwich or all on its own with whatever sides you fancy.
I like using a chuck roast, with lots of marbling. This ensures that when you slow cook it, the fat renders into the meat and become fork tender!
Looking for an instant pot beef recipe? Try this take on Balsamic beef I made in my instant pot to fantastic results!
Ingredient Notes
Like all the best slow cooker dinner recipes, making this Balsamic Beef is as easy as dumping everything in your crock pot, turning it on and letting it cook.
Here’s what I used to make this Slow Cooker Shredded Beef recipe, be sure to scroll down to recipe card for ingredient measurements.
- chuck roast
- beef broth
- light brown sugar
- balsamic vinegar
- soy sauce
- garlic
- red pepper flakes
Easy Instructions
To prepare the roast, you whisk together all the liquid ingredients and seasonings in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the chuck roast, cover with a lid and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.
The beef will be extremely tender and fall apart easily when you remove it from the pot. Shred it with a fork then return it back to all those delicious juices.
It’s ready to serve right away but also keeps well in the fridge for several days. This makes a lot of meat so you’re likely to have leftovers for lunches the next day!
Tips and Tricks
- I used a 5 pound roast, you can certainly use a smaller roast if you don’t think your family will eat that much meat. The excess sauce is delicious to reserve for mashed potatoes!
- Want to make this a freezer meal? Easy. Cook the beef as directed then transfer to a freezer safe bag, juices and all. Thaw in the fridge and reheat to have a nearly instant dinner next time you need it.
- Time saving tip: whisk the ingredients for the sauce together on the weekend when you have a few minutes, then store in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook the beef, just pour the contents into the slow cooker and proceed as directed. A perfect hack for preparing a slow cooker meal in the morning!
What to serve with shredded beef
Not sure how to serve this Balsamic Beef? There’s no wrong way!
My family raved about the shredded beef served over a mound of Mashed Potatoes. The juices turn into a perfect gravy for the potatoes that I could probably eat with a spoon all on its own.
You can also serve shredded balsamic beef with sandwich rolls or hamburger buns! Leftovers are great served as sandwiches and wraps, too.
Baked Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini are other great side dishes that would pair well with this shredded beef dinner.
Whip up a batch of Sweet Potato Fries or Baked French fries for another tasty side.
Add this to your weekly dinner rotation soon; you’re going to love it!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Bourbon Chicken
- Oven Baked Pork Chops
- Chicken Tetrazzini Recipe
- Italian Chicken
- Slow Cooker Sausage and Peppers
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Instant Pot Pork Tenderloin
- Meatloaf Recipe
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Slow Cooker Balsamic Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 5 pound beef chuck roast
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
Instructions
- Whisk together all the ingredients and add to the bottom of a slow cooker. Add roast. Covere and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove roast and shred with a fork, return to juices.
- Serve and enjoy. The gravy is delicious with mashed potatoes too!
Notes
- I used a 5 pound roast, you can certainly use a smaller roast if you don’t think your family will eat that much meat. The excess sauce is delicious to reserve for mashed potatoes!
- Want to make this a freezer meal? Easy. Cook the beef as directed then transfer to a freezer safe bag, juices and all. Thaw in the fridge and reheat to have a nearly instant dinner next time you need it.
- Time saving tip: whisk the ingredients for the sauce together on the weekend when you have a few minutes, then store in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook the beef, just pour the contents into the slow cooker and proceed as directed. A perfect hack for preparing a slow cooker meal in the morning!
We LOVE this roast served with mashed potatoes! One of our favorite meals. Gravy is a bit runny. Sto delicious though. Might try thickening it tonight. Also use half elk and half chuck roast this time. Hoping it’s just as delicious! Thank you for sharing this yummy dish.
I’ve been using this recipe for years, it’s a family favorite! For the gravy, I get a packet or two of the McCormick brown gravy mix. Instead of using water as the recipe on the packet says, I use the liquid from the crock pot. It’s incredible, highly recommend! My husband calls the gravy “liquid gold” he loves it so much.
Wait! I don’t have to seat the meat first?!?! Incredible! Can’t wait to throw this together in the morning!
Yummy! This is so delicious and tasty! One of our favorites! Can’t wait to make this again soon!
This will be a staple on our menu now also! I love the flavor that the balsamic adds, so dang good!
This looks like pure comfort food. My brother just sent me a really good balsamic vinegar from an olive mill by him. Can’t wait to try this.
Directions for the oven if I don’t have a slow cooker?
Brown your meat with salt & pepper and a little oil. Pour sauce ingredients over the top and cook in oven on low 250F , covered for about 6_7 hours
Can I use an Eye round?
is this freezer friendly once its cooked?
thank you!
Yes absolutely!
nice post thanks for sharing.
I love to make this dish in my Slow Cooker and it was awesome and a must share! Thanx for the recipes.
Keep sharing!
I am searching such kind of post which provides a delicious recipe.I must try this at home to impress my husband.