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This Shredded Beef is slow-cooked in the oven until it’s fall-apart tender. Made with chuck roast, onions, garlic, and beef broth, it’s perfect for a Sunday supper with plenty left over for enchiladas, BBQ beef sandwiches, burritos, and more.
Roasted Chuck Roast
This is one of those cook-once-and-eat-for-days dishes. It starts with a 3 to 3½ pound chuck roast that’s seared and then cooked low and slow in a Dutch oven. The roast develops rich flavor as it cooks, and after several hours in the oven, it’s fall-apart tender.
I like to shred the beef into large chunks and serve it over mashed potatoes with some of the cooking liquid spooned over the top. Add your favorite vegetable, and you have a complete meal.
This recipe easily serves a hungry crowd, but when there are leftovers, the beef can be repurposed into several more dinners.
Key Ingredients
- Chuck roast - Look for a well-marbled boneless roast, about 3 to 3½ pounds. The marbling helps keep the beef tender and flavorful during the long cooking time.
- Beef broth - Provides the cooking liquid and adds beef flavor.
- Onion - Adds flavor to the beef and cooking liquid as it cooks.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic adds another layer of flavor.
Making Roasted Shredded Beef
- Pat the chuck roast dry with a paper towel.
- Season all sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy-duty Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add roast and sear on all sides until well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove roast from the Dutch oven and set aside. Turn off heat.
- Add ¼ cup of beef broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the sliced onions, garlic, and remaining beef broth.
- Place seared roast on top of onions. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and place into a preheated 325°F oven.
- Cook for 3½–4 hours, until the beef is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. Check the Dutch oven halfway through cooking to make sure there is still liquid in the bottom. If needed, add ½ cup of beef broth.
- Remove chuck roast and place on a large platter or cutting board.
- Use two forks to break the roast into large pieces, removing and discarding any excess fat or sinew.
- Skim and discard any excess fat from the cooking liquid and onions.
- Serve the shredded beef with the onions and cooking liquid spooned over the top.
Recipe tips
- Brown the beef well. Give the roast time to develop a good brown crust on all sides. This adds flavor to both the beef and the cooking liquid.
- Don’t rush the cooking time. If the beef doesn’t pull apart easily with a fork, it needs more time. Continue cooking until it is tender.
- Keep an eye on the liquid. Check the Dutch oven about halfway through cooking. If the liquid is getting low, add another ½ cup of beef broth.
- Remove excess fat. Before serving, skim off and discard excess fat from the onions and cooking liquid.
- For a thicker, gravy-like sauce: Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Stir it into the onions and cooking liquid and heat until the sauce has thickened. Feel free to add more beef broth if more liquid is needed.
Frequently asked questions
If it's still tough after the suggested cooking time, it generally needs more time. Keep it covered and continue cooking until it pulls apart easily with a fork.
Serving suggestions
How to repurpose leftovers
One of the best things about making a chuck roast is having leftover beef for another meal. Store the shredded beef with some of the cooking liquid to help keep it moist, then use it to make a completely different dinner.
- Quesadillas: Use the shredded beef in place of the steak in my Steak Quesadillas. It’s an easy way to turn the leftover beef into a quick meal.
- Beef enchiladas: Roll the shredded beef into tortillas, add enchilada sauce and shredded cheese, and bake for an easy second dinner.
- BBQ shredded beef: Toss the beef with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on buns for BBQ beef sandwiches.
- Burritos: Add the shredded beef to burritos along with your favorite fillings.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my delicious main dish recipes.
Roasted Shredded Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 - 3 ½ pound boneless chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or other cooking oil)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 onion (sliced into strips)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
Instructions
- Pat the chuck roast dry with a paper towel.
- Season all sides generously with salt and pepper.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy-duty Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add roast and sear on all sides until well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Remove roast from the Dutch oven and set aside. Turn off heat.
- Add ¼ cup of beef broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the sliced onions, garlic, and remaining beef broth.
- Place seared roast on top of onions. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and place into a preheated 325°F oven.
- Cook for 3½–4 hours, until the beef is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. Check the Dutch oven halfway through cooking to make sure there is still liquid in the bottom. If needed, add ½ cup of beef broth.
- Remove chuck roast and place on a large platter or cutting board. Use two forks to break the roast into large pieces, removing and discarding any excess fat or sinew.
- Skim and discard any excess fat from the cooking liquid and onions. Serve the shredded beef with the onions and cooking liquid spooned over the top.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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