Pulled Beef (Shredded Beef)
This slow cooker pulled beef is tender and so delicious. Bathed in onion gravy, it’s so easy to make and great for tacos, sandwiches, burgers, pasta and more. The beef is rich and meaty with the right touch of sweetness and tang from tomato passata and Worcestershire sauce. It’s great served in a crusty roll just with the gravy, au naturale, for a wonderfully comforting meal.
It all about minimal effort and maximum flavour and this pulled beef au jus has that in spades. Au jus is a French term meaning “with juice” and refers to meat dishes served with the juices naturally created while cooking the meat.
This pulled beef is such a versatile recipe going from hearty comfort food to an easy weeknight dinner. I serve this up as beef and gravy rolls – just buns, and beef in gravy; they need nothing else. I love to serve it up in my pulled beef burgers too with a spicy mayo.
Ingredients 10
1.8 kg beef brisket, chuck roast or topside roast (or other slow roasting beef), cut into 3-4 large chunks
1 brown onion, large, thickly sliced
1⁄2 cup tomato passata, pureed tomatoes, or sugo
2 cloves garlic, crushed with the side of a knife
2 tsp beef stock powder
1⁄2 tsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 thyme sprig, fresh
3 tsp cornflour (cornstarch), for thickening the gravy
1 cup water
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Method 9
OPTIONAL BUT WORTHWHILE: Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium high heat and saute the on each side just enough to caramelise the outside. You don’t need to cook it through, you just want it to brown a little on the outside.
Meanwhile, add the , the , , , , , and into the bowl of a slow cooker and give it a stir.
Add the seared to the top and turn it over in the sauce. Place the lid on and cook 8-10 hours on low until easy to shred. If you can, turn it over in the sauce every so often. Timing will depend on your cut of beef and size.
Transfer the to a chopping board.
If there is a layer of fat over the sauce in the slow cooker, skim out some of the fat by laying a spoon to the surface just so that the oil seeps onto the spoon, leaving the cooking juices behind. You can discard that or refrigerate and use it as a cooking oil.
Pour the sauce into a large saucepan. Remove and discard the . Use an immersion blender to blend to a smooth sauce. If you don’t have an immersion blender, do it in a regular blender with the steam vent open and a tea towel placed lightly over the top. Pulse to blend being careful as the heat can make it splash.
Bring the gravy to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes to naturally reduce a little. Mix the with 2 teaspoons of . While stirring the gravy, pour in the cornflour slurry. Continue to cook down until it’s the consistency you like.
While the gravy thickens, shred the with two forks and place it back into the slow cooker on the keep warm setting.
Pour over enough gravy to moisten the meat to your liking then serve. I use it all.
Helpful tips
The flavour of the gravy, while seriously delicious in it’s own right, is perfect for using as a blank canvas. Add more tomatoes and tomato paste to turn it into a delicious beef ragu for pasta or add some taco seasoning and reheat it in a pan on the stove for tacos, or my fajita seasoning and turn it into fajita nachos!
You could used tinned tomatoes in it’s place too (in place of passata).
If using liquid beef stock, use 1 cup, then add either a teaspoon of beef stock powder or 2 teaspoons of soy sauce to the sauce.
You can swap thyme for a sprig of rosemary or 2-3 bay leaves, even fresh oregano would be lovely. You can swap it for dried too. Just use 1-2 teaspoons of dried thyme or other dried herbs to the sauce before cooking.
If there is a layer of fat over the sauce in the slow cooker, skim out some of the fat by laying a spoon to the surface just so that the oil seeps onto the spoon, leaving the cooking juices behind. You can discard that or refrigerate and use it as a cooking oil.
