Sometimes the simplest ingredient list can turn out the most delicious results. That’s the beauty of pepperoncini beef. It’s pretty much a chuck roast, a jar of pepperoncini peppers, a little broth and some spices, but the flavor impact just seems like so much more.
🌶️ Quick recipe snapshot
| Flavor profile | Tender, beefy and tangy, with garlic, Italian herbs and the bright, vinegary bite of pepperoncini. |
| Primary heat source | A 16-ounce jar of pepperoncini with its brine. 100 to 500 SHU. |
| Heat level | Mild. It’s more tangy than hot. |
| Texture | Fall-apart shredded beef, soaked in its juices, on a toasted roll. |
| Best uses | Hot sandwiches for a crowd, or spooned over rice. |
| Customization ideas | Crushed red pepper or hot giardiniera for heat, melted provolone, or pork shoulder in place of the beef. |
| Before you start | About 15 minutes of prep, then 8 to 10 hours on low. Get it going in the morning. |
Flavor notes
Pepperoncini run just 100 to 500 Scoville heat units, closer to a bell pepper than a jalapeño. So this isn’t a hot dish. The peppers bring tang more than heat, and since their brine goes into the pot too, it seasons the beef the whole time it cooks.
Chuck roast is the cut to use here. It has plenty of fat and connective tissue, and after a long, slow cook it turns tender enough to pull apart with a fork. Don’t rush it. If the beef still feels firm when you test it, it needs more time, not less, so give it another hour and check again.
Salt the roast before it goes in. The brine is salty on its own, so a teaspoon of kosher salt on a 3-pound roast is enough to start, and you can taste and adjust after shredding. Low-sodium broth keeps you in control of the salt, too.
The broth is there to give you plenty of juice. Once the beef is shredded, let it soak in that liquid for 15 minutes or so before you build the sandwiches, and it’ll pick up a lot of flavor. Skim the fat off the top first, since chuck gives off a fair amount as it cooks.
Whole pepperoncini still have their stems after cooking, so pull them off or slice the peppers before they go on the sandwiches. And toast the rolls. A toasted roll holds up much better under juicy beef than a soft one, which can turn soggy fast.
Adaptation ideas
Most of these change the heat, the cut or the finish.
- Want more heat? Add 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper with the Italian seasoning, or top each sandwich with hot giardiniera or sliced jalapeños.
- Want a deeper, roasted flavor? Sear the roast on all sides in a hot, lightly oiled skillet before it goes into the slow cooker.
- Don’t eat beef? Pork shoulder works the same way, with the same timing. Cook it until it pulls apart easily.
- Short on time? Cook it on high for 5 to 6 hours, until the beef shreds easily with a fork.
- Want it cheesier? Lay provolone over the beef and run the open sandwiches under the broiler for a minute or two, until the cheese melts.
Serving ideas
This is a perfect slow cooker recipe for hot sandwiches: simply stuff some hoagie rolls and you’re off to the races. But there are plenty of other uses, too. Try it over rice, or use it as a stuffing for a delicious twist on stuffed bell peppers. Yes, you heard it right: pepper-stuffed peppers. There should be a law.
- On a sandwich. Toasted hoagie rolls, provolone and a cup of the juice on the side for dipping.
- Over rice. Spoon the beef and some of the juice over white rice, or over mashed potatoes.
- In stuffed peppers. Mix the shredded beef with cooked rice and a little cheese, stuff halved bell peppers and bake until the peppers are tender.
- With sides. Coleslaw, potato chips or a crisp green salad keep the plate simple.
Storage notes
Keep leftover beef in its juice in a sealed container in the fridge, and use it within three to four days. Store the rolls separately so they don’t go soggy.
It freezes for up to three months, too. Freeze it with plenty of the juice, thaw it overnight in the fridge, and reheat it gently in a covered pan until it’s hot all the way through. And if you’ve got brine left in another jar of pepperoncini, there are plenty of other ways to use it.
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Jalapeño Cheese Steak: Steak, jalapeños and cheese piled into a roll for another hearty sandwich.
- Chipotle Shredded Beef Tacos: More slow cooker shredded beef, this time with smoky chipotle, in tacos with a radish and cabbage slaw.
- Spicy Sloppy Joes: A messy, saucy sandwich with plenty of spice.
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Pepperoncini Beef
Ingredients
- 1 beef chuck roast about 3 pounds
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper ground
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jar pepperoncini 16 ounces, with the brine
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 8 hoagie rolls or other large sandwich rolls, split
- 8 slices provolone cheese optional
Instructions
- Pat the roast dry and rub it all over with the salt and pepper. Cut a few deep slits in the top, press the garlic into them, then set the roast in a slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the roast. Pour the pepperoncini and all of their brine over the top, then pour the beef broth in around the sides.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours (or on high for 5 to 6 hours), until the beef pulls apart easily with a fork.
- Move the roast to a cutting board and shred it with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Skim the fat from the liquid in the slow cooker, return the beef to the pot and let it soak in the juices for about 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Pull the stems off the pepperoncini, or slice them. Toast the rolls, pile on the beef and peppers, add a slice of provolone if you like, and spoon a little of the juice over the top. Serve with extra juice on the side for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Photo by: jeffreyw, CC 2.0
We don’t eat beef, I’m thinking pork would work, how bout you?