Summertime is quickly approaching!
I love my slow cooker! It’s so helpful being able to throw something together in the morning or around lunch time and have it be ready for dinner. Plus, as the summer heats up, I don’t want to use the oven much. Using the slow cooker is so convenient + it doesn’t heat up the house!
Warmer weather makes me crave shredded beef with LOTS of homemade BBQ sauce + yummy tacos made by my husband {he makes the best, authentic tacos with shredded meat}.
My shredded beef recipe is so easy to make + takes very little prep time.
You won’t find any processed ingredients in this recipe either … no refined sugars or ketchup!
Slow Cooker Tangy Pineapple Shredded Beef
Slow Cooker Tangy Pineapple Shredded Beef
Yield 3 pounds of shredded beef
Sweet + savory, this tangy pineapple shredded beef will be the star attraction of many meals.
EQUIPMENT: Cutting Board, Sharp Quality Chef's Knife, Blender, Large Saucepan, Wooden Spatula, Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 grass-fed chuck roast, about 3 pounds
- 2 tablespoons pasture butter, ghee or fat of choice {See My Store for brands I use}
- 1 medium size organic pineapple
- 1 cup unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos *
- 1/4 cup organic maple syrup grade B or raw honey
- 3 fresh garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt {See My Store for brands I use}
- 1 astragalus root {optional}
- 1 strip of kombu {optional}
Instructions
- Wash the outside of the pineapple - I like to wash mine in a vinegar-water solution. Using a sharp chef's knife, lay the pineapple on its side and cut off the top and bottom of the fruit. Stand the pineapple upright and cut off the outer tough skin of the pineapple. Slice the pineapple in half. Slice the pineapple into quarters. Remove the inner core from the slices and cut pineapple slices into chunks.
- Add pineapple, apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, maple syrup or honey, garlic, thyme, turmeric + sea salt to a blender. Blend until pureed and no pineapple chunks remain. If needed, add 1 cup water to blender. Set aside.
- Melt fat of choice in large saucepan over medium-high heat, about 1 minute until the pan is hot. Add chuck roast to the pan and sear on each side until browned, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the chuck roast from the saucepan and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Leave the saucepan on the heat and add about 1 cup of the pineapple mixture to deglaze. Use a wooden spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan {there's a lot of good flavor in the browned bits}. Pour the pan sauce over the chuck roast in the slow cooker. Add the remaining pineapple mixture and the 1 cup of water to the slow cooker {if you did not add the water to the pineapple mixture in the blender}. The meat should be almost covered by the liquid. Add optional strip of astragals root + kombu to the liquid.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours {or on low for 7-8 hours}, until beef is tender and pulls apart easily.
- Place chuck roast on a cutting board and shred with two forks or use a quality kitchen knife and cut in a rustic chop, shredding beef while cutting.
- Serve with reduced tangy pineapple sauce + your favorite toppings!
Notes
Serving Suggestions: The meat makes amazing tacos {especially when topped with fresh slaw or fresh salsa, cilantro + lime}, sandwiches + wraps. It's delicious paired with mashed potatoes, celery root mash or sweet potatoes. Super yummy with roasted veggies, a simple side salad or homemade slaw. So good with homemade potato salad too!
*Note: If you can't find coconut aminos, you can substitute with gluten free tamari.
Storage: Store shredded meat in the pineapple liquid; place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Keeps well for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Make a Tangy Pineapple Sauce: Add leftover pineapple-beef cooking liquid to a medium-size sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces in volume.
Are you on Pinterest? I pin lots of yummy real food recipes + more there. I have a board just for Main Dishes too. Come follow along.
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Is there anything to substitute the coconut aminos? Or just omit?
I wouldn’t omit it, it adds a lot of flavor. You can use gluten free tamari instead, this http://amzn.to/1n6vJZU is the brand I have used.
since you’re only using 1 cup of the pineapple mixture for cooking, what do you do with the rest of the 5 cups of pineapple mixture leftover?
I’m sorry it wasn’t clear enough in the instructions. You pour all of the pineapple mixture into the slow cooker. The 1 cup was just to deglaze the pan. You pour that 1 cup and the remaining mixture into the slow cooker. Hope that helps.
Any thoughts on doing this with a different meat or at least a different cut?
I’m out of chuck until we get our next cow in a couple of months but I still have round steak and venison think it’ll work?
That’s a great question! I’m not sure but I bet any kind of meat that would do well in a crockpot would work.
This looks like a beautiful recipe, Emily! I love pineapple and other fruit with meat, poultry and fish. Pinned!
Thanks so much Raine! I appreciate the pin 🙂
I want to try this! I am wondering how long/temp if I were to cook it in the oven rather than the slow cooker.
Hmm, I haven’t cooked it in the oven. I would think you could cook it in a dutch oven in the oven using the same guidelines as a oven pot roast. Wish I knew, but this is one that I’ve always done in the slow cooker.