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.
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 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. :)