Sweet and Tangy Shredded Beef
Slow Cooked Goodness
This sweet and tangy shredded beef is a delicious slow cooked recipe that makes tender and juicy beef that you can use for tacos, nachos, or sandwiches.
The beef also freezes well. This slow roasts for three hours and makes a wonderful and flavorful meal.
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The Roast
A chuck roast is what I usually use to make this recipe. This Boston butt beef roast was at my local butcher.
I was under the impression that a butt roast was pork and not beef. You learn something new everyday!
This roast can also be called a chuck shoulder roast or an English roast. It was basically a whole chuck roast.
We are all used to seeing a chuck roast as a large, thick slice. This roast, however, was rounded and had a nice layer of fat on one side.
You can use any of these roasts. Just be sure that the roast you use is fattier.
This fat breaks down as it slow roasts and makes the meat juicy.
Ancho Chili Pods
Dried Ancho Chili Peppers are great in this recipe. I have found these types of peppers at most grocery stores and Walmart.
If you live near an ethnic grocery store, you will easily find these there. I like the way these peppers roast up in this dish so I highly recommend using them.
If you absolutely cannot find them, you can use a mix of regular chili powder and dried chili flakes.
If using the alternative, I would do about a tablespoon of the chili powder and 1/2 of a tablespoon of the dried chili flakes. You can certainly adjust this seasoning to your tastes.
You may want it less spiced if you’re not a heat seeker. This recipe is not necessarily HOT, it is more spiced then “burn your mouth” hot, but I know some people have much lower spice tolerance.
Why I Use Orange Juice
Orange juice has acids that help break down and tenderize this usually tough cut of meat. The sugar in the orange juice helps to caramelize the meat and make it extra delicious.
I use the concentrate because it is more intense and less watery than using liquid orange juice. Using the concentrate makes a really nice flavored sauce with the chili peppers.
The overall taste of this meat is tangy and savory. I also love the orange flavor this adds.
Slow Cooker Variation
If you want to make this dish in a slow cooker, you can sear your meat and then repeat all the same steps in your slow cooker and let this cook low and slow for 8 to 10 hours.
I would also assume that this can easily be made in an Instant Pot by searing your meat then adding the rest of the ingredients to the Instant Pot. I would cook this in my instant pot on high, manual for 90 minutes for it to shred properly.
However you choose to serve this meat, I bet it’ll be a delight for you and your guests.
Sweet and Tangy Shredded Beef
This sweet and tangy shredded beef is a delicious slow cooked recipe that makes tender and juicy beef that you can use for tacos, nachos or sandwiches. This beef also freezes well. This slow roasts for three hours and makes a wonderful and flavorful meal.
Ingredients
- 3 lb Chuck Roast or Chuck Shoulder Roast (information on the meat is in the post)
- 3 ounces or 4 to 5 Dried Ancho Chili Pods (pictured in post)
- 12 ounce frozen orange juice concentrate
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- All Purpose Seasoning
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 medium sized yellow onions, chopped
- 4 to 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons of cooking oil of your choice
Instructions
- The cut of beef is explained in detail in the post. I used what the butcher called a Boston Butt Beef Roast which I believe was a whole chuck shoulder roast. Cut this roast into large chunks. Pat the chunks dry with paper towels. Season on all sides with an all purpose seasoning and black pepper. Rub the seasoning in really well. My roast had a fat cap, a layer of fat on one side, make sure you season this as well.
- Let the chunks of beef sit out and rest after seasoning for about 20 minutes.
- Add the oil to a skillet and get it hot but not smoking. Add the chunks of beef one at a time and let them sear off in the oil for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. When they are ready to be flipped, they will lift easily from the pan. All sides of the beef should have a golden brown caramelized color.
- Heat your oven to 325 degrees. If your oven runs hot, you may want to stick with 300 degrees. If your oven runs cold, you may need to do 350 degrees.
- I use a speckled, covered roaster for this recipe. You can use any covered roaster to a pan with foil. I think the covered roaster works best.
- Add your chopped onions, and garlic to the roaster, thaw the frozen orange juice and pour this into the roaster. Then add the water, give this all a stir. Then add your dried ancho peppers. (Alternative to these peppers in the post)
- Add your meat to the roaster, cover with the lid and roast for 3 hours. All ovens are different so keep an eye the firth time you make this. You should have liquid in the roaster the whole time this us roasting. Check it halfway through. If there is no liquid left, you may need to add a 1/2 cup of water. All ovens temp differently so watch this the first time you make it if you aren't sure of your ovens true temp.
- When the meat is done cooking the fat should have rendered down, and the meat should easily shred after letting it rest for 10 minutes after it came out of the oven. I remove the peppers and discard before shredding the beef.
- Use for tacos, nachos, wraps, or sandwiches.
*Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Modifications in the post
Looking for another slow cooker recipe? Give my Instant Pot Pot Roast a try!
1 Comments
Linda Rawlings
February 27, 2024 at 3:43 pm
Great recipe!! Only change I made, was I use pork butt instead of beef in my instant pot. I did cut some of the fat off. Pork is fattier than beef. Excellent. Thank you