This is the only shredded beef recipe you’ll ever need! It’s so easy to make and you get perfectly shreddy, juicy beef every time. A can of tomatoes, aromatic veggies, and spices infuse the beef with flavor and create a delicious sauce. Use this beef in tacos, quesadillas, nachos, or scoop on top of bowls.
Ingredient highlight
Beef! Is an extremely nutrient-dense meat with lots of iron, vitamin B12, zinc, and selenium to name a few. Look for 100% grass-fed beef when possible.
This is a great article to help you understand what to look for when buying grass-fed beef.
Servings 4 – 6 (cook time includes time to pressure)
Prep Time 7 minutes 
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch wide chunks (see video)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots, chopped*
- 2 celery stalks, chopped*
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 (14-15 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari
- *You want about 1.5 cups worth of any combination of chopped aromatic veggies (carrot, onion, celery, and/or bell pepper).
Serving suggestions:
- Tacos: tortilla + beef + cheese + pickled red onion or pickled jalapeno + cilantro.
- Quesadilla or grilled cheese: beef + cheese + pickled jalapeno or pickled red onions.
- Taco bowl: rice + beef + beans + salsa + guac.
Instructions
- Sprinkle the beef all over with 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to coat.
- In a 6-qt Instant Pot, press the “saute” button and set it to “high” or “more”. Once hot, add the oil, carrots, celery, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, oregano, thyme, and cinnamon and cook for 30 more seconds, stirring often.
- Press “cancel”, then add the tomatoes and use your hands to break the tomatoes open to release their juices. Stir in the soy sauce. Nestle the beef chunks into the sauce.
- Cover with the lid, set the valve to “sealing”, and pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let it naturally release for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure by turning the valve to “venting”.
- Press the “saute” button again to simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes while you shred up the beef. Transfer the beef chunks to a cutting board and shred it up with two forks (remove any large chunks of fat).
- Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, press “cancel”. You can try to spoon off some of the fat that has risen to the top. I don’t bother! Once you refrigerate it, the fat solidifies on top and is a lot easier to remove if you want to.
- Return the beef to the pot and stir it to coat in the sauce. As the beef sits and cools, it will absorb some of that sauce. I think this tastes best when just warm rather than piping hot!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cut 2-3 lbs beef chuck roast into 2-inch pieces + sprinkle all over with 1 tsp salt and pepper.
- Chop 2 carrots
- Chop 2 celery stalks
- Chop 3 cloves garlic
- Make the recipe!
Substitutions:
- You should be able to substitute the beef with chicken thighs. I haven’t tested this but I’m sure it would work just fine.
- Sub the tomatoes with 2 cups of water if you want it less tomato-y
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- See serving suggestions!
- To warm up leftover beef, pop however much you want to use in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring after each time, until just warm through. You could also warm it up in a pot over low heat.
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