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 looks great and I can’t wait to try. Chipotle adds such depth to any Mexican dish. Just an FYI, you can freeze the chipotle peppers and use as needed :-)
I love canned chipotles, too!! I put the contents of the can into a mini food processor with one or two tablespoons of water and puree the heck out of it. Store in a tightly covered glass jar in the refrigerator–it keeps forever. It’s so easy to add chipotle “paste” without having to bother with chopping one or two peppers up individually when you need them.
I made this yesterday and it was fantastic! It had SO much flavor! Thanks!
I did make some adjustments due to what I had on hand. I used 1 lb of beef tips and didn’t use the adobo peppers. I used all the rest of the ingredients and I was able to just throw it in the crockpot in the morning and come back that night and take it out and serve with taco fixings! It was a hit with my 5 and 6 year old also!
Made this for supper last night. Yum!,
I made this and it was a huge hit. First time ever using a slow cooker or making any form of pulled meat, and it worked a treat!
I had a small issue with the fact that where I am from we have no chipotle related products (that I could find). So instead I used sliced and pickled Jalapenos (mashed up about 2tbsp worth) mixed with 1tsp of smoked paprika. Seemed to do the trick, with a medium level of spiciness.
I have posted my results onto a slow cooking forum on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/slowcooking/comments/1hnxax/slow_cooker_shredded_beef_tacos_absolutely/) along with your awesome page, and it has been very popular there :)
Sounds yummy but if u use flour tortillas it’s a burrito. Must have corn tortillas for tacos.
Not true. If it’s anything in a corn or flour tortilla it is actually a taco. a burrito is a kind of taco. A meat filled open taco may be called a carnita, but it is still a taco.
So true! In Mexico a taco is taco wether the tortilla is flour or corn. A burrito is an American invention just as Nachos, Chili, Margaritas and Taco Bell tacos. By the way I couldn’t find chili powder in Mexico, so just used adobo powder. I’ll post the results tomorrow morning.
I love adobo peppers too. What I do is buy the can, take what I need from it and then pour the remaining contents into a freezer ziploc bag and flatten it out. Into the freezer it goes. If I need some, I break the correct sized piece off of the frozen peppers. And it is easier to chop frozen as well! mmmmm! I use them more as a result of having some handy without the guilt of opening a can.
For a veggie change try Thug Kitchen Blog’s Roasted Chickpea and Broccoli Burrito (although I use blanched asparagus in place of the broccoli). Delish! https://thugkitchen.com/page/3
A rude but fun blog! And great recipes!
I made these for dinner tonight, and had one friend over to share these with my husband and I. We all LOVED this recipe, it is definitely a keeper. Instead of flour tortillas, I used yellow corn tortillas, and I have to say they bring out the earthy flavors of the spices and the chipotle. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Also, I made tamarind margaritas to go along with them, and it was a perfect pairing. https://www.focusonmexico.com/Tamarind-Margarita-Recipes.html
How many does this feed?
I’m making this tonight on my day off! Inviting some other foodie friends to try. I’m not worried about trying this recipe on them. It sounds like everyone loved it!