Last Updated May 15th, 2023 at 09:45 am by Lisa
Shredded Beef is fall apart tender and bursting full of flavor from slow cooking with the Latin Caribbean sofrito ingredients. It is one of those easy dinners that takes just 10 minutes of prep. Add flank steak, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and spices into your slow cooker for a delicious cozy dinner!
Serve the shredded meat over cooked rice with thin avocado slices and a good squeeze of lime for brightness.
This recipe is very similar and inspired by Cuban Ropa Vieja. Simple ingredients go in, and a "company-worthy" yummy family dinner comes out...
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Recipe
Some people will call this recipe slow cooker Mexican shredded beef, but actually, it is really more culinarily linked to Ropa Vieja, the national dish of Cuba. I visited Cuba for 3 weeks in 2016 and traveled extensively all over the country. One day I was lucky enough to eat this famous dish, it is absolutely delicious and inspired this recipe.
- 2 pounds flank steak (my favorite cut of meat for this recipe)
- 28 ounces can of diced tomatoes (and juice)
- 3 whole green bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow) sliced ½” strips
- 1 whole onion (cut into wedges)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cooked rice (use beef stock instead of water)
- 3-4 avocado slices
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 whole limes
Crockpot Shredded Beef Instructions
- In a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes and their juice, bell pepper strips, sliced onion wedges, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Place the flank steak down inside the vegetables. You don’t need to add any additional liquid.
- Cook covered 4 hours on high, or set the temperature on the low setting for 5-7 hours.
- About a half hour before serving, cook the rice and try to use beef stock instead of water for great flavor. You can also serve shredded beef with egg noodles or beans.
- Remove the bay leaves, shred beef with 2 forks and mix into the cooked vegetable mixture.
- Serve in bowls, place the rice (or noodles) in the bottom then top with flank steak pulled beef, and vegetables on top. You can also serve shredded beef with beans, mashed potatoes, or cooked egg noodles.
- Slice avocados and garnish with thin avocado slices, cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of lime juice!
PRO TIP: Most slow cooker/crockpot recipes call to add liquid, but you don't with this one! The juice from the diced tomatoes is plenty, and you will have lots of cooking broth when it is finished slow cooking.
Swaps, Variations, and Additions
You will get rave reviews from the whole family. Try this great recipe for warmer weather and the best part is the kitchen doesn't heat up plus so comforting on cold wintery days. Here are some swaps...
- Good Cut of Beef: toughest cuts will work like London Broil, but the best cut of beef for this recipe is Flank Steak! Other good substitutes are Strip Steak, Hanger Steak, or Tri-Tip Steak.
- Pimento Stuffed Olives (sliced in half)
- Tomato Paste
- Chopped Celery and Carrots
- Chicken Stock
- All Spice
- Bay Leaves
- Serve with Pinto Beans, Black Beans, or Rice
PRO TIP: A good rice tip is to make your rice with beef (or chicken stock), you will be amazed at how the flavor improves over just using water.
Cuban Ropa Vieja
Traditional Ropa Vieja is made with braised flank steak in a flavorful sofrito sauce, with bell peppers, onions, and briny pimento stuffed olives. It is then shredded into long strands and served over rice. I had it while in Cuba and fell in love. Take a look at my post for Cuban Mojitos and see the snaps from my Culinary Adventures in the intoxicating, beautiful country of Cuba.
Ropa vieja translates from Spanish meaning "Old Clothes". The story is told, that a penniless old man shredded and cooked his own clothes to feed his beloved family.
In Cuba, we enjoyed it in hand-made clay bowls that said Ropa Vieja on each one. We sipped on tropical cocktails and local beer while having it for lunch at a paladar restaurant for six hours south of Havana, Cuba.
Paladares are one of the best ways to enjoy local Cuban cuisine. A paladar is a small, family-run restaurant, usually in a converted part of a home and their food is extraordinary!
Shredded Beef Recipe Ideas
There are so many ways to use up shredded beef, you can put it into...
- burritos bowls
- beef enchiladas
- burritos
- beef tacos
- taquitos
- nachos
- soups
Flank steak is a popular meat cut and technically not a steak. It is a lean, flavorful, tough cut of meat that is inexpensive, from a cow's belly. This cut is great to marinate, and then grill or slow-braise it on the stove or in a slow cooker!
Look for this flat foot-long cut about one inch thick. And this meat cut has a clear obvious cross-grain. Sometimes this cut is labeled as jiffy steak, bavette (in French), and in some regions, London broil.
Sofrito is not one single ingredient, it is a concentrated flavor base made with tomatoes, garlic, cumin, jalapenos, and many other ingredients, and used in stews, rice dishes, bean dishes, and soups.
Many Latin American countries and Caribbean islands have their own version of sofrito, including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Portugal.
In Spanish, the word frito means fried. Loosely translated then sofrito can mean softly fried, which is how traditional sofrito is prepared.
Sofrito can be made in many ways, but it is typically pan sauteed and these are common ingredients you will find used in most recipes: tomatoes, jalapeño, garlic, onion, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt, olive oil, and fresh cilantro.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow cooker crock pot recipes are the best! We all love the easy way a great dish magically comes together. These are some of my most popular reader favorites that are great meals for the family, potlucks, or even company!
Earning years of rave reviews, this one ranks in the all-time family favorites for easy recipes. I have made this Turkey Black Bean Chili Recipe and handed it out countless times over the years.
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is so easy to put together and a hearty dinner recipe. Loaded with juicy shredded chicken, vegetables, and gnocchi which are soft puffy "Italian dumplings".
Slow cooker BBQ Cowboy Baked Beans are loaded with browned hamburger meat and crispy applewood smoked bacon. The addition of ground beef makes these absolutely amazing and almost a meal itself.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork made with pork loin is so juicy, top with coleslaw, pickle chips, and tangy BBQ sauce all on a golden bun, a delicious way to use pulled pork!
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Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Flank Steak
- 28 ounces can diced tomatoes (and juice)
- 3 whole bell peppers green, red, orange or yellow sliced ½” strips
- 1 whole onions cut into wedges
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 1 cup cooked rice use beef stock instead of water
- 3-4 avocado slices
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 whole limes
Instructions
- In a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes and their juice, bell pepper strips, onion wedges, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Place the flank steak down inside the vegetables. You don’t need to add any additional liquid.
- Cook covered 4 hours on high, or low for 5-7 hours.
- About a half hour before serving, cook the rice and try to use beef stock instead of water for great flavor. You can also serve the shredded beef with egg noodles or beans.
- Remove the bay leaves, shred beef with 2 forks and mix into the cooked vegetable mixture.
- Serve in bowls, place the rice (or noodles) in the bottom then top with flank steak pulled beef, and vegetables on top. You can also serve shredded beef with beans, mashed potatoes, or cooked egg noodles.
- Garnish with fresh sliced avocado, cilantro leaves, and a squeeze of lime!
Notes
Cooks Note: Do I need to add more liquid like beef stock?
Most slow cooker/crockpot recipes call to add liquid, but you don't with this one! The juice from the diced tomatoes is plenty, and you will have lots of cooking broth when it is finished slow cooking.Swaps, Variations, and Additions
You will get rave reviews from the whole family. Try this great recipe for warmer weather and the best part is the kitchen doesn't heat up plus so comforting on cold wintery days. Here are some swaps.- Good Cut of Beef: toughest cuts will work like London Broil, but the best cut of beef for this recipe is Flank Steak! Other good substitutes are Strip Steak, Hanger Steak, or Tri-Tip Steak.
- Pimento Stuffed Olives (sliced in half)
- Tomato Paste
- Chopped Celery and Carrots
- Chicken Stock
- All Spice
- Bay Leaves
- Serve with Pinto Beans, Black Beans, or Rice
One of the most flavorful dishes ever and so simple to make!
Really good recipe, it is very easy and the meat shreds so easily. We loved all the notes about Cuba and the history of the dish. Our family had this quite often, its so fast to make and tastes great.