Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef

There are slow cooker recipes that seem easy, but once you get into them you find that there’s so much chopping and searing that it entirely erases the benefits of the time-saving appliance. But not this one! This one is a truly set-it-and-forget-it type of deal that happens to come with some delicious sweet and tart balsamic flavor.

This Balsamic Beef is the perfect solution when you don’t have time after work to make dinner but still want to sit down to a home-cooked meal. It can cook all day while you’re otherwise engaged and when dinner time rolls around, all you really need to do is plate it up. It’s great served on a roll or over a baked potato, and all you need to round it out is a quick salad or slaw.

There’s no prep involved. All you need to do is season a chuck roast with some salt and pepper, put it in the crockpot…

… and then whisk together some beef broth, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce and pour it over the meat.

Close up the slow cooker, turn it on, and walk away. Your work is done, but a few hours later you come back to tender beef that falls apart at the touch of a fork and is swimming in a sweet and tart balsamic sauce that tastes great drizzled over pretty much anything.

Slow Cooker Balsamic Beef

5 minutes active, 6+ hours inactive to prepare serves 8

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs boneless chuck roast
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

  1. Season meat liberally with salt and pepper and place in slow cooker.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together broth, vinegar, garlic powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over and around beef.
  3. Cover and cook until meat shreds easily with a fork, on low for 8, or on high for 6 hours.
  4. Shred meat with two forks, return to slow cooker, and cook uncovered until sauce has thickened to desired consistency. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from I Heart Eating.

Whizzco for LPE