Slow Cooker: Shredded Mexican Beef

I usually only work until noon on Mondays and Fridays which means that I have more time on those days to cook a yummy dinner.  Since it's been a cold rainy week, I wanted to make something rich, warm, and hearty and thought that a slow cooker dinner could be perfect.  I read several food blogs every day so imagine my pleasant surprise when this recipe was at the top of The Kitchn page Friday morning.  It was perfect!  Slow cooker?  Check!  Rich and hearty?  Check!  Fairly simple with a short shopping list?  Check!!

Ingredients: (adapted from The Kitchn)

2 large jalapeno peppers
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, excess fat removed
salt and pepper
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced

Serve with:
Tortillas
Sour cream, or Greek yogurt
chopped lettuce
chopped onions
chopped cilantro

I ran to the store after work to pick up the ingredients.  They didn't have poblano peppers so I got some jalapenos.  There were other varieties at the store such as Anaheim and Habanero, but I'm a wimp when it comes to spice so I stuck with what I knew.  I only had about 45 minutes to get everything ready and into the slow cooker before I had to run off for an appointment.  Luckily the pre-cooking steps were all pretty easy.

First I put the peppers in the broiler for several minutes until they were charred on all sides.  I took them out and let them rest for a few minutes.  Meanwhile, I seasoned the roast with salt and pepper, then seared it on all sides in a hot pan.  Then I sauteed the sliced onions in the same pan until they were browned. Next I sliced open the peppers and scraped out the seeds with a spoon, then peeled the charred skin off.  I chopped them up and added them to the onions along with the minced garlic.

Next I added the wine, reduced it, then added the can of diced tomatoes. 

Then it all went into the slow cooker with the roast on top.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  For me, it took about 6 hours on low and 1 hour on high (we were getting impatient and hungry).

When it's all done and the meat was nice and tender, I took it out and shredded it using two forks.  Then it all went back into the slow cooker to mix with the sauce and got sprinkled with chopped fresh oregano.

Look at the pretty bits of fresh green oregano!

We served ours with flour tortillas, Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream), chopped lettuce, onions, and cilantro.  It was soo good, and pretty spicy too!  A perfect dinner for a cold night.

What's your favorite rainy night meal?