Hi Everyone! The Kitchen Wench here to give you a great, easy, delicious recipe. I mean, this is sooooo easy that I am a bit embarrassed to post it. But, it is also so very good that I would be ashamed of myself if I didn’t share it with my friends. This is a family favorite that makes a delicious weeknight or weekend supper. It also makes one of the very best dishes to grace a potluck table. Seriously, take this to a potluck. You will definitely be asked for the recipe. I love recipes like this that can even make a beginning cook look like a pro.
I decided this past weekend to make crockpot pepperoncini beef sandwiches for supper on Sunday. I asked my older son, Cody, if he would stay for supper. He didn’t think that he would until he heard what we were having. Needless to say, he stayed and even took some leftovers home. Oh yeah, and to head off any comments about the spelling of pepperoncini, I know that some brands spell it peperoncini. I just think it is easier to type with two p’s and it is apparently acceptable both ways. Go figure. Anywho, I wonder if part of the charm of this recipe for Cody is that I used to make it a lot when he and his brother played high school football. On game nights, I would have this ready for a quick bite before heading to the field and then there would be leftovers for a late night snack afterward.
Nearly everyone loves sandwiches or sliders made with this beef. It is so incredibly easy and pretty low budget too. Since the beef cooks along for several hours in the crockpot you don’t have to buy an expensive beef roast. You can get a cheaper one and it will still turn out tender and flavorful. You use jarred pepperoncini which are not costly at all. They are also not spicy-hot which is preferable for some of us, especially if you are feeding little ones. I like to use the pepperoncini that are already sliced but you can totally use the whole ones. I used to only use the whole ones but as my boys got older and developed a real liking for the peppers I started to use the sliced ones so that you get pickled pepper flavor in each bite. This dish only has 4 ingredients for the meat mixture (and that includes water) and then whatever type of bun or bread that you choose. Talk about versatility. You can use this meat for sliders, sandwiches, on toasted crusty bread for an appetizer or on tortillas. Yum! I really like to use sliced croissants or ciabatta rolls. The croissants soak up the juice and create a soft, doughy, buttery world of wonder. The ciabatta rolls are a bit sturdier but just as delicious. The juice can collect in all those little ciabatta hollows. Gosh, I am such a texture nerd. You should use whatever you and your family love. Perhaps, you will come up with an even better idea. I hope you do and let me know what it is!
You will start off with a nice beef roast. As I said before, it does not have to be expensive. I prefer one that doesn’t have too much fat. The one I purchased this time had a pretty thick fat cap on the underside when I unwrapped it. I just used a sharp knife to shave that off and discard it. I don’t like to have a lot of fat floating on the top. I will say that if you refrigerate the leftovers (if you have any) you can remove any hardened fat from the top very easily before you reheat. I gauge the size of my beef roast by the number of people that I want to feed. This time I got one that was around 4 lbs. to feed four of us and have plenty left over. If I am going to a potluck I will purchase whatever size will fit in my crockpot with room for a bit of water and the pepperoncini. Just use your best judgement. This is a very flexible recipe. I have a larger crockpot and so can have a beef roast up to about 8 pounds and still be ok.
I used a 16 oz jar of pepperoncini. If you have a large roast I would suggest 2 jars of that size or one larger jar. You want to have enough peppers to go around. By the way, you can find pepperoncini near the pickles at your store.
Put the beef roast in your crockpot along with 1 cup of water. Sprinkle a little black pepper on the top of the roast. Turn the crockpot on high and cook for at least 6 hours for a 4 lb. roast. The larger your roast the longer it will have to cook. I have put one on low for up to 12 hours and got the same good results. You want the meat to become tender and shred easily. If you are really unsure and have to conform to a deadline I would suggest that you cook this ahead of time and then just refrigerate it. You can cook it overnight or on a weekend when you are home to watch it. Reheat it in the crockpot or in the microwave. It is just as good reheated.
About halfway through the cooking time, flip the roast over and pour the whole jar, juice and all, of pepperoncini over the beef roast. Continue cooking until the beef can be shredded with a fork and seems tender. If this occurs before you are ready to eat just turn the crockpot on low or warm and let it sit there and get even better.
Remove your roast (only) from the pot and place on a baking sheet or large platter. Shred up the beef very well and add it back into the juice in the crockpot. If you use whole pepperoncini you will have to remove the stems from the peppers while you have the meat out of the crockpot. The stems do not cook down well enough to eat. Use a slotted spoon to fish around in the juice to make sure you get them all.
When you are ready to serve, use a slotted spoon to scoop the meat onto your rolls, bread or tortillas, allowing most of the juice to drain off. That way your sandwich won’t be too messy. Make sure to get some of those peppers in with the meat. These are juicy, delicious, meaty morsels with tangy peppers that are sure to please your family and friends.
Crockpot Pepperoncini Beef
This no-fuss shredded beef is juicy and tender with a tangy pepper zing that is sure to please your family and friends.
Ingredients
- Beef roast - about 4 pounds - can be chuck, arm or whatever
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 16 oz. jar of sliced or whole pepperoncini
- Rolls, bread or tortillas for serving
Directions
- Step 1 Put the beef roast in your crockpot along with 1 cup of water. Sprinkle a little black pepper on the top of the roast. Turn the crockpot on high and cook for 6 – 8 hours.
- Step 2 About halfway through the cooking time, flip the roast over and pour the whole jar, juice and all, of pepperoncini over the beef roast.
- Step 3 Continue cooking until the beef can be shredded with a fork and seems tender.
- Step 4 Remove your roast (only) from the pot and place on a baking sheet or large platter. Shred up the beef very well and add it back into the juice in the crockpot.
- Step 5 If you use whole pepperoncini you will have to remove the stems from the peppers while you have the meat out of the crockpot.
- Step 6 When you are ready to serve, use a slotted spoon to scoop the meat onto your rolls, tortillas or bread, allowing most of the juice to drain off. Make sure to get some of the peppers in with the meat.
