Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef

Diego is two months from turning two and he's already acting like he's twelve. The boy has opinions. He has preferences. He has a will made of reinforced concrete and a vocal range that can shatter glass at forty yards. "No" is still his primary word, but he's added "mine," "more," "Daddy," "cook," "out" (which means outside, which means the grill area, which means he's my shadow), and — new this week — "Sofia," pronounced "So-fee," which he yells when he can't find his sister like a tiny search-and-rescue operation.

The dynamic between Sofia and Diego is becoming its own ecosystem. Sofia is the organizer, the planner, the one who sets up elaborate games with rules only she understands. Diego is the force of nature who crashes through those games like a small, cheerful tornado. She says, "Diego, sit here." He sits somewhere else. She says, "Diego, hold this." He throws it. She says, "Diego, be the baby." He roars like a dinosaur. And yet — and yet — they are inseparable. When Diego naps, Sofia stands outside his door and whispers, "Wake up, Diego, I'm bored." When Sofia goes to school, Diego stands at the window and says "So-fee" until she comes home. The love between siblings is the most chaotic form of devotion I've ever witnessed.

At the station, I've started a new tradition: Taco Tuesday. Every Tuesday shift, I make tacos for the crew. Different tacos every week — carne asada, carnitas, chicken tinga, al pastor, fish, whatever I'm feeling. The guys look forward to it the way civilians look forward to weekends. Travis said Taco Tuesday is "the only reason to come to work," which I told him was concerning for someone whose actual job is saving lives. "The tacos are a bonus," he clarified. "A very important bonus."

This week's Taco Tuesday: carnitas. Pork shoulder braised in orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and bay leaves until it's falling apart, then pulled and crisped on the flat-top until the edges are golden and crunchy. Served on corn tortillas with cilantro, onion, a squeeze of lime, and my homemade tomatillo salsa. Eight firefighters. Thirty-two tacos. Zero survivors. (Tacos. Zero taco survivors. The firefighters are all fine.)

Garden update: the first jalapeño appeared. A tiny green pod, perfect and shiny, hanging from the plant like a promise. Sofia found it first and screamed as if she'd discovered gold. "Daddy! A pepper! OUR pepper!" She's right. Ours. Grown from a seed we planted together in a garden next to a grill in a backyard in Phoenix. There's a metaphor there about growing things together, but I'll spare you. Just know: the jalapeño is beautiful.

The carnitas at the station disappear so fast I barely get a taco myself — thirty-two tacos, eight guys, maybe twelve minutes. When I want to bring that same slow-cooked, pull-apart energy home for the family without standing over the flat-top, this slow cooker shredded beef is my answer: you build it in the morning, and by the time Sofia’s home from school and Diego has yelled her name approximately forty times, dinner is already done and the whole house smells like something worth coming home to.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 8 hrs | Total Time: 8 hrs 15 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 to 4 lbs beef chuck roast
1 packet (1 oz) Italian dressing seasoning mix
1 packet (1 oz) au jus gravy mix
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup pepperoncini brine (from the jar)
8 to 10 whole pepperoncini peppers
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Hoagie rolls or corn tortillas, for serving
Provolone or mozzarella cheese, optional for serving

Instructions

Season the beef. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides generously with the Italian dressing mix, au jus mix, oregano, and black pepper, pressing the seasoning into the meat.
Build the slow cooker base. Scatter the sliced onion and smashed garlic across the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the seasoned roast on top.
Add liquid and peppers. Pour the beef broth and pepperoncini brine around the roast — not over it. Arrange the whole pepperoncini peppers on and around the beef.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is completely tender and falls apart when pressed with a fork.
Shred the beef. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and shred with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir it into the cooking juices.
Rest and serve. Let the shredded beef sit in the juices on WARM for 10 to 15 minutes so it absorbs as much liquid as possible. Serve piled onto hoagie rolls or corn tortillas with a spoonful of the cooking jus spooned over the top. Add cheese if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Shredded Italian Beef — The Taco Tuesday Spirit That Feeds a Crew