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.
Made this in my Instant Pot, cooked on high pressure for 1 hour and used the quick release method. Turns out perfect everytime!
I was wondering if anyone had tried this in the instant pot! Was your meat frozen or fresh when you put it in the instant pot? Thanks!!
Thank you for this!!! I was looking for Insta Pot Instructions!!!
Just made this tonight! We thought it was really good, but next time I’m going to add more chipotle peppers – not hot enough for our taste :)
I cooked it in the oven at 275 for about 4 1/2 hours.
I make this whenever we have a large group of people around for dinner. Its amazing! Totally recommend :)
Forgot to rate :)
Made this this morning for dinner, we ended up eating it for lunch and making another batch for dinner! I omitted the chipotle peppers since I forgot to get some and it was soooo darn good!!! Added sauted bell peppers with onions and rice pilaf to toppings and it was delicious! Thank you for this recipe!!
This was so so good! I only used one pepper as my husband doesn’t like spicy but I definitely think I could have used more. The whole family loved this (which is unusual as it seems there is always one that doesn’t like what I make). This will definitely be a repeater!!
Hot damn! I just realized I have never left a comment! We made this for the first time on cinco de mayo (I used the link you left another commenter to do this in the oven), made again two weeks later by SO request. He has been bugging me the last few weeks about when we’re gonna make this again :) we’re going to try in the instant pot tonight since it’s too warm to run the oven for a few hours today
Hi!
I want to make this for about 15 people. What size roast and how long would you suggest?
Thank you!
I’ve made these a few times, always delish…but, I forgot the tomato paste at the store and snow is coming down hard…can I do without it or do you have substitution recommendations?
I made this once before and absolutely loved it, only thing was that it was SO spicy. I want to make them again for Super Bowl but am worried about the spice for so many people. I see no one else commented about how spicy they are, is there a mild version of chipotle peppers and maybe I bought a hot version? Or are these just VERY spicy? Wondering if I could not use the actual chipotle pepper but just maybe some of the sauce from the can and still get the same great flavors?