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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 3-4 servings 1x
Description
This slow cooker shredded beef recipe is packed with flavor, simple to make, and the beef is delicious in all sorts of other recipes as well.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 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 (if you want extra flavor/heat, add an extra pepper)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- Flour tortillas
Favorite taco toppings:
Instructions
- 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 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the skillet and place in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and diced onion to the saute pan. Saute for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the beef stock and stir the pan to deglaze it, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add tomato paste and minced chipotle, and whisk into the pan sauce until combined. 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 beef in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until the beef shreds easily.
- Shred the beef with two forks, and toss to coat with any of the remaining juices. Serve the beef in the flour tortillas, topped with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Recipe adapted from My Kitchen Addiction
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.
Has anyone made this without browning/boiling the sauce before placing in the slow cooker?
made this yesterday in the slow cooker, low for 8 hours. I didn’t have chipotle pepper but did this as instructed. It was very bland that we had to add salt (even though I did the rub plus extra). Maybe if I had used the pepper it would have been better.
Yes, I added a little salt too, which brought the flavors through. I only added a little bit of pepper, can’t take the heat anymore 🤭
Hands down, the best beef tacos I have ever made. Super easy, and so full of flavour! I will be making these often…and accompanying them with the yummy guacamole and mango salsa from this blog, both of which were deeeeee-licious! We needed nothing else with our tacos besides the guac and salsa. Together they made a delightfully fresh and easy meal.
I’ve made this a few times in my crockpot and it was amazing. This last time I made it in my instapot on the slow cooker setting. It didn’t work as well by any means. The beef was not fork tender. Anyone else try and and have success? I’d love to know some tricks!
This is one of my go tos as it’s so delicious!
Made this for a crowd yesterday, it was a big hit. It took 1 hour in the instantpot; and I reheated the beef in the oven to crisp some if the top bits.
Will definitely make again!
This recipe is amazing. Exactly what we were looking for. Had it with cilantro lime slaw and dressing on grilled tortillas. Making it for the second time right now🤤 only think I added was salt this time
Is it okay if we don’t use tomato sauce?
I’m with you on Chipotle. This looks delicious—thanks for sharing!
Would you need to change anything if this was made in a pressure cooker?
I have made this multiple times and everyone loves it!! I was wondering can you make this with pork shoulder?