Slow Cooker Italian Beef Cross-Rib Roast

Rich and tangy, slightly spicy Italian beef is slow-cooked all day until it’s fall-apart tender.  Use a Chuck Cross-rib roast or a Chuck Roast for the best slow cooker Italian Beef.  Serve as a sandwich, or over your favorite mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash for a decadent comfort meal that is easy to make ahead and serves a crowd. 

Beef lovers rejoice at the ease of preparation of this meal and the delicious flavors!  In my household, the kids cannot get enough beef,  in fact, this Italian beef recipe is on regular request for a weeknight meal. 

Crockpot meals are so easy to make and I love that I can prep everything in the morning and come home from work to a home-cooked meal that I can pull together in minutes.   

Pick up USDA Choice Colorado Angus Beef Chuck Cross-Rib Roasts on sale for $3.67/lb. at Safeway to make a delicious Italian Beef Roast for dinner this week.  You can either serve the Italian beef on a toasted roll as a sandwich or serve with a side of mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash for a low-carb meal. 

I used a Chuck Ross Rib Roast for this Italian Beef Roast.  You could also use a chuck roast and follow the same recipe and directions. 

What is a Chuck Cross-Rib Roast

A Chuck Cross-Rib Roast is a savory cut for roasting or slow-cooking to achieve a tender finish.  The name originates from the muscle groups extending across the main rib bones of the Chuck, thus the name “Cross-Rib”. 

This roast is always tied with twine because it has a seam of tissue through the center, which melts during the roasting or slow cooking process, yielding a delicious flavor.

While the cross rib roast comes from the chuck primal, it has slightly less fat than a center chuck roast, but it still has great marbling, which lends to delicious flavor when slow-cooked in the crockpot or in the oven.    

Ingredients in Slow Cooker Italian Beef Cross-Rib Roast

My version of Italian Beef in a slow cooker may have a few more ingredients than other recipes out there – but each ingredient is designed to add delicious flavor to the final dish. 

While there are three types of peppers in my recipe and two are spicy chili peppers, the end result is not a spicy Italian beef roast, rather the peppers give great flavor to the overall dish. 

If you do not like a little heat, then leave the spicy chillis out, or remove them before serving.  We left them in and chopped them up while shredding the beef and even the kids loved the peppers.  They lose their heat after simmering in beef broth for 6 hours. 

Chuck Cross-Rib Roast or Chuck Roast  – use whichever cut is on sale at your local Safeway.  They both work for this Italian beef recipe, yielding a tender, shreddable beef that is rich and flavorful. 

Olive oil – for coating the beef before searing and using to ensure the spices adhere to the roast. 

Salt and pepper – it’s important to season the beef at each stage of cooking, so we season with salt, pepper and dried oregano before searing the beef.  It helps the seasoning adhere to the beef and infuses it with great flavor for slow cooking. 

Dried oregano – this spice is not in the Italian Seasoning dressing and makes a world of difference in the flavor of the roast.  It adds a bold aromatic earthiness to the roast.  Do not skip the oregano. 

Italian Seasoning Mix – so while I traditionally do not use packaged dressings, this is one instance where it can make a difference in the final flavor.  The Italian dressing packet has dried peppers, carrots, minced onions, and unique tangy flavors that are hard to recreate on your own.    I used the Safeway brand, which is only $1.99 for 4 packets.  You’ll find this in the condiment aisle next to the dressings.   if you do not want to use the packet, then I would season the roast with 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning in addition to the salt, pepper and dried oregano, but it won’t have quite the same depth of flavor that the dressing packet provides. 

Sliced pepperoncini peppers and brine from the pepperoncini pepper jar – this is the star flavor maker of the dish.  tangy, slightly spicy peppers infuse the beef with delicious Italian flavor. 

medium yellow onion, thinly sliced – adds flavor and great texture to the shredded beef. 

Calabrian Chilli Peppers  – spicy Italian peppers that you can find under the Dellalo brand in a jar at your local Safeway.  These peppers are spicy but so full of flavor.  They definitely lose their heat once simmered in the beef broth for 6-8 hours, but they add great flavor to the roast.  

Mezzetta Hot Chilli Peppers (Cascabella peppers), optional but recommended – the chillis also add great flavor.  remove the stems before shredded the beef, otherwise you’ll have chili pepper stems in your shredded beef. 

beef broth – the braising liquid for the beef – you could also use water and add a beef bouillon cube if desired. 

How to Make Crock Pot Italian Beef

Start by searing the beef in a hot skillet to create a gorgeous crust on the roast. 

Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan over high heat.  Rub the roast with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano on both sides.  Place the roast into the hot skillet to sear for about 5 minutes on each side.  

Place the seared roast into the slow cooker and top with the Italian Seasoning packet, sliced pepperoncini peppers, pepperoncini brine, sliced onions, Calabrian chillis, and hot chillis.  Pour beef broth around the beef. 

Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Remove the pepper stems, then shred the beef and place it back into the slow cooker to soak up all the delicious juices before serving. 

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Cross Rib Roast

4.12 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Italian Beef Cross Rib Roast, Slow Cooker Chuck Cross Rib Roast, Slow Cooker Italian Beef

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Calories:

Author: Eva Fry

Equipment

• crock pot

Ingredients

• 3 lb. Chuck Cross-Rib Roast or Chuck Roast
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 packet of Italian Seasoning
• 1 cup of sliced pepperoncini peppers
• 1/4 cup of pepperoncini brine from the pepper jar
• 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
• 2-3 Calabrian Chilli Peppers optional, but recommended
• 4-5 Mezzetta Hot Chilli Peppers Cascabella peppers, optional but recommended
• 1 cup beef broth

Instructions

• Start by searing the beef in a hot skillet to create a gorgeous crust on the roast.
• Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan over high heat.  Rub the roast with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano on both sides.  Place the roast into the hot skillet to sear for about 5 minutes on each side.
• Place the seared roast into the slow cooker and top with the Italian Seasoning packet, sliced pepperoncini peppers, pepperoncini brine, sliced onions, Calabrian chillis, and hot chillis.  Pour beef broth around the beef.
• Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
• Remove the pepper stems, then remove the roast from the crock pot to discard excess fat and shred the beef. Place the shredded beef back into the slow cooker to soak up all the delicious juices before serving.

How to Serve Slow Cooker Italian Beef?

You can shred the beef and use it for sandwiches.  Place 2 slices of provolone cheese on a sliced hoagie or bolillo roll and toast in a preheated 350° oven for 6-8 minutes.

Place the shredded beef on the roll and top with pan juices from the slow cooker and extra pepperoncini peppers.  

Additional Beef Roast Recipes

Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Peppered Cross Rib Roast Recipe

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

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