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.
Looks yummy! My husband has never been a Chipotle fan and last year he got the stomach flu after going there for dinner so now he really doesn’t like Chipotle. Just thought I would let you know you aren’t alone. :)
I tried this last night and it was oh so delicious! I used two peppers and took the leftovers to freeze individually, they last up to 6 months I think and they’re great to quickly thaw and throw in soups, veggie sides, etc. Either way, these tacos were amazing and incredibly easy. My friend kept sneaking into the kitchen to steal more meat and my roommate couldn’t get enough! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll definitely be making this again for my picky brother.
You can also freeze the chipotles. I freeze them in small ziplocs so that I can always have them on hand. They are also fab if you add them to your beans when making bean burritos! Yum!
Re: Your tip for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: I buy a can, and freeze what I don’t use.. then when you need one or two peppers, pop the baggie out of the freezer.. and just take out what you need.. A can will last a while this way!
I made this exactly as you said and it came out very dry :( What did I do wrong? It was only in the slow cooker for 5 hours. I want to attempt this again bc it looked sooooo yummy!
late reply here, but the main cause of dry meat in the slow cooker is too SHORT of a cooking time, not too long. especially beef. Try leaving the meat in closer to 8 hours, and make sure your slow cooker is 2/3 full so that the meat doesnt cook too fast. Good luck!!
i am also not a big fan of chipotle. this recipe looks delicious
This recipe is FANTASTIC. Can also use a well-marbled tri-tip instead of chuck roast.
I made this last night it was so easy and very good but I didn’t use the chipotle peppers I couldn’t find them.
I made these tonight and they were so delicious … thanks so much for a fantastic recipe :)
Thank you! This was exactly what I was looking for! I added the Chipotle powder, not the actual pepper, and it was fantastic! Thank you so much for this reicipe. I will be making it again next week!