slow-cooker shredded beef tacos
I think I may be one of the only people in the world who’s not a Chipotle fan. I know…judge away.
But…I absolutely love shredded beef tacos. :) They’re my absolute favorite thing to order at two of my favorite Mexican restaurants in town. So when I saw one of my favorite bloggers post a delicious photo and recipe of her shredded beef tacos a few months ago, I knew I had to give them a try!
In the past whenever I’ve tried making shredded beef, the seasonings have always seemed too bland. But sure enough, this recipe — rockin’ the chipotle peppers, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic and more — made for some totally flavorful tacos!!! And for leftovers later in the week…it starred again in some quesadillas and sandwiches as well. :)
So bring out your crock pot, and give this recipe a try! It’s definitely a keeper!
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe
(Adapted from My Kitchen Addiction)
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds beef (I used a boneless chuck roast)
- 2 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (I love spice and used two!)
- 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Flour tortillas
- Favorite taco toppings (**ideas below**)
Method:
Whisk together the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side until browned. Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker.
Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker. Leave the pan on the heat, and add in the beef stock to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste and minced chipotle and whisk into the pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for a 3-5 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred the beef and onions with two forks. Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.
Some topping ideas include:
- guacamole or avocado
- fresh salsa
- Mexican rice
- grated cheese
- fresh lettuce
- tomato
- onion
- cilantro
- squeeze of lime juice
Ali’s Tip:
If you’re like me and rarely make it through an entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, would highly recommend chipotle powder! It’s now available in most grocery stores, and is so fun to have on hand. For one pepper, I usually substitute in around 1/2 tsp. of the powder.
I love adobo peppers too. What I do is buy the can, take what I need from it and then pour the remaining contents into a freezer ziploc bag and flatten it out. Into the freezer it goes. If I need some, I break the correct sized piece off of the frozen peppers. And it is easier to chop frozen as well! mmmmm! I use them more as a result of having some handy without the guilt of opening a can.
For a veggie change try Thug Kitchen Blog’s Roasted Chickpea and Broccoli Burrito (although I use blanched asparagus in place of the broccoli). Delish! http://thugkitchen.com/page/3
A rude but fun blog! And great recipes!
I made these for dinner tonight, and had one friend over to share these with my husband and I. We all LOVED this recipe, it is definitely a keeper. Instead of flour tortillas, I used yellow corn tortillas, and I have to say they bring out the earthy flavors of the spices and the chipotle. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Also, I made tamarind margaritas to go along with them, and it was a perfect pairing. http://www.focusonmexico.com/Tamarind-Margarita-Recipes.html
How many does this feed?
I’m making this tonight on my day off! Inviting some other foodie friends to try. I’m not worried about trying this recipe on them. It sounds like everyone loved it!
I was just going to mention the same thing as Julie abut freezing the chipotle peppers. I was in the middle of making this recipe and was rather fortunate to open the freezer drawer — and there was my frozen chipotles. Didn’t have to go for a hunt thru the freezer to find them. Just tear off some of the frozen section in the bag and you’re good to go. YUM — have to wait 6 to 8 hours now!
Ali mentioned that she never uses a whole can of chipotles. I freeze the rest (sauce and all) in a plastic bag. When I have a recipe calls for chipotles, I grate the frozen sauce and peppers into the dish.
i will make these tomorrow. i just wanted to tell you, chipotles in adobo taste much better to me, and i also never get through a can. i freeze it in a ziplock then pull it out and chop off the amount i need while its still frozen. pop it back in the ziploc. freezer. voila.
I put individual chipotle peppers and a little of their sauce in individual snack size zip lock bags and freeze. Usually I am blending them into a sauce or chopping them. I thaw them quickly in the microwave.
Used this as a “starter” recipe and adjusted to our preferences. Used the basic spices listed – but replaced the paprika with a “piri piri” spice (which main ingredient is pequin chiles and spanish paprika), plus a 1/2 tsp of “Baker’s Brew Coffee spice”. Substituted an 8oz Heineken plus 1/2 cup of expresso in place of the beef stock. Used 4-5 chipotles and their adobe sauce, plus a whole onion instead of half. Excellent flavor and just enough heat for us. Served them topped with a homemade red slaw. Be sure to keep the sauce, as the beef re-heats really well in it and absorb the liquid and it’s flavor for next servings.
I am Starting my shredded beef for my tacos tomorrow. I am following these instructions adding a little Cajun seasoning and a whole yellow onion.
I made this last night and it was uh-mazing. I don’t think it needs any “fixins” though…white corn tortillas and the shredded beef were perfect on their own.
Thanks for this recipe…it’s definitely a keeper!
I have now made the recipe several times and it always turns out amazing. I have it cooking as I am typing this and my house smells great. I add even extra chipotle peppers because my family really likes it spicey. This is a recipe that I will pass down to my daughters. Thank you for sharing!
I made these last night and they were absolutely delicious! I only cooked them on low for about 5 hours because i still like the texture of beef and didn’t want it to be shredded too fine. My fiance is still raving about them. Definitely a keeper!
Just what I was looking for, to make Indian tacos!
This isn’t Indian.
Ummmm, “Indian Tacos” are not Indian food. They’re Indian as in Native American, so made with traditional fry bread. I’ve also heard of them being called Street Tacos. Either way, they’re delicious!
Really good! The first time I made this I followed the recipe. The second time I added more garlic, onion powder (along with the chopped onion) and seasoning salt. It was sooooo good.
Mine has been cooking for 5 hours now and my stomach is growling!! It smells sooooo good!! I can’t wait until my husband gets home and walks in and smells it. :) I know he is going to say something. He loves shredded beef tacos, and this recipe definitely sounds like something he will love. I used 2 chipotle peppers because we like spice. Especially him… if it tastes as good as it smells, I think my tastebuds will be having a party as soon as I take the first bite. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. :)
Mines cooking as we speak! Hope its yummy!!
made this and it was AMAZING! im even making it for guests this weeks. i used stew meat and it worked great. beef literally just fell apart when i stirred it. no shedding needed! PS make extra, great leftovers for lunch. i threw it over a salad and mexican inspired coleslaw. thanks SO much for this yummy recipe. its a new staple in our house!
I do something similar for burritos. It’s a 2 day preparation, but it’s worth it since they freeze so well.
After I have cooked the chuck roast in the slow cooker, I take it out and shred it. While shredding, I remove any fat, gristle, etc. I pour the leftover juices in a measuring cup (anything will do really) and put everything in the refrigerator. The next day I throw away the fat that has hardened on the top of the juice. I then take the shredded beef and put it in a dutch oven (or similar large pot), pour the juices on top of that and turn the heat up. The liquid will reduce and this intensifies the flavor in the meat itself.
After that I assemble my ingredients, Refried Beans, Shredded cheese, flour tortillas (the biggest I can find) and the beef. I heat up the tortillas in the microwave and get started. On the tortilla I put about 1/4 cup of refried beans, 1 – 2 oz of shredded beef and finally the shredded cheese. After I fold them up I dry fry them in a skillet or the flat side of a stove top grill. This will not only seal them, but it also helps melt the cheese.
You can eat them with your fav salsa, or whatever. I individually wrap up the leftovers, put them in a freezer bag and throw them in the freezer. It’s a great quick meal after work when you don’t feel like cooking. I usually make about 40 – 50 burritos at a time this way.
How much beef do you need for a taco bar for 50 people?
Do you know about how many servings this recipe will make? I need to make it for about 20 people. Thanks!
Love this recipe, thanks! I also freeze the tomato paste in a baggie and break off what I need. Works great.
I made these tonight, and they were delicious! I followed the recipe, and they turned out great. My grocery store now carries tiny little cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, so I bought one and it worked out perfect. Topped with white cheese and avocado slices, this recipe is a keeper!
I did not have the chipotle so I made it without. Instead of having tacos, I rolled the meat in corn tortillas and made taquitos. We put guacamole on top and had spanish rice on the side. They were so good! My husband could not stop raving about them. Thanks for the yummy recipe. :)
No judging here, I am not a fan of Chipotle either! I am going to go try out this recipe right now, thanks for the post!
Freeze the leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce! We do a shredded chicken recipe that calls for 1-2 TB of the stuff, so we freeze it in premeasured baggies.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used a chuck roast and cooked it on low for about 11 hours. It shredded beautifully! (I’ve never had success shredding beef before so I was really excited!) I didn’t want to open a whole can of chile in adobo so I just left it out. The one down side was that my house smelled like a mexican restaurant for a while and it seemed to permeate everything, but that’s okay :)
do you think this can be made on high? i’m making this tonight but hoping to have it ready sooner.
My husband and I tried out this recipe. Our house smelled like the best mexican restaraunt ever. And we just loved how it turned out. I couldnt get my hands on the smoked paprika, that was the only thing missing. And it still turned out great. Next time, we will have it all.
Made a HUGE batch of these for a football party and they were devoured. Only one little taco worth of meat left.
Quick question. How many people do you think this recipe will feed? I have family coming in for Thanksgiving and thought I’d try this for one of the other days. Lots of boys. 10 people in all. Thanks for your time.
Looking forward to trying this recipe (even though I freaking love Chipotle and think its the best) but was wondering about it not having salt on the ingredient list. Does it really not need any salt added?
Not a fan of chipolte either … but this recipe sounds good. I will try this. Thanx for sharing!
I’m not a fan of chipotle either … but this recipe sounds amazing so I will make this later this week. Thanx for sharing!
Want to try this for a large group. Can you tell me how many people this recipe will serve? Are there tricks for doubling or tripling the recipe?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am a novice for sure and want to make this for the teachers at my son’s school this Thursday. Thanks for your response!
This recipe is fantastic! Making it again tomorrow :-)
Looks yummy! My husband has never been a Chipotle fan and last year he got the stomach flu after going there for dinner so now he really doesn’t like Chipotle. Just thought I would let you know you aren’t alone. :)
I tried this last night and it was oh so delicious! I used two peppers and took the leftovers to freeze individually, they last up to 6 months I think and they’re great to quickly thaw and throw in soups, veggie sides, etc. Either way, these tacos were amazing and incredibly easy. My friend kept sneaking into the kitchen to steal more meat and my roommate couldn’t get enough! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll definitely be making this again for my picky brother.
You can also freeze the chipotles. I freeze them in small ziplocs so that I can always have them on hand. They are also fab if you add them to your beans when making bean burritos! Yum!
Re: Your tip for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: I buy a can, and freeze what I don’t use.. then when you need one or two peppers, pop the baggie out of the freezer.. and just take out what you need.. A can will last a while this way!
I made this exactly as you said and it came out very dry :( What did I do wrong? It was only in the slow cooker for 5 hours. I want to attempt this again bc it looked sooooo yummy!
late reply here, but the main cause of dry meat in the slow cooker is too SHORT of a cooking time, not too long. especially beef. Try leaving the meat in closer to 8 hours, and make sure your slow cooker is 2/3 full so that the meat doesnt cook too fast. Good luck!!
i am also not a big fan of chipotle. this recipe looks delicious
This recipe is FANTASTIC. Can also use a well-marbled tri-tip instead of chuck roast.
I made this last night it was so easy and very good but I didn’t use the chipotle peppers I couldn’t find them.
I made these tonight and they were so delicious … thanks so much for a fantastic recipe :)
Thank you! This was exactly what I was looking for! I added the Chipotle powder, not the actual pepper, and it was fantastic! Thank you so much for this reicipe. I will be making it again next week!
Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe?
Would this work with stew meat?
I’m about prep everything and get it in the slow cooker! My mouth is watering :)
Going to make these for my Bunco group next week. They sound delicious!!
I’m way behind here but…. When I open a can of chipotles in adobo I fish out whatever I’m not using in the recipe and place them (seperated) on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper and put in the freezer. Once they are frozen (maybe hour or 2) I remove them and place them in a freezer storage bag with the date. Then when your next recipe call for one of those hot and tasty little peppers just get what you need out of your little stash in the freezer. (They are easier to chop up when frozen too~bonus!)
Stumbled upon your website searching for a recipe for fajitas… these were AMAZING and such a hit. Made it for a church group and cooked for 60 people. It had everyone raving! I live in Australia now and everyone kept saying, so Americans can cook? We didn’t think you guys had any food worth eating! (We export all the average stuff… McDonalds,…) Anyway, it was a huge success. I couldn’t find the Chipotle peppers here, but no fear. This was really quite easy. I did end up with a lot of excess liquid (maybe because tripled the recipe?) Instead of removing the meat and onions, I removed the liquid, reduced it by boiling off the excess and had a more intense/concentrated flavor. Thank you, thank you! I will use this one for years to come.
I have made this twice now for parties and people rave over them. The second time around I added some beer to the saucey mix and it was a delicious addition! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this yesterday for our New Year’s Eve dinner. So good! We doubled it and plan to freeze the leftovers. Can’t wait to have another taco tonight before it goes in the freezer! You know a recipe is great when you look forward to leftovers! Yum!
I don’t think you describe it this way, but when I added the tomato paste I put all the adobo sauce in there along with 2-3 chopped up chipotle peppers. The meat definitely has some kick, but its not mouthburning or anything.
I still scooped out the goodness after I shredded the beef, but left out the juice as it was crazy spicy when I tested it on my finger.
I had some previously cooked shredded beef in the freezer, so I thought I would try the sauce with it. Delicious!
Just ate these and they were so good, will make again for sure.
WoW, Made these tonight for my 2 brothers before watching the World Series!! They were amazing! An absolute HOME RUN!! :D I will be making these again very soon! We used white corn tortillas (from a local mexican resturant) topped with white american cheese, white onion, cilantro, guacamole, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice! HEAVEN! Thank you for sharing the recipe! =]
Yum. This looks so delicious. Thanks for a great recipe.
Made this for dinner today and all I can say is, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Oh, I made the lime cilantro rice too.
Making this tomorrow night – will blog about it when I do. Thanks for the guidance
This looks amazing. I am going to try it tonight for Cinco de Mayo!
My husband and I put together this recipe for supper recently. All the family adored it, most definitely I’ll be preparing it frequently from now on, it is always enjoyable to get new recommendations for tasty recipes combined with easy to understand techniques to create them. Appreciate your supplying some.
Ali!
My mouth is watering!! this looks super delicious! I’d love to feature it on my site http://www.canigettherecipe.com with full credits and links back to you if you are keen.
Please let me know ASAP!
All the best and happy cooking!
Cari
I think Chipotle is so-so. I think the lack of spices is part of the reason why. These tacos, though, woah…they look very well-seasoned. I have a bunch of dried peppers in my kitchen from a Mole sauce I made a while ago. Do you have any ideas on how I could use those instead of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce?
This sounds delicious and I love slowcooker recipes – will definitely try these. :)
funny, I just had Chipotle today and came here for your latest ideas. And you got my Chipotle favorite here. I am sure this comes out better from home. thanks!!!
I don’t like Chipotle either!! These look fantastic! I never can seem to find the chipotle chili powder in my stores…I always end up wasting almost an entire can of chipotle peppers in adobo! I need to get an ice tray and just freeze them individually I guess.
I wish I had a slow-cooker so I could make these, they look perfect.
I’ve always wanted to try this, and now I think I will. Thanks sis!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Awesome recipe, Jen — thank you!! :)
I love my slow cooker. I have healthy recipes that I post on my slow cooking blog if you are interested.
I love shredded beef, this recipe sounds and looks amazing!
What, you don’t like chipotle?? I can forgive because this recipe looks delicious! One of my favorite restaurants serves shredded beef chimichangas and tacos and I absolutely love them! Now I can try to recreate at home!
Hi Mireya!
I know…weird. I’ve just never really been blown away there. Maybe it’s because I feel like my burritos are always 70% rice, and minimal everything else. Or because I like to scope out toppings, and you have to make super-speedy decisions in the line…ha! I’ll still go there with friends though and enjoy it. :) But love making these at home. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!
~A
I’ve never been to a Chipotle restaurant – but I love shredded beef tacos too! I’ll have to try and find chipotle powder, it sounds like a better deal than trying to use up those cans of peppers.
Something about a slowcooker recipe that always gets me. It has such promise of tender, pulled meat that just melts! Perfect to go with your banana split cupcakes!