Shredded Shishito Pepper Braised Beef a delicious beef recipe of stew meat slow cooked in a mild shishito pepper braising sauce until fork tender.
Whether you call this tender, flavorful pepper beef recipe shredded beef, pulled beef or braised beef it’s a delicious beef dinner recipe that will have your family asking for more!
Braised pulled beef recipe
Braising is a term for gently cooking meat in liquid, in an oven or on the stovetop, until the collagen and fat breakdown and the meat becomes tender and easily pulls into shreds. It’s is the perfect cooking method to turn affordable cuts of meat into showstopping masterpieces.
Braising and stewing are basically the same, with the difference being that braising uses less liquid and relies on steam to cook while stewing covers the ingredients with liquid to simmer rather than steam.
Typically larger cuts of meat such as roasts and shoulders are braised and smaller cuts of meat like beef tips are stewed.
But there is no hard rule about what has to be stewed and what can be braised. You can substitute any meat you’d like in this recipe simply adjusting the cooking time.
Make braised beef tips, braised short ribs, braised beef roast, braised chicken, braised beef, pork shoulder, lamb, chicken thighs, chicken legs, pork, etc. Whichever meat you choose, the recipe is done when the meat fall apart tender, and easily pulls into shreds.
Ingredients
- Stew meat – beef chuck is the most common cut of beef to use for pulled beef recipes. Similar to the pork shoulder or pork butt roasts used in pulled pork affordable cuts of meat like this are full of the fat and collagen needed to make juicy shredded, pulled meat. Either buy the whole chuck roast and cube it yourself or save time and buy it already cut into stew meat.
- Shishito pepper sauce – a flavorful and lightly spicy braising sauce made from shishito peppers, onion, garlic, cumin, cilantro, vinegar and lime juice. If you cannot find shishito peppers you can substitute sweet bell peppers or even pickled pepperoncini peppers for the shishitos in the simmering sauce.
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Garlic
- Tomatoes – or substitute a couple tablespoons of tomato paste or a can of diced tomatoes.
- Chicken stock – or beef stock, vegetable stock, beer or water.
- Spices – marjoram, oregano, salt and pepper.
Step by step instructions
- Make Blistered Shishito Pepper Sauce. Blister shishitos and blend until smooth with onion, garlic, herbs, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper and chicken stock (or water).
- When ready to cook preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat meat dry and season evenly with salt and pepper. Heat a large oven safe skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and sear meat until evenly browned but not cooked through. Cooking in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan. If you do not have an oven safe skillet or dutch oven you can cook shredded beef on the stovetop instead. See below for stovetop instructions.
- Remove meat and reduce heat to medium. Add onions, garlic and bell pepper and cook until softened.
- Add tomatoes and spices and cook slightly.
- Stir in 1 cup Blistered Shishito Pepper Sauce. And add the stock to deglaze. Stir up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Note: shishito sauce recipe will make about twice as much sauce as needed as a simmer sauce. Save the rest for garnish.
- Add browned beef back to the pan and stir to coat.
- Cover and carefully transfer to preheated oven.
- After beef has been braising for an hour, remove lid and stir.
- Continue cooking, uncovered, 1 ½ to 2 hours longer or until beef is fork tender and sauce is succulent and rich.
- Remove braised beef and serve garnished with a little fresh lime, herbs and sliced shishito peppers if desired.
- Enjoy!
How to braise on the stovetop
Instead of cooking shredded beef in the oven this shredded beef recipe can be braised on the stovetop instead. It’s a good method for cooking when you don’t want to turn the oven on. Or for when you want to make braised meat without an oven safe vessel.
Simply follow the same instructions but instead of placing in a low oven to cook, cover and continue simmering over low heat, for the same amount of time. Stir periodically to check liquid level to ensure that it does not scorch. And serve as desired.
How to serve
Serve Shishito Pepper Braised Beef as shredded beef tacos. With remaining blistered shishito pepper sauce, charred tortillas and a good crumbly feta style cheese like Harmony Fields Fleecemaker.
Or make a variety of shredded beef recipes with shredded beef! When wondering what to do with braised beef think of the shredded beef as you would any other main dish. You can make shredded beef enchiladas, shredded beef sandwiches, tacos, arepas, nachos, beef bowls, etc. Or serve the braised beef with rice, potatoes, polenta, pasta, rustic bread. Anything to sop up that delicious shishito pepper jus.
Yield
Generally ½ pound of meat per person is recommended when serving shredded beef as a main dish. If serving shredded beef as taco filling the meat will stretch a little further.
This shredded beef recipe will serve 8-10 people per 4 pounds of boneless meat. If serving shredded beef tacos it will yield about 12-16 servings per 4 pounds of meat.
Make ahead
Braised beef is the perfect recipe for entertaining because it can easily be made ahead of time.
Make shishito pepper sauce up to five days in advance. And Shredded Shishito Pepper Braised Beef can be made up to three days in advance.
How to store
Quickly cool shredded beef to room temperature and store refrigerated for up to three days.
Reheat Shredded Shishito Pepper Braised Beef on stovetop or in low oven.
Pro tip: warm leftover shredded beef in a hot pan until the little bits of shredded beef are super crispy to make crispy shredded beef with chili.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds beef chuck stew meat
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or other cooking oil with high smoke point
- 1 medium white onion sliced
- 1 medium bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes quartered, or substitute 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup blistered shishito pepper sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram or 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- salt and pepper
Blistered Shishito Pepper Sauce
- 4 cups shishito peppers
- 1 medium white onion sliced
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves and stems
- ¼ cup flat leaf parsley leaves and stems
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare blistered shishito sauce up to 5 days in advance. In a cast iron pan over high heat add shishito peppers to a tablespoon of oil, cook without stirring until beginning to blister, about a minute. Add sliced onion slices and stir fry until peppers are blistered, about 3-4 minutes. Then set aside and allow to cool slightly before cutting the stems off. Add cooled, stemmed blistered shishitos a food processor or high-powered blender with remaining sauce ingredients and process until smooth. Then transfer to jar or other lidded container, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and pat beef dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Place a large heavy bottom skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once oil is shimmering carefully add half the beef in a single layer. Brown without stirring, for about a minute or two, then turn and continue to brown. Once meat is evenly seared remove to plate and repeat with another tablespoon of oil and remaining beef chunks, being careful not to cook the meat all the way through but only sear the outside.
- Once all beef is browned and removed to plate, reduce heat to medium and add remaining tablespoon of oil, onions, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until veg is beginning to soften, about 1-2 minutes then add tomatoes and herbs. Stir to cook slightly before carefully adding 1 cup shishito pepper sauce and stock. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring to deglaze and pick up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add browned beef back to pan and stir to coat. Cover and carefully transfer to preheated oven. Braise, covered, for an hour, then remove lid and sir and continue cooking uncovered until meat is fork tender and the sauce is succulent and rich, about 1 ½ to 2 hours longer.
- Remove from oven and serve with remaining blistered shishito pepper sauce, garnished with fresh herbs and sliced shishito peppers.
Nutrition
Farmstand fresh
When open local farm stands, like Waxwing Farms in beautiful Skagit Valley sell everything needed to make a delicious Farmstand Fresh recipe like this and others using fresh produce, cheese, meat and more from local farmers and producers in the Skagit Valley.
If looking for recipes and things to do in Skagit Valley visit Skagit Valley Farmstand Fresh for a list of great Skagit valley farms, restaurants, breweries and more in Skagit county. Great for Skagit Valley Tulip Festival season or anytime!
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