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 thought I was the only person who dint like chipotle! Nice to meet ya.
When I go to Mexico I eat at this place called “tacos on he street.” You eat almost literally in the street because of how busy this place gets. But I wanted to try and bring their flavor here and share it with some friends. I’m hopping that this one is close. Ill let ya know if it turned out!
I’ve used this recipe serval times. My family loves it! And im making it again for my son’s birthday. Thanks for the recipe, “it’s been adopted by the ParmFarm”.♡♡♡♡
chop the can of chipotle in adobo in your food processor and put in a freezer bag. Just break off a piece or grate into recipes
I’ve made this twice now and it’s absolutely amazing. Thank you!
I have made this several times now and we love it. I can’t get the chipotle peppers here in Australia but today I just mixed some smoked paprika with a teaspoon of bottle minced chilli and then into the sauce and I think it worked well. (Thanks to an earlier commenter who gave me the idea although they used pickled jalapenos.)
Trish,
I’m in a Sydney and can get canned chipotle at Oriental and Continenal on Carlotte Street Artarmon.
Is there a way to make this without a slow cooker?
Sure, you can make them in a Dutch oven. At the step where it says to add the ingredients to the slow cooker, just add them all into a Dutch oven. Transfer it to a 200-degree oven and cook for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender and shreds easily. Good luck!
I was surprised how well the shredded beef turned out. The beef turned out soft, and I was able to taste all the spices I used, especially the chipotle pepper. What I changed: I didn’t have beef stock so I used water instead, same measurement. I used ground paprika (not sure if it’s different than smoked paprika), and I used two chipotle peppers. I prefer this recipe over a recipe I found online using pork.
I am very excited to try this one out!!
Made this recipe and just loved it. Going to use more chipotle peppers next time to get more kick.
Delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing; the kids and I gobbled it up.