Father's Day Feast: Just 5 ingredients. I make it when I want dinner handled hours ahead to spend more time celebrating with the family.

This 5-ingredient slow cooker shredded beef is exactly what I lean on for Father’s Day when I want dinner to basically cook itself while we’re outside playing catch or hanging on the patio. It starts with an affordable beef bottom round roast and a short list of pantry staples, then simmers low and slow into a rich, deeply caramelized, pull-apart beef that tastes like you fussed for hours. Think of it as a flexible, Midwest-style comfort main you can pile onto sandwiches, spoon over mashed potatoes, or tuck into tacos—without being chained to the stove.

Serve the shredded beef piled high on toasted buns with the cooking juices spooned over the top, plus a simple coleslaw or potato salad on the side for that classic Father’s Day cookout feel. It’s also great over creamy mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles with a green salad or roasted veggies to round things out. Set out toppings like sliced pickles, red onion, shredded cheese, and a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce so everyone can customize their own plate, and keep the slow cooker on warm so people can go back for seconds whenever they’re hungry.

Servings: 8

3 to 4 pounds beef bottom round roast, trimmed of excess surface fat

Pat the beef bottom round roast dry with paper towels. This helps it brown up a bit and keeps the sauce from getting watered down.

Place the roast into the slow cooker, fat side up if there is a fat cap. This lets the fat slowly baste the meat as it cooks.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry onion soup mix, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar until the soup mix is mostly dissolved.

Pour the mixture evenly over the roast, making sure some of the seasoning lands on top of the meat. The roast will not be fully submerged, and that’s okay.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is very tender and easily shreds with a fork. For Father’s Day or busy workdays, I like to start it on LOW in the morning so it’s ready by late afternoon.

Once the beef is tender, use two forks to shred it directly in the slow cooker, pulling it into bite-size pieces. Discard any large pieces of fat that didn’t melt down.

Stir the shredded beef thoroughly into the cooking liquid so every strand is coated in the rich, dark sauce. Let it sit on WARM for at least 15 minutes so the meat can soak up more flavor and the liquid stays bubbling gently around the edges.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding a pinch of salt or an extra splash of Worcestershire for more depth. Serve the beef hot, spooned out of the slow cooker with plenty of the dark, glossy juices over the top.

For a bit of heat, add 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes or a few dashes of hot sauce to the broth mixture before cooking. If you like a smokier, more BBQ-style flavor, stir 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce into the cooking liquid during the last 30 minutes and let it mingle with the juices. You can also swap half of the beef broth for dark beer for a deeper, malty flavor that works especially well for game day or Father’s Day gatherings. For a slightly leaner option, trim more visible fat from the roast before cooking, but keep a little so the meat stays moist. If you want a thicker, more gravy-like sauce, transfer 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid to a saucepan, whisk in 1 tablespoon cornstarch, bring to a simmer until thickened, then stir it back into the shredded beef. Food safety tips: Always start with a fully thawed roast—do not put a frozen roast directly into the slow cooker, as it can stay too long in the temperature “danger zone.” Keep the slow cooker on LOW or HIGH as directed, with the lid on, and avoid opening it repeatedly, which can drop the temperature. Leftover shredded beef should be cooled and refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking in shallow containers, and used within 3 to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat leftovers to an internal temperature of 165°F, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to keep them moist.