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This all purpose Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef is great for tacos, burritos and more! Quick and easy prep work and the crock pot does the rest.
Is there anything better than knowing your fridge is stocked with food and you won’t need to cook dinner for a few days? That was how I felt after I finished a batch of this easy Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded beef. This may seem odd coming from a food blogger – and don’t get me wrong, I do love cooking. But sometimes, especially when cooking is part of your job, you need the occasional night off.
That is why I LOVE this recipe First of all, it is super easy to throw together. Unlike some slow cooker recipes that require browning and sauteing and all kinds of prep work, this one requires minimal prep work without sacrificing flavor. The key to success with this is time. The chuck roast requires slow heat to break down the tough fibers and turn it into a delicious, juicy feast. So after you throw everything into the crockpot you can go do something else for 8+ hours – like work (boooo) or play (yay!) and the slow cooker does the hard work for you.
When you get home you can get creative and make all kinds of delicious meals with your Mexican shredded beef – tacos, obviously, burritos, or even better, burrito bowls. You might even want to stash some of this in your freezer for a lazy rainy day. Because I bet you, like me, could use a day or two off from cooking.
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons juice of one lime
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Mix together the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, oregano and red chili flakes, set aside.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the slow cooker with the tomato paste, lime juice, and just 1-2 teaspoons of the spice mixture. Stir everything together until fully mixed.
- Sprinkle the rest of the spices all over the chuck roast, patting to help it stick to the meat.
- Place the meat on top of the onion mixture and set cook on low for 7-8 hours. Total cooking time will vary for different roasts.
- After meat has cooked, use two forks to shred the meat, removing any large pieces of fat or gristle as you find them. (If the meat is still too tough to shred, it needs to be cooked a little longer. Cook for an additional 30-60 minutes and check it again.) Stir to mix well with the sauce. Cover and continue to cook on low for another 30-60 minutes.
- Before serving stir well again to mix the meat with the sauce. Taste meat and season with more salt to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
WOW this was SO amazing!! I had to use tomato sauce vs. paste as I didn’t have it on hand but it was still incredibly delicious! I had a really lean cut of chuck roast so I think the extra liquid helped in my case. Pinning this recipe to put on repeat. Thanks for sharing, I’m so glad I found this 🙂
Hi Christy – Yay, I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for your comment!
Have this in my slow cooker now just can’t wait dinner tonight. I’m going to use the meat as the filling for taquitos .
Hi Laticia – Yay, can’t wait to hear how it turned out!
Yum! I could eat that
Thanks Maggie!
This is awesome! I have made it a couple times for my kids and grandkids for Sunday dinner. It was a hit. Ready to make it again for Sunday dinner. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Vickie – Yay, I am so happy to hear that! I’m glad your family loves it!
I stumbled across this recipe when looking for suitable meals for Keto Diet. I made the meal mid week for a birthday celebration everyone thought it was amazing. Also served to non keto diet followers and I also had a vegetarian at the table – I used mushrooms instead of the beef & used the same ingredients as this recipe. Thank you all who contributed to this forum – it was so helpful, I too was worried that the beef would be dry with no juices (other than the lime) in the ingredients list. Due to my work hours the beef was cooking for almost 10 hours but it cooked beautifully, so tasty and definitely recommend and will certainly make this again.
Hi Jacquie – I’m so glad it was a hit! Great idea using mushrooms for a vegetarian option!
I love making burrito bowls because they can be healthy and easy to put together for lunch. I can’t wait to try this one for a change!
Hi Teresa – I hope you give it a try!
I have made this recipe a multitude of times by now. It is still our families favorite go -to without a doubt. Thank you for sharing such deliciousness with the world.
Yay! Thank you Carissa, that is so good to hear! I’m so glad you and your family love it.
Will this recipe work with Diced beef do we think? Looks amazing!!
Hi Emma – I’m not sure! The low and slow method works great with a large roast but the time might need to be adjusted with diced beef. Let us know how it works out!
Super excited to try this out. Just wondering, about how much is there once shredded? I’m hoping to maybe have enough for a meal and some to freeze.
Hi Anna – the exact amount will vary depending on the size of the roast and things like water and fat content. But when I make this I have more than enough to freeze. If you want extra to freeze, I would suggest just using a roast on the larger size. It may need to be cooked a little longer if it is much bigger. If the meat is not tender after the suggested cooking time, keep cooking and check every half hour to hour until it is as tender as you want it.
Over all this is a good recipe. Not trying to make anyone feel bad. The end result has a spicy level of 1 out of 5. Really this is just pot roast with some taco seasoning on it. Mexican shredded beef should be spicy to very spicy. This recipe will give you delicious, tender, juicy, not at all spicy shredded beef. I would say it is less Mexican.. and more just shredded beef.
Hi Jacob – I’m glad you liked the recipe overall. I think that spiciness levels are subjective, and what one person finds mild another finds very spicy. For this reason I tend not to make my recipes very spicy, but encourage people to add spices to taste. That being said, you are right, it is not intended to be a 5 out of 5 spiciness level.
I’m currently making it and added some chipotle in adobo sauce that I had pureed for another recipe. Hoping it turns out.
That sounds like a great addition. Let me know how it turns out!
I love Mexican and Tex-mex food! I made this today and I’m in love! Next time I’ll add green Chiles, and use smoked paprika instead of regular to change it up just a bit. Thank you for the recipe!
So glad to hear that you loved it Liz! I love smoked paprika too!
why wouldn’t this work with briskety
Hi John – I haven’t tried it, but I’m sure you could. It’s just a different cut of meat and so the outcome might be slightly different. Brisket might be a little drier and the meat fibers will be longer/stringier. But it is a personal preference, feel free to try it and let us know how it turns out!
Made this for my youtube channel, so good!
https://youtu.be/gKG4jCMo3tc
I made this yesterday, added a few other ingredients (chipotle in adobo, fresh jalapenos and bell peppers) and it came out BEAUtiful!!!!! It tasted amazing. Thank you for the great recipe. I will definitely be making this again.
Hi Chris! I’m so happy to hear that you loved it!! Thanks for your comment 🙂
I cooked this on low for 7 hours and it came out so tough that I couldn’t even shred it! 😢 I looked back and I followed the recipe exactly! the only thing I did different is my roast was 2.3 lbs instead of 3 lbs.
Hi Jamie – I’m sorry that happened. If the meat was too tough that means it needed to be cooked longer (that is why the recipe gives a range for the cooking time). It seems odd, but tough cuts of meat like this get more tender the longer you cook them. The exact cut of meat will vary in how long it needs to be cooked (some roasts will be tougher than others depending on the age and type of the cow). So if this happens it is best to put it back in the crock pot for another 30-60 minutes and then check and see if you can shred it. Continue to do that until the roast reaches your desired tenderness.
Thank you! Ill try that next time!
Ok, hope that works! I’ll also put a note in the recipe indicating this, thanks for your feedback!
Could you cook this on high for 4-5 hours and get the same outcome?
Hi Sarah – You could try it, but the problem I think will be that it won’t turn out very tender. This type of meat really needs to be cooked low and slow in order to become tender. It will still be cooked, but it might be tough.
I agree with the others… nothing beats meat slow cooked. This looks so tender and delicious! I can imagine lots of tasty meals coming out of that slow cooker!
You had me at Mexican but slow cooker and someone else doing the work is all I need to hear! LOVE!
❤️
aLL HAIL THE SLOW COOKER!!! tALK ABOUT A PERFECT WEEKNIGHT DINNER, RIGHT HERE!
The Mr. & i work out once he gets home from work (which is usually after 7). That means we are often eating dinner pretty late into the evening and the last thing I want to do is wait yet another hour to eat dinner. For this reason, I need more meals like this in my life. Plus. . .nothing beats the tenderness of meat cooked in the slow cooker.
I am making this for dinner tonight, so excited! Are you supposed to add any kind of liquid in as well or just exactly what the recipe states?
Hi Amanda – I don’t add any liquid, as the roast cooks the juices will release.
I want to make this tomorrow for the mother in law. 🙏🏻 Going roast shopping in the morning.
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!