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 slowcooked this and I would say it didn’t really come out in a shredable form but I sliced it like a roast and made fajitas from it. It’s got a very nice flavor.
You just need to keep simmering it until you can pull the meat apart with a fork.
Nagi, I have canned chipotle in adobo sauce. How much should I substitute for the powder?
This recipe was how I first discovered Nagi 🥰 my husband and I have this almost every Friday as our date night treat! Every since discovering Nagi I never make anything without checking first if there’s a Nagi version because I can’t fault anything iv made from her recipes and once I try the Nagi version I never go back! Honestly thank you so much for all your hard work and amazing recipes 🥰
Making this right now, my house smells amazingggg! Thank you!
Amazing recipe, so full of flavour! I made a mistake of using all the spices as a rub on the meat but it still worked out, phew. It was such a hit with my family. Definitely a keeper!
Thanks for the awesome recipe! If making using the pressure cooker, do you need to change the liquid amount? Thanks!
Hi, I wanted to get the spice levels of this right so it’s not too hot, so could you please confirm if your recipes use Australian (20ml) or US (15ml) tablespoons please? Thanks
Hi! Could you cook this in the slow cooker for less time if using the high setting? If so, what could you cut your time down to? This recipe sounds great and I’d love to try it, but with the searing and sautéing beforehand, I won’t be able to get it done before I go to work.
Yooo this recipe is bomb!! I adjusted the amounts of spices (of course everybody has their own taste) and I make this recipe with just hard shell tortillas and Mexican pickled red onions and it’s amazing!!!
I made this last week and can’t stop thinking about it, I have no choice but to make it again!
I have made this multiple times when entertaining. Always a big hit! I cook this in a slow cooker and am always left with a ton of liquid that I have to chuck out. Is there a way I can use this liquid for other meals? Can it be put in the freezer?
Thanks or your awesome recipes Nagi 👍
I blended the sauce as advised by Nagi, reserved it and stirred it through beef mince a few nights later with some diced carrot, capsicum and corn. Served it over rice with some grated cheese for an easy dinner. Was SO yum!
I cool it, and add to a mayo/sour cream mixture in a squirt bottle. I make this when I host big groups, so always do a pork or chicken option also,and the Chipotle sauce is wonderful on white meat tacos.
Hi, ive cooked a while back and it was amazing, as good if not better than the restaurant we have here in coolangatta 😉 im about to cook again tomorrow but, the brisket i have seems to have a bit of fat on it. Should i trim this off or let it render down during the searing process and leave the left over for slow cooker ? thanks.
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.
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
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
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