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This all purpose Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef is great for tacos, burritos and more! Â 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. Â You might even want to stash some of this in your freezer for a lazy rainy day. Â 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. Â 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.Â
- 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.Â
- 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.
Here in Ireland chuck is hard to find so used a housekeeper cut, shreds just the same after the 7hrs. Fabulous flavors! I will keep making this over & over as it is absolutely delicious, and was a huge hit with the kids too!! Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
Hi, this is such a great and easy recipe! Perfect for work days, just dump in the crockpot and you have dinner ready when you get home. My question is when you freeze the leftovers, what do you suggest is the best method of reheating it?
I’m so glad you love it! When reheating I either microwave it or sauté in a pan.
I’ve never bought chili powder and have no idea what brand to look for. Can you suggest one for this recipe, please? Also, is this super spicy as written? Thank you!
Hi, it is not spicy. For spice brands I like frontier organic, McCormick, even the store brand is usually fine! Just look for something called “chili powder” it is a pretty common spice so your store should have it.
Thank you! 😊 Thanks too, for sharing your recipe!
In the UK, and this is a staple that I cook frequently. Pulled beef is one of the ways we cook beef in my home country of Botswana, though with just plain salt and slow cook it then shred it, have it with something called pap.
I love this Mexican version.
I tend to use a Scotch Beef Brisket Joint (comes packed as 600grams or so) from local supermarket (TeSco). I then use a tablespoon each of oregano, smoked paprika, black pepper and salt mix, and a teaspoon of cumin. For the chilli I either use plain chilli or some chipotle flakes if I’ve got some.
I tend to sear the meat first then transfer to slow cooker (I don’t cut it), then brown the onion/garlic in the same pan, add the tomato paste & lime juice, then transfer to the slow cooker and add a bit of water (a couple of tablespoons just to immerse the onion/garlic mix in the cooker. Then I cook on slow heat all day whilst I’m at work.
It can be a bit tedious to do it this way (instead of the simpler, straightforward version of just chopping veggies, spicing meat and adding straight to the cooker. But I love it.
So happy to hear that, thanks for sharing!
Hi there I am trying this for the first time and still new to using a slow cooker. Do you not need to put liquid in for it to cook? Thanks
Hi – no, you don’t need it for this recipe! The roast will release plenty of liquid.
I have made this numerous times and it is always a hit. My son who has had authentic steak tacos say these are just the best. Freezes so well and so easy. Love as a soft taco topped with avocado Cotija queso cheese and chopped cilantro. Yummy😋 Thanks
So glad you love it!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and absolutely love it. My picky in-laws (latinos) even enjoy it which is saying a whole lot! Used it for tostadas and I can not rave enough about this recipe.
IF (and that’s a big IF) I have any leftovers I usually roll them up in corn tortillas and fry them up for beef taquitos. Topped with salsa, guac, sour cream, queso fresco, and shredded lettuce. AMAZING!
I’m so glad you love it!
This recipe is delicious and super-easy! I had to cook for closer to 10 hrs to get the desired tenderness. My only regret is that I didn’t make more, so next time I’m going to double the recipe.
I’ve been using your recipe for many years now and feel remiss for having never commented.
I used to make this for myself while in the Keto diet and would have enough to bring for work lunch for the week. I ended up making it when my girlfriend visited. Later we married and I now make it for my family a few times each year and it’s always a favorite.
Treating my wife and kiddo to it tonight for Mother’s day and just heard my wife telling her mother she’s so excited for our dinner.
Thanks a ton for this excellent and versatile recipe and I guess thank you for convincing my girlfriend to marry me. ;P
Aww, wow! What a nice comment. Thank you!
This looks delicious! I am planning a graduation party in June. Would you recommend freezing this and reheating the day of?
Hi, yes this freezes very well!
How can I make this recipe with 3 lbs of stew meat cubes?
Hi, stew meat can be made from all different kinds of cuts, so I’m not sure if it would be as tender and/or flavorful. But you can follow the same directions and see how it turns out!
So delicious. Great for burrito bowls for work!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I love that when you print this if you want to adjust for number of people it adjusts the recipe. Question – does it come out juicy enough that you don’t need extra something to put over rice?
Hi Beth – yes, it does come out pretty juicy!
This was the best steak tacos we’ve ever had. I put my roast in frozen, as I usually do when putting in a crockpot. This had the best flavor. This is such a keeper! Thank you for sharing! 😋
Oh yay! So happy to hear that!
Made this for a special family birthday dinner. Rated 10/10 by everyone. Succulent and spicy.
Served with a great mexican corn and bean roasted salsa and handmade areppas( so easy with semolina and cornflour). Some smashed avo too. Delicious.
So happy to hear that!
Great recipe. I think next time I’m going to add some chopped cilantro when I mix the shredded beef back in. I think mine had too much onion, so when I had the beef out to shred it I fish some of it out (my onion was really big). Then I used my stick blender to blenderize the “sauce” before adding the beef back in. It was great! I cooked it one day, then used it the next day to make a taco casserole which was superb (sooo much better than ground beef!). Putting half in the freezer to do another casserole later!
So glad you liked it!
Made this tonight and my entire family of 5 loved it! This does not happen. Usually someone hates the meal! Thank.you!!!
Yay, so happy to hear that!
What’s the serving size?
Hi Jeannie – there are about 10 servings for this recipe, but that will vary depending on the size of the roast you end up using.
Hi! Thank you for the nutritional information, but it’s not very helpful without a serving size, which I cannot find. Did I miss it? Thank you!
Hi Dale – there is an estimate of 10 servings for this recipe. That will vary depending on the size of the roast you use. So 1/10th of the recipe would be one serving.
Hello! Did we discard the onions after cooking or mix in with the beef?
Hi Erin – mix them in, they will be very soft.
Ok thanks for replying straight away! I have about 6 hours to go 🥙🌯
Best taco meat I have ever made – so easy, but so delicious. I don’t know if I’ll ever make ground beef tacos again.
Aww, yay! So happy to hear that Schyler!