Sloppy Chuck Sandwich
Everyone can use a little help in the kitchen. In a pinch, even an Earth Mom like me may resort to those little packets of various-food-helper mix. But every time I buy one, I wince at the price, especially if the main ingredient is salt or flour. And don’t even mention the chemical ingredients I can’t pronounce, much less identify.
Now ask anyone their biggest challenge is to eating local and natural and they will tell you two things. First there is the time you spend cooking during the height of the growing season (the bountiful fall!), and second… what do you do with the items in your “package”(the CSA box or order of meat) that you aren’t crazy about?
Chuck Roast has always been my meat challenge. When the new quarter of beef arrives and last year’s chuck roasts are still uneaten in the deep freeze, I know it’s an issue. Last weekend I discovered a new sandwich recipe, adapted from Family Circle, that is destined to be a new favorite. Wow—easy and delicious and uses a chuck roast–two problems solved in a single recipe!
Sloppy Chuck Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 chuck roast (preferably organic grass-fed)
- 1 t paprika
- 1 t salt
- 1/2 t pepper
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 qt tomatoes (home canned the prior summer)
- 1 c chicken broth (made from roast chicken scraps)
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 c brown sugar
Directions
1. Place roast in slow cooker, then sprinkle with paprika, salt & pepper.
Season with Paprika, Salt & Pepper
2. Combine sugar with vinegar and stir until partly dissolved. Pour over roast. Add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cover with Remaining Ingredients
3. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 9 hours, until the roast is falling apart tender and the sauce is thickened.
Cook Until Tender & Sauce is Thickened
4. Remove roast, cool slightly. Shred meat, discarding fat and bone. (Check carefully for small pieces of bone.)
5. Smash up any large pieces of tomato in the sauce. Return shredded meat to the sauce. Serve warm on toasted buns.
We decided this was kind of like a natural Sloppy Joe, so we decided to call it a Sloppy Chuck. The kids declared that this was tastier than regular Pot Roast, though they missed the potatoes.
If only they’d admit liking potatoes on days I serve them…
I can’t believe that chuck roast is a challenge for you! My family loves it thrown in the slow cooker with a can of El Pato salsa and some chopped onions. Shredded like you’ve shown it, it always seems to please.
Posted by Tammy | January 19, 2012, 8:26 pmMmmm, salsa would be great! We’d only done it roasted with carrots and potatoes, lately cooked in a bottle of red wine which I love, but the kids never warmed up to that.
Posted by Inger Wilkerson | January 20, 2012, 7:11 amyour burger looks yummy! I wish I could have a bite right now. I like your idea of adding apple cider and shredding the beef meat. ahh… I realy want it badly!! thanks for sharing dear
Posted by Helene Dsouza I Masala Herb | January 20, 2012, 7:20 amLove it! Sloppy “chunk” sandwiches.
Posted by yummychunklet | January 20, 2012, 8:40 amPerfect for Slow Cooker Month, Inger. And, BTW, I find chuck roast most challenging too. The other night I brined it with some coffee and the next morning rinsed it and added more coffee before “throwing” it in the crock. I’d say it was ok but nothing spectacular! I’ll try this next time. Soooooo easy…
Thanks for sharing…
Posted by Louise | January 20, 2012, 2:56 pmHelene–the cider vinegar mixed with sugar certainly adds to the flavor, but I also wondered if it helped tenderize the meat.
YummyChunklet–we did have fun naming them
Louise–if you might like a wine sauce, you should also try my other recipe which is at http://artofnaturalliving.com/2011/08/02/beating-the-heat-summer-kitchen/ … I’ll be doing both again since we still have at least two more chuck roasts in the freezer, though at least they are from this year’s meat!
Posted by Inger Wilkerson | January 22, 2012, 8:18 am