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.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I used a chuck roast and cooked it on low for about 11 hours. It shredded beautifully! (I’ve never had success shredding beef before so I was really excited!) I didn’t want to open a whole can of chile in adobo so I just left it out. The one down side was that my house smelled like a mexican restaurant for a while and it seemed to permeate everything, but that’s okay :)
do you think this can be made on high? i’m making this tonight but hoping to have it ready sooner.
My husband and I tried out this recipe. Our house smelled like the best mexican restaraunt ever. And we just loved how it turned out. I couldnt get my hands on the smoked paprika, that was the only thing missing. And it still turned out great. Next time, we will have it all.
Made a HUGE batch of these for a football party and they were devoured. Only one little taco worth of meat left.
Quick question. How many people do you think this recipe will feed? I have family coming in for Thanksgiving and thought I’d try this for one of the other days. Lots of boys. 10 people in all. Thanks for your time.
Looking forward to trying this recipe (even though I freaking love Chipotle and think its the best) but was wondering about it not having salt on the ingredient list. Does it really not need any salt added?
Not a fan of chipolte either … but this recipe sounds good. I will try this. Thanx for sharing!
I’m not a fan of chipotle either … but this recipe sounds amazing so I will make this later this week. Thanx for sharing!
Want to try this for a large group. Can you tell me how many people this recipe will serve? Are there tricks for doubling or tripling the recipe?? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am a novice for sure and want to make this for the teachers at my son’s school this Thursday. Thanks for your response!
This recipe is fantastic! Making it again tomorrow :-)