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
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
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
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
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.
This is one of my favourite slow cooking beef recipes which I make on a regular basis. Absolutely love it, it’s not too spicy in case anyone wondered as my hubby loves it and doesn’t like spicy food. (I normally use half of the suggested chilli powder)
Another really helpful tip which I read on here, is to freeze the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in a plastic bag (squash it flat) then as you need it, just break a piece off & use from frozen.
Wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing! :)
Thank you so much, I’m happy to hear you and your husband like these so much! Also, thanks for your tip on the chipotle peppers! Cheers! : )
Which yields best results: 3-4 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low?
which yields the best results: 3-4 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low?
I just found this today and am making it tomorrow. So looking forward to our tacos tomorrow! I love shredded beef tacos. On a side note, you’re right, I never use all the chipotle peppers in the can. I just put the extra in a baggie and throw them in the freezer. When I need some, I just take them out of the freezer, thaw and get out what I need, and put the bag back in the freezer again. Been doing this for years and never had any problem with them.
Awesome Debbie, I hope you enjoy them!
I just recently found this recipe and was wondering what could you substitute instead of Chili adobo? I’m not a fan of that flavor…possibly able to leave it out?
Hey Stacey! If you’re not big on that smokey, tangy flavor adobo has, I would just omit it. If you want more spice, you could add some hot sauce or chili flakes. Hope that helps!
A great, simple recipe! All I had on hand was a red onion and no tomato paste & it still tasted great!
Awesome – so glad to hear it!
Made these tacos the other day. And the meat was so delicious, juicy and tender. We love chipotle at our house, I added an extra pepper and some of the adobo sauce into the meat sauce. It was wonderful it didn’t even need salsa. We’re Hispanic and do much of that cooking in our household and were very pleased with this recipe! My husband, who is from Mexico, couldn’t get enough of these. Thanks :)
Thanks Savannah, that’s such a nice compliment! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed these! : )
I’ve got this in the slow cooker now and am looking forward to tacos tonight, but I’m curious: Why don’t you list the ingredients in the order in which they appear in the method?
This looks delicious! Any thoughts on doing this in a Dutch oven? Seems reasonable but II’m wondering what temp and for how long. Any ideas? Thanks!
Sure thing. I haven’t tried it in a Dutch oven, but imagine it would need to cook on medium-low (stirring occasionally) for at least 3-4 hours.
I’ve made plenty of slow cooker shredded beef recipes and am always disappointed. This, by far, is the best! It’s a perfect blend of spices. I’m so happy I tried this, as I was ready to succumb to the boring shredded beef recipes from the past. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This was delicious! I doubled the chipotle peppers because my husband loves spicy tacos, but the meat wasn’t spicy at all, yet full of flavor!