Serves 8.
Ingredients
3 lb beef chuck roast
1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half, and sliced into thin half-moons
12 oz can frozen unsweetened apple juice concentrate, defrosted
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf, or 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 large chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped, plus 1 Tbsp adobo sauce
Kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
Directions
Trim the meat to remove as much surface fat as possible, by cutting along the natural separations in the meat. Trim as much visible fat as you can. You'll end up with several pieces, some larger and some smaller, a total of approximately 2-1/2 pounds. Season the meat with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Spread the sliced onions in the bottom of a 3-quart slow cooker.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the meat into the frying pan, and sear all of the pieces on all sides. (You might need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.) Set the browned meat on top of the onions.
Pour the apple juice into the frying pan, and deglaze the pan over high heat by scraping with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. When the apple juice is reduced by one third, pour it into the slow cooker. Add the thyme, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and honey, along with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of fresh black pepper.
Cover the slow cooker, and turn to LOW. Cook for 7 hours. Turn the cooker off.
With a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a mixing bowl. Pour the liquid into a small saucepan, and set it on the stove over high heat to reduce by one-third. In a small measuring cup or glass, whisk the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, and set aside.
While the liquid is reducing, shred the meat with two forks.
When the liquid has reduced by one-third, lower the heat to medium, and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. The liquid should begin to thicken, and when it has the consistency of a nice sauce, pour it into the bowl with the meat. Stir to coat the meat with the sauce.
The meat can be chilled, and stored in a container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen.