Shredded Beef & Onions is in weekly rotation in my kitchen!
Why I Love Shredded Beef & Onions
Its simple preparation and bold flavors are a no-brainer in my book. Plus I get serious satisfaction out of buying a less expensive cut of meat and transforming it into something tender and delicious.
All you need are five main ingredients – a beef roast, onions, leeks, broth, and my secret ingredient, balsamic vinegar – to make this Shredded Beef & Onions recipe come to life.
No leeks? No problem. Just omit the leek and add an extra onion.
Can You Make Shredded Beef in a Crock Pot?
My preferred method for cooking this Shredded Beef & Onions recipe is the Dutch oven (this is the one I use), and I’ll tell you why. It comes out more tender – in my experience – than the InstantPot, but it takes less time than the slow cooker.
And unlike the slow cooker and InstantPot, the broth reduces down automatically in a Dutch oven, creating the most delicious liquid.
I highly recommend making this recipe in a Dutch oven for the best result. However, if you want to try a crock pot adaptation, follow this article to see some basic tips.

Shredded Beef & Onions Recipe (Paleo)
This Shredded Beef & Onions Recipe has a simple preparation and bold flavors that are a no-brainer. Make it on your weekly prep day!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 lb sirloin tip roast
- 1 large leek cleaned, white part only, sliced thinly (about 3 cups)
- 2 large white or yellow onions sliced thinly (about 5 cups)
- 1 large red onion sliced thinly (about 2.5 cups)
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth or beef broth
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
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Place your Dutch oven over high heat and add the ghee or avocado oil. Heat until the pot is very hot and the ghee is shimmering. Pat the meat dry with paper towel and sprinkle the meat liberally with sea salt and pepper.
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Add the meat and brown for about 5-7 minutes per side. You want a nice crust to form.
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Remove the meat temporarily from the pot onto a plate.
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Reduce the heat to medium. Add the leek and onions and cook 6 to 8 minutes or until softened but not brown, stirring often.
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Add the meat back to the pot, nestling the roast in among the leek / onion mixture.
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Add 2 cups of broth and the balsamic vinegar. The liquid should cover the roast about ¾ of the way up the side. If the liquid level is too low, add a bit more broth.
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Bake covered for about 3 hours.
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Remove the roast onto a platter and all it to cool a bit. Shred the meat with two forks and return it to the pot with the leeks, onions, and broth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
Recipe Notes
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25 Responses
Hi! Could you make this in the crockpot also?
Hi Kimberlee…yes, but you’ll have to reduce the liquid afterward or it’ll be too soupy. I included this link for slow cooker adaptations in the post: http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/slow-cooker-vs-dutch-oven-a-conversion-guide/🙂
This looks so good, can’t wait to try it this week.
Woohoo!! Hope you enjoy it, Tracy!
What’s the green? Parsley or cilantro?
It’s parsley. I normally don’t add it but I had to add some green to make the image look appealing. Brown food is hard to work with 😉
What do you normally serve this with?
Anything! Roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower rice, any kind of veggie!
I think it would be great with sweet potatoes, maybe some carrots or other root veggies too.
i dobnt know what we did wrong, but this roast had absolutley no flavour….. made it for supper tonight :'(
Did you cook it in the Dutch oven?
Made this today. It was delicious! Thank you!
Woohoo! That’s so great to hear, Sarah 🙂
What brand of balsamic vinegar do you use ?
It varies based on what’s on sale.
What size Dutch oven do you have?
6 quart…pretty standard size
If you cook this on top of the stove in a Le Creuset dutch oven, how long should you cook it?
Hey Vicki…maybe 2-3 hours. Just a rough guess.
Can u cook this in an instapot? If so how much less liquid and for how long?
You could do it in the instant pot, but I really don’t recommend it because the onions won’t caramelize the same way. If you don’t mind that issue, then yes it will work in the instant pot.
I haven’t adapted the recipe so anything I say here is purely a guess. I would probably reduce to about 1 cup broth and probably cube the meat up into about 2″ cubes. I would start with about 35 minutes of cooking time and go from there. Be sure to let the steam release naturally, not through the quick release.
That’s my best guess!
Yummo! Tastes like french onion soup! I followed the directions “exactly”,
Julie, I’m excited to hear that you enjoyed it!
Your Shredded Beef & Onions looks delicious. The recipe suggests using a sirloin tip roast. I’m not familiar with that kind of roast, and did not see it at my local store. Have you successfully made it with other cuts of beef? If so, which ones would you recommend?
Any kind of beef roast will work fine.