Getaway beef (slow cooker shredded beef)

This giant pot of tender, shredded meat is just the ticket when you need to host a crowd, feed your family for days, or stock a refrigerator for a friend in need. Use it in tacos, sandwiches, pasta sauce, soup or all of the above.

Ingredients

• 4-5 pound chuck roast trimmed
• 6-8 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tablespoon garlic powder)
• 1-2 onions, sliced (or 1-2 tablespoons onion powder)
• 4 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt (2 teaspoons table salt)
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup vinegar (distilled white or apple cider)
• 2 3/4 cup water

Optional (any or all)

• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning

Preparation

1. Rinse meat and trim off any large areas of fat. Place meat in slow cooker and sprinkle onions and garlic on top.
2. Mix spices with water and vinegar and pour over beef. Cook until meat shreds easily with a fork, 10-12 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt, pepper, optional adds) as you like.

Notes

• You can substitute other liquids for some or all of the water, such as beer, wine or beef broth. Note that if you use broth, you should also reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
• The spicy version of this calls for a 16-ounce jar of Italian peperoncini peppers, including the picking liquid. If you do this, omit the vinegar in the recipe.
• Once you refrigerate the meat, it becomes very easy before reheating to remove some excess fat solidified on top.
• This is a great dish to make on a Sunday night, and you can use it during the week in tacos, sandwiches, soups or even on top a hearty salad.
• If you want to eat Chicago-style, pile this on a hoagie roll with some hot giardiniera.
• You can also cook this in a Dutch oven (heavy covered pot) on the stovetop or in the oven. On stovetop, heat first, cover pot, and turn low to simmer. Cooking time will be roughly equivalent to the slow cooker on high (4-5 hours), but check the liquid level occasionally and add more water if it gets too low. You can also transfer the hot covered pot to the oven and bake it at a low temperature (250-325 degrees F will work; cooking time will vary depending on temperature).

Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.