slow-cooker shredded beef tacos
February 4th, 2010
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:
- 1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds beef (boneless chuck roast)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 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:
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika in a small bowl.
Rub the spice mix into the beef, covering each side evenly. Once the oil is hot (it will shimmer a bit in the skillet), place the beef in the skillet and sear on each side.
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 few minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Add the diced onion and minced garlic on top of the seared beef in the slow cooker. Pour the pan sauce down over the onions, garlic, and beef. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Use a slotted spoon to remove the onions from the slow cooker, and mix into the shredded beef.
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.
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!
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.
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!
I love shredded beef, this recipe sounds and looks amazing!
I love my slow cooker. I have healthy recipes that I post on my slow cooking blog if you are interested.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Awesome recipe, Jen — thank you!! :)
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 always wanted to try this, and now I think I will. Thanks sis!
I wish I had a slow-cooker so I could make these, they look perfect.
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.
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!!!
This sounds delicious and I love slowcooker recipes – will definitely try these. :)
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?
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
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.
This looks amazing. I am going to try it tonight for Cinco de Mayo!
Making this tomorrow night – will blog about it when I do. Thanks for the guidance
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.