This Mexican Shredded Beef has incredible depth of flavour! The sauce is really rich and thick, and there is PLENTY of it. Fantastic for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas, piled high on Mexican Red Rice or stuffed in rolls to make sliders!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Mexican Shredded Beef
I have a “thing” about shredded meats. I just love how it acts like a mop for sauces, so every mouthful is so juicy.
From Shredded Chicken Tacos to Pulled Chicken Nachos, Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta and Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken and Rice Soup to Crispy Chinese Shredded Chicken, if the eating experience is better when the meat is shredded – I shred it.
And Mexican Shredded Beef makes the cut – tenfold!! In fact, I adore it so much I’ve recently published another version – Beef Barbacoa. This version is slightly tangy and punching through with flavour from chipotle chillies!
The sauce for this Mexican Shredded Beef is loaded with big flavours – and there’s PLENTY of it!
What goes in Slow Cooker Mexican Beef
There’s a ton of spices in this that makes up the flavour of the braising liquid which becomes the sauce!
The secret ingredient is orange juice – it’s actually quite a common ingredient in Mexican cuisine. For example, it’s used in Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork) and the marinade for Chicken Fajitas.
It doesn’t make the broth taste orangey at all – it totally transforms when slow cooked, and adds a touch of sweetness and flavour into the sauce.
How to make Slow Cooker Mexican Beef
The making part is very straightforward and mostly hands off time:
Cut beef into big pieces and sprinkle with spices
Sear aggressively: browning = flavour on both the beef and in the sauce (from the brown stuff on the base of the pot)
Add everything else into the pot
Slow cook on the stove, oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker until fall apart tender
Shred
Toss back into the sauce
Transfer to serving platter
Devour in desired form! (Tacos in this case 🙂 )
What to make with Mexican Shredded Beef
The beauty of this Mexican Beef is that it’s 100% freezer friendly and can be used for dozens of dishes, making it a brilliant standby for quick meals. Here’s just a few ideas:
Obvious uses
Tacos (this recipe)
Nachos – switch out the chicken in this Shredded Chicken Nachos recipe
Burritos – freezer friendly!
Quesadillas – switch out one of the fillings for this beef
Beef Enchiladas – skip the ground beef/mince filling and spices, just use this beef instead. (Still make the Enchilada Sauce, use the refried beans etc)
Mexican Plates – Piled beef over Mexican Red Rice with a big dollop of Guacamole, Pico de Gallo and sour cream, corn on the cob, finish with lime wedges and fresh coriander/cilantro
Some less obvious, mighty tasty ideas
Sliders – stuffed into bread rolls to make sliders!
Mexican Toasties 🥑🧀 – toast bread → smear with avocado → pile on shredded beef → top with cheese → MELT → devour 🙌
Mexican “Empanadas” – make triangles/parcels (like this)using puff pastry, seal with egg, brush with egg, bake until golden. Try adding corn and black beans to fill it out!
Mexican Cottage Pie – mix through sautéed onion, capsicum/bell peppers, zucchini, corn and other chopped veg of choice. Pour into casserole dish, then top with mashed potato and bake per this Cottage Pie recipe. Or try Mexican Beef Chicken Pot Pie!
Mexican Beef Lasagna – layer this beef with tortillas in a baking dish, top with loads of cheese and bake! I’d fill it out with veggies.
Fully Loaded Mexican Breakfast! – make Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Baked Eggs) which, really, is made with thoroughly Mexican flavours, and serve with a generous pile of this beef and warm tortillas. OMG….
Breakfast Enchiladas – skip the bacon, use this beef instead
Shredded Beef Tacos
Here’s what I use to make a simple Shredded Beef Tacos spread- something that’s super quick to assemble:
This Mexican Shredded Beef
Warmed or charred tortillas
Sour cream
Lime wedges
Fresh lime wedges
Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, whole or finely chopped
You won’t need a separate sauce because this shredded beef is so juicy and saucy.
So really, if you have a batch of this Mexican Beef on hand, then you’re just 15 minutes away from the taco spread pictured above because all you have to make is the Pico de Gallo (and if that’s all too hard, just slice some tomatoes!!) – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Mexican Shredded Beef (and Tacos)
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tbsp chipotle powder , adjust spiciness to taste (Note 5)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp All Spice powder (ground All Spice)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp onion powder or garlic powder OR 1 tsp of each
- 1 tsp salt and pepper , each
Beef
- 1 – 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 lb / 1.5kg beef chuck or brisket (or gravy or any other slow cooking beef) cut into 4 pieces
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion , diced (yellow, brown or white)
- 3/4 cup (185 ml) orange juice
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 14 oz / 400g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups (500 ml) beef or chicken broth/stock
- 1/2 cup (125ml) water
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine the Spice Mix ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle 4 teaspoons over the beef and pat so it sticks.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add the beef (in batches if necessary) and brown well on all sides. Remove onto a plate.
- Turn the stove down to medium. If the pot looks dry, add more olive oil.
- Add the garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft.
- Add the orange juice and lime juice, and scrape the bottom of the pot so the brown bits mix into the liquid.
- Add tomato, beef stock, water and remaining spice mix. Mix, then return beef into pot.
- Put the lid on, bring to a simmer then turn the stove down so it is bubbling gently, not rapidly.
- Cook for 2 hours, then remove lid and simmer for another 30 minutes until beef is tender enough to shred. (Note 2 other cook methods).
- Remove the beef from sauce, shred with 2 forks.
- Leave the sauce to simmer with the lid off for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken to your taste. Adjust salt to taste. Optional: puree with stick blender to make it smooth (I do this for company)
- Toss beef back into the sauce (can reserve some Sauce for drizzling on tacos if you want, there’s plenty).
- Transfer beef into large dish and serve. See notes for suggestions.
Tacos
- To make tacos, serve the beef with warmed small tortillas, avocado slices, Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves.
Recipe Notes:
- Mild – reduce to 2 tsp to 1 tbsp, add 1 tsp extra coriander, plus add 1 tsp cumin
- Medium – use 1.5 tbsp per recipe (I do this for groups of friends, good mid point)
- Spicy, but not blow your head off spicy – increase to 2 tbsp (I like this)
Nutrition Information:
Originally published September 2015, updated July 2019 with new photos, new video, new step photos and Life of Dozer section added. No change to recipe!
Life of Dozer
Bushwalking with Dozer – best done in winter when it’s snake free!
I grew up in Arizona, California and Texas, and can vouch for the deliciousness of this recipe! Thank you Nagi, a great recipe as always. The beef was the most tender, juicy and flavorful I’ve ever had it! So far we’ve had it in hard shell tacos, soft tortillas (birria style), and baked enchilada style (rolled into burritos with beans and rice).
Just some comments on substitutes: for coriander powder it would be preferable to grind some coriander seeds (using mortar and pestle) not the leaves one commenter asked about. Also, for chipotle substitute, one could try including a dash of Liquid Smoke along with the substituted chili powder or Cajun spices, as chipotle is smoked jalapeno. I don’t have much luck finding the powder myself but it’s become relatively easy to find chipotle in cans and jars (in adobo sauce), which works just fine in this recipe.
I’m not a fan of how spicy chipotle is, but I substituted Ancho Chile Powder which has a deep smoky and bold flavor. Not spicy at all…I use it in my coffee rub on smoked tri tip and it’s ALWAYS on point…so Ancho Chile Powder is another great substitute to try out in place of chipotle.
Hey Nagi, I don’t have any lime juice or lemon juice, what else could I use instead? Thanks 😊
We loved this recipe! We’re pretty picky about our Mexican flavours, but this really hit the mark. I nade it in the instant pot, and would recommend leaving out the extra half cup of water, as this method doesn’t lose moisture like the other cooking methods.
Question:
I got a great deal on a pork loin, and am wondering if this recipe would also work well for it.
My 11 yr old daughter told me that “this is the best meat I’ve ever eaten dad”
High praise from a very fussy kid!!
Woo hoo!! Always a winner if it keeps the kids happy!! N x
I am allergic to tomato.
Can I leave it out or substitute something else for it?
You could sub some roasted capsicum/bell pepper puree – the flavour will be different but the red colour and sweetness will be there! N x
I found Chipotle powder at Woolworths, home brand.
This was super yum!
Made it for a friend who has lots of food intolerances so just left out onion’s and garlic’s.
enjoy.
I believe the Woolwortha chipotle powder is actually a spice blend containing paprika, onion, garlic etc? Not pure 100% chipotle powder like Harris Farm sells
Try crushing pickled jalapenos instead of using chipotle. Don’t think i’ve ever seen authentic chipotle powder in Australasia. Hard to go wrong with this dish though
Dipped tortillas into the broth and pan fried them with shredded beef inside (similar to birria). It was delicious!
Oh that sounds amazingly good Grace!! N x
How long can you cook in slow cooker on high?
Has anyone ever added a poblano pepper before? I want to, but am worried about ruining the flavor. Thank you.
Hi i have cooked this before and it was amazing, but I think i used the chipotle spice substitute you suggested. I have managed to now find chipotle paste, will this still work the same in the recipe? and will i be able to use it in the same way. 🙂
Chipotle paste should give the same flavour but it may vary in spiciness – I would start with a small amount then add more to taste! N x
Can you use chili powder in place of the chipotle?
You can Jim but it will have a different flavour – and add a small bit then increase to a level you like as they can vary in heat! N x
Will it make a difference if I use dried minced garlic & dried coriander leaves as opposed to powdered versions? Struggling to get the powders in the UK!
I think that will be fine Sam – you could also grind them yourself if you have a mortar and pestle! N x
This was amazing!
Thanks Lisa! I am happy you liked it! N x
Help me Nagi, it’s been in the oven as per instructions for 4 hours and it’s no where near tender, I can’t work what I’ve done wrong. Brisket is right size, oven on low, seared first. I have people coming at 6, should I put it on the stove?
Hi Cath – Different cuts and meat from different animals cook at different rates and it depends on your oven and container- you used 1.5 kg cut into 4 pieces? It just might take a little longer – keep checking every 30 minutes. Let me know how it turns out! N x
Wondering is the Carb = 7.3g
Meant to say is that the net carb:(
I’ve tried several recipes over the past year, and my search has ended. This came out perfect. Tasted authentic without being too spicy. Thank you!
You are welcome Lisa! N x
Hello, and thank you for this recipe it looks amazing. Just wondering if I can substitute the beef chucks for beef cheeks and if so, will it take longer to cook? I’ll be using a pot on the stove. Thanking you 🙂
Recipe looks fantastic !
We have some precooked Beef brisket that was in the smoker and want to use the left overs for tacos. Do you think we sprinkle the spices over the meat and follow the rest of the instructions but only do it for 30min as the meat is already cooked so it has the Mexican taste to the meat?
Exited to try this out! Is it best to cook in Dutch oven on the stove for 3.5 hours or in the oven ? And if so what temp?
I live in the US & it’s still so weird to me that other countries have limited access to seemingly trivial things like spices from different countries. We have so many variations of Chipotle powder, it was hard to choose but I have made this a few times now (with a whole brisket) and I like cinnamon chipotle a lot! We’ve found that the best way to serve is to lay a white corn tortilla on a grittle, sprinkle some cheese on it (Mexican cheese is best but others will work), top it with the shredded beef then fold over like a Taco and cook on both sides to get a nice crispy outer shell and a gooey cheesey inside. We also enjoy it on street tacos with a side of Elote (Mexican street corn) and the beef is great in Mission Hawaiian flour tortillas/street tacos (also probably an American luxury) with mango salsa and black beans! I’ve got another whole Brisket in the Dutch oven now and we will be making taquitos tonight. Not sure what I will do with the left overs, possibly chimichangas or Birria tacos, but this recipe is my family’s new favorite.
Almost forgot to rate 5 stars!
STOP!!! You are making me hungry!!! N x
I LOVE this recipe. As usual with your recipes, this has BIG flavor with a moderate amount of ingredients and easy cooking methods. Making this for dinner again tonight <3