Ancho Shredded Beef and Guacamole Sliders
These sliders are made with tender pulled beef and topped with guacamole and fresh cilantro. Great for dinner, but also amazing party food. They are great while watching the game, an after school snack, and even for New Years Eve!
Pulled meat is some classic comfort food for me. I love pulled pork, chicken and shredded beef. The meat is delicious on a bun, in a wrap, piled on nachos and more. These ancho shredded beef sliders are so good and adding a spoonful of guacamole in each slider makes them even that much better!
Ingredient Notes
The shredded beef in this slider is similar to pulled pork and packed with flavour with a little heat from the ancho chilies. The fresh cilantro and guacamole add a light fresh counterbalance to the deep rich flavour of the shredded beef.
- Chuck Roast or Steak – using marbled cuts of meat are best for pulling or shredding. Chuck roast is so good for this shredded beef.
- Oil – Used for searing the beef. My preference is to use vegetable oil, but canola or other high heat cooking oils are an option.
- Ancho chilies – I always have a bag of dried ancho chili peppers in my pantry. They add such a nice smoky flavour with a hint of heat.
- Crushed Tomatoes – while I use canned tomatoes, you could also use fresh.
- Onion – one standard cooking onion.
- Brown Sugar – this adds some nice sweetness to the sauce coating the meat.
- Garlic – I like to use fresh garlic cloves. Garlic powder could also be used.
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Guacamole – whether homemade or store-bought a spoonful of guac makes every slider that much better.
- Cilantro – adding a spring of fresh cilantro to each slider really elevates each bite giving a bright freshness in flavour.
- Slider Buns – while this recipe uses slider buns, large sized burger buns or kaiser rolls will also work. Wraps can also be used.
How To Get Everything Ready For Oven
The first step is to soak the ancho chilies in some water. This softens the pepper and allows you to be able to easily remove the stem and seeds.
Next, it is important to sear the meat. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and place the beef in the skillet. Brown the meat for about a minute and then flip and brown on another side. Continue until all sides of the meat have been seared. You are not cooking all the way through, just browning the outside which will give the sauce a deeper flavour.
Make the sauce that the beef will be baking in by adding all the ingredients for the sauce to a food processor. Pulse until smooth and well blended.
How Long To Bake Beef In Oven
To cook the beef in the oven, you could use any dish that is good for baking. Just make sure that it has a lid. Place the seared beef roast in a baking dish. Then, pour the blended sauce all over the meat. I also use some tongs to lift the meat up and move it around to get some of the sauce under the meat.
Now it is time to cook the beef. Place the dish with the meat in a 325F oven. I find that it should take 2 1/2 to 3 hours to cook. To cook beef for shredding, you want to cook it long enough that it is very tender and the meat is falling apart. Depending on the size and shape of the roast you are using the length of time may vary. Just check it on occasion and use a fork or tongs to press into the meat and see if it is ‘pullable’.
How To Shred Beef
Once the beef is ready to shred, remove the baking dish from the oven. Lift the beef out and place in a plate or large bowl that will be easy for pulling. Use two forks to shred the meat into thin strands. If there are any bones or pieces of fat, just remove and discard them. Place the shredded meat into a serving bowl. Spoon some of the sauce the meat baked in over the meat and toss to coat evenly.
How To Assemble Sliders
It is super easy to assemble these sliders. Place a sprig of fresh cilantro on a slider bun and then add a hearty portion of the meat. Finally, spoon some guacamole on top and place the top of the slider bun on top. Serve these immediately. They are great for dinner. We also love them for game day food or times when a bunch of people are coming over.
Expert Tip! If desired, have a bowlful of the ancho chili sauce that the chuck steak cooked in on the table with the sliders. That way, if people wish, they could spoon a little extra of this sauce with deep flavour on their slider. I know I did that!!
Other Pulled Meat Recipes!
This recipe for ancho shredded beef is easy and delicious. Here are some more recipes that can be used with slider buns, burger buns, wraps and more.
- How to Make Pulled Pork in the Oven – There are many different ways to cook pork for pulling and this recipe for the oven is simple and makes amazing pulled pork.
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork – A pressure cooker is easily the fastest way to cook pulled pork but it still tastes incredible.
- Pulled Chicken Made in a Pressure Cooker – Chicken thighs are great for pulling and this recipe is one of the families ‘go-to’ dishes any time we have friends over.
- How to Smoke a Pork Shoulder or Butt – The classic way of making pulled pork is to use a smoker. This BBQ method gives the meat that smoky flavour that is phenomenal.
Ancho Shredded Beef and Guacamole Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 pound chuck steak or roast
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 2 ancho chili peppers
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 12 slider buns
Instructions
- Soak the ancho chilies in warm water for 15 minutes or until they are soft and pliable. Remove and discard the stem and seeds. Place the ancho chilies in a food processor. Add the crushed tomatoes, onion and garlic cloves. Pulse until everything is smooth and pureed. Stir in the brown sugar, salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a skillet on high heat. Pat the chuck steak dry with a paper towel to remove moisture and lay in the skillet. Sear the steak on each side, cooking about 1-2 minutes per side.
- Place the chuck steak in a small baking dish. Pour the tomato and ancho chili puree over the steak. Cover the baking dish and cook in a 325F oven for 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the steak from the baking dish, place on a plate, and let cool slightly.
- Shred the beef with two forks and place the beef in a bowl. Take 1/2 cup (or more, if desired) of the cooked tomato sauce from the baking dish and stir in with the beef.
- Assemble the sliders by adding some shredded beef, guacamole and fresh cilantro to each bun.
Nutrition
Per serving:
