Flavourful Mexican shredded beef tacos that can be enjoyed crispy or soft. You’ll love that the Mexican pulled beef can be cooked in the oven or a slow cooker.
This easy Mexican shredded beef recipe is versatile and perfect for making ahead! Enjoy it in crispy Mexican shredded beef tacos with the spicy broth used for dipping or go classic with a soft Mexican shredded beef taco using the same ingredients. You’re choice (or try it both ways!).
- Ingredients and substitutions
- How to make Mexican shredded beef for tacos
- How to make crispy Mexican shredded beef tacos
- Slow-cooker or Crock Pot instructions
- How to make soft Mexican shredded beef tacos
- Recipe tips!
- How to serve Mexican shredded beef tacos
- Making ahead, storing and freezing
- Get the Recipe: Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos
- More taco recipes to love!
Ingredients and substitutions
Beef – Start with a Blade or Chuck roast, well marbled with fat for best results. If it has a string around it, leave the string on until after cooking and before shredding.
Tomato Paste – I love to use the double-concentrated tomato paste in the tubes, but regular canned tomato paste will also work here (with a bit less intense tomato flavour).
Chipotle Chili Powder – Chipotle chili powder is quite easily found these days with all the spices at most grocery stores. This is responsible for the “heat” in this Mexican shredded beef, so adjust the amount used to your tolerance level.
Apple Cider Vinegar – I recommend apple cider vinegar if you have it on hand. If not, white vinegar is fine as well.
You will also need – onion, beef broth, dried oregano, dried coriander, paprika, allspice (optional) and brown sugar.
How to make Mexican shredded beef for tacos
Photos here show the oven method. For the slow-cooker method, see below. It also shows making the Mexican shredded beef ahead, which I recommend. If wanting to enjoy it all on the same day, see the Recipe tips below.
- Add the onions to the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish (one that has a lid).
- Mix up the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the beef on top of the onions in the baking dish.
- Pour the sauce over top of the beef, then pour in the beef broth on the side, so as to not disturb the sauce.
- The beef is ready for the oven.
- Cover the baking dish with a lid and pop in the oven for about 3 hours.
- After 3 hours of cooking, remove from the oven.
- Remove the beef to a baking sheet. If the beef has a string, remove and discard the string now.
- Use two forks to shred the beef. If making ahead, place the beef in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze.
- Remove the braising liquid from the pan to a small bowl.
- Strain the braising liquid to remove the solids. Discard the solids. Transfer the strained juices to the refrigerator.
- The next day or after the braising liquid has been refrigerated, the fats on the top will have solidified. Remove the fat layer to a separate bowl and set aside to use in frying the tacos.
How to make crispy Mexican shredded beef tacos
- Mix up the Cilantro Lime Sauce in a food processor and set aside.
- Gather the separated braising liquid and fat. Warm the braising liquid for dipping. Rewarm the shredded beef if it has been made ahead.
- Take a teaspoon of the fat and heat in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add a tortilla to the skillet and cook briefly.
- Top the tortilla with shredded cheese, beef and chopped red onion.
- Fold over the tortilla and press to close.
- Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, then pop in the oven to bake until crispy.
- Garnish with cilantro sauce and lime slices.
Slow-cooker or Crock Pot instructions
Add all the ingredients for the Mexican shredded beef to the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and shreddable. If you are short on time, you can cook on HIGH for 4-6 hours, but the result may not be as tender.
How to make soft Mexican shredded beef tacos
- Heat the tortillas.
- Top with a dollop of Cilantro Lime sauce and spread out slightly.
- Top with warmed shredded beef. Drizzle the beef with warm braising liquid.
- Sprinkle with chopped red onion.
- Finish with chopped fresh cilantro and/or lettuce.
- Serve with a lime wedge for drizzling.
Recipe tips!
- The chipotle chili powder is the heat-producer in this recipe, so adjust it to your tolerance. Using 1 Tablespoon will provide a nice level of heat, which is more present in the braising liquid than the beef.
- If you want to make the Mexican shredded beef ahead and enjoy the tacos on the same day, leave the braising liquid in the baking dish. When ready to fry the tacos, simply lightly run the tortilla across the top of the braising liquid where the fat has accumulated, rather than adding fat to the pan and continue to assemble as directed.
How to serve Mexican shredded beef tacos
Serve the crispy Mexican shredded beef tacos with warm braising liquid in a bowl, for dipping. Add some lime wedges on the plate, for drizzling.
For soft Mexican shredded beef tacos, assemble as detailed above. Use the warmed braising liquid for drizzling over the shredded beef, for extra flavour and moistness.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
The cooked and shredded Mexican beef can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
The braising liquid can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I like to store the beef and the braising liquid separately from the beef, so I have the option of crispy or soft tacos.
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Get the Recipe: Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, halved and sliced
- 3 lbs. chuck or blade roast, boneless
- 1 cup beef broth
Mexican Shredded Beef Sauce:
- 1/2 – 1 1/2 Tablespoons chipotle chili powder, adjust amount for spice tolerance
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground all spice
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste, double-concentrated from the tube recommended
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce:
- 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
- 1 medium jalapeño, cored and deseeded and roughly
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon sour cream
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For assembling and serving:
- 8-10 corn or flour tortillas, corn tortillas are recommended for crispy tacos
- 1 cup red onion, chopped
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce, from above
Instructions
For oven method:
- Preheat oven to 325F (not fan-assisted)
- Scatter the onion onto the bottom of a lightly greased Dutch oven with a lid. Place the beef on top of the onions.
- Add all the ingredients for the Mexican Shredded Beef Sauce in a bowl and stir to combine well. Pour the sauce overtop of the beef in the Dutch oven. Pour the beef broth into the Dutch oven, being careful to avoid pouring it over the beef with the sauce. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place into the preheated oven. Cook for about 3 hours covered and undisturbed, until the meat is fork tender.
For the slow cooker/crock pot:
- Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the beef on top of the onions, then pour the sauce mixture overtop of the beef. Pour the broth into the slow cooker, avoiding pouring over the beef with the sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or until the beef is fork tender and shreddable.
For both methods:
- Transfer the cooked beef to a rimmed baking sheet, leaving the braising liquid in the cooking pot. (If beef is tied with a string, cut, remove and discard the string now.) Using 2 forks, shred the beef.
- If making ahead, transfer the shredded beef to a container and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- For the braising liquid, if eating right away or soon, keep the braising liquid warm over low heat. If making ahead, strain the braising liquid, transfer to a container and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
For the Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Process until well combined and just a bit chunky. Set aside or refrigerate if making ahead.
For crispy tacos:
- Preheat oven to 425F (not fan-assisted). Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- If you have refrigerated the braising liquid, remove from the refrigerator, take the layer of fat off the top and set in a small bowl. Take the remaining braising liquid and warm it in a saucepan or microwave then set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a bit of the reserved fat later the skillet, allow it to melt and spread it around a bit. Add a tortilla to the skillet and cook in the fat briefly. Add some cheese to one half of the tortilla. Top with some shredded beef and some chopped red onion. Fold the empty half of the tortilla over the fillings. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas. When complete, place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the tortillas are crispy.
- Serve crispy tacos with a dollop of the Avocado Cilantro Lime sauce on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges for drizzling. Put out some warmed braising liquid for dipping the tacos into.
Soft Mexican Shredded Beef Tacos Variation:
- Warm the tortillas. Add a dollop of the Avocado Sauce in the middle and spread it out a bit. Top with warmed Mexican shredded beef. Drizzle a bit of warmed braising liquid onto the beef. Top with shredded cheese and chopped red onion. Scatter some fresh chopped cilantro and/or chopped lettuce on top and enjoy.
Notes
- The chipotle chili powder is the heat-producer in this recipe, so adjust it to your tolerance. Using 1 Tablespoon will provide a nice level of heat, which is more present in the braising liquid than the beef.
- If you want to make the Mexican shredded beef ahead and enjoy the tacos on the same day, leave the braising liquid in the baking dish. When ready to fry the tacos, simply lightly run the tortilla across the top of the braising liquid where the fat has accumulated, rather than adding fat to the pan and continue to assemble as directed.
More taco recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
These are fantastic! I made them earlier this week and both my husband and adult daughter absolutely raved about them. I have made a number of taco recipes over the years and whereas my family has liked all of them, this was far and away their favorite. I used the full amount of chipotle pepper which my daughter and I thought was borderline too spicy, but my husband thought was perfect. The next day when they used the leftover meat in quesadillas the spice had mellowed and was not so spicy hot, in my opinion.
I’m so glad you all enjoyed these tacos, Annette! Thanks so much :)
Looks great, look forward to making. Do you think the beef could be cooked an instapot? Thx
Hi Linda and yes, I’m sure it can. I just don’t have an instapot to test it myself. It would probably be a couple of hours and maybe a bit more liquid.