These slow cooker shredded beef tacos is summer slow cooking at its best! Pair it with your favorite toppings for a hands-free, fun, family and friends meal!
How about some summer slow cooking? We want something easy and hassle-free but good enough to feed a crowd or a family for a couple of days. So today we’re gonna be doing some slow cooker shredded beef tacos with some chuck roast seared lovingly before it’s slow-cooked for hours in a spiced tomato sauce.
The toppings are entirely up to you. Lettuce, cheese, beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, or hot sauce. And don’t be limited by the title of the recipe. You can use this beef for burritos or enchiladas too.
There’s some cayenne and jalapeno in here, but when all was said and done, I didn’t find it spicy at all so don’t be turned off by those two ingredients. And if you want it super spicy, just add in more peppers, cayenne, or some hot sauce. We always have a bottle of Cholula handy at home for this. Alright, let’s cook!
How To Make Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos (1 Min Video)
SLOW COOKER SHREDDED BEEF TACOS RECIPE TIPS
Use a cheap cut of beef for this, something perfect for slow cooking like a chuck roast. I seasoned it with salt and pepper and seared it for a while cause searing before braising is good. You can skip this step if you don’t want an extra pan to wash but read this before you do so you can make an informed decision!
Then in the slow cooker it goes and you top it with the diced onions and sauce mixture, which is beef broth spiced with cayenne, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, tomato paste, lime juice and diced jalapenos.
If you want less heat, remove the seeds from the jalapenos. I did this, so my beef wasn’t too spicy. If you want more heat, leave the seeds in. And if that still isn’t enough, add more peppers or more cayenne.
It’ll look like a slab of beef with very little juices to go around before you start cooking. Don’t worry about this because after 8 hours of braising, the beef will break down you’ll end up with more than enough juices to coat your shredded beef. Slow cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high and that’s it! I did mine on low for 8 hours. Then serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
MORE TACO AND MEXICAN RECIPES TO TRY
- Slow Cooker Carne Asada
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Cheesy Baked Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chipotle Chicken Tacos
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
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Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 22–25 tacos 1x
Description
These slow cooker shredded beef tacos are summer slow cooking at its best! Pair it with your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
- 2–3 lb. chuck roast
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
Instructions
- Season the chuck roast with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, sear the chuck roast on all sides in some oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Combine cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika and garlic with the beef broth.
- Add tomato paste, jalapeno and lime juice and stir to mix.
- Transfer the roast to a 6 qt. slow cooker and top with diced onions.
- Pour the beef broth mixture over the roast and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Shred the beef with two forks and toss to coat with the juices.
- Dish and serve hot with tortillas and your favorite toppings.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Toppings: Lettuce, cheese, beans, rice, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, or hot sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 8 hours
Comments & Reviews
I tried this recipe exactly how the ingredients said and the meat came out dry and tough, I think it needs more juices in it to break down the meat better.
★
This recipe was phenomenal! The flavor was perfect & it was so tender.I love how simple it was. My husband is Mexican and he kept raving about it. My son also enjoyed it!! Definitely going to be on our “family faves” list from now on. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Hi , to add to my Question.. to let you I used mild Green chilis in the 4 oz can.
Heya Loretta, I’m glad you liked it 🙂 To cut back on the spiciness , use less cayenne. That’s where all the heat is from. Smoked paprika is harmless, it’s more for adding a smoky flavor than to spice things up. Put a tiny bit on your fingertip and try it out. Same goes for the mild green chilies. All the spiciness from peppers come mostly from their seeds. In the can it’ll all most likely have been removed so the mild green chilies are just there for another layer of flavor.
Ok i will try doing that next time .Thanks a bunch :0)
Hi I made this for dinner tonight ,It was so very yummy!!!, but it was a tiny bit spicy for me but not my hubby, i have had issues with spice since my colorectal cancer ..should i cut back on the cayenne or the smoked Paparika?
★★★★★
Hello , Im making this today with a 2 1.2 pound chuck roast, but Vons here in my part of town have no medium yellow onions ,all they have are big yellow sweet onions, what do you think a medium onion would be ? 1 cup or maybe 2 cups? I dont want to put to much onion to over power the flavor..
Thanks
I’d suggest half a sweet onion or 1 cup’s worth of diced onions. That should work. Good luck and thanks for trying out the recipe!
Ok, Thankyou
Thank you!
Hi , Oh YummmmY ,I am making this for sunday dinner we haved the tamed jalapenos sliced in the jar but the diced green chilis sound good too ,i would like to know what size of a diced green chili can would i use instead of jalapenos ..
Thanks
Good luck with your cooking! I would suggest a 4 oz. can of diced green chilis.
Great Recipe! How would you do this in an oven or if you didn’t have a slow cooker?
I honestly don’t think I’ve ever done fork tender chuck roast in the oven before. Just a regular beef roast with veggies that are carved into slices. I think you would have better luck doing this in a covered dutch oven on the stovetop for several hours.
Served last night for dinner at the Fire House for 21 men and women, no leftovers!
★★★★★
You know how much I loved this comment? I showed it to all my friends, that’s how much I loved this comment 🙂
Made this last night. My very picky 12 year old son loved it and so did I. I added green chilies and about 6 cloves of garlic. Served with grated cheese, sour cream & salsa. Yummy
★★★★★
Mmmm, garlic. I’m happy it was good for you guys!
Absolutely delicious….the kids loved it!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear it. I knew it was popular with the men, but it’s good to hear it’s also yummy to the kids!
If I don’t have easy access to jalapenos should I substitute something else in its place or just leave it out entirely?
You can substitute green chilies or just leave them out. Good luck!
this is the most wonderful recipe! taking to work for a birthday celebration (street tacos). i added a can of HOT Rotel and used white onion. but the best tasting brisket with the slightest touch of heat. I didn’t sear either. took 8 hrs on low in my crockpot.
★★★★★
Thank you for letting me know, Tracy! I’m always happy to help hungry folks 🙂
I’ve tried so many slow cooker shredded beef and this one is my favorite! So easy and delicious, this is the only one I make now. Thank you for sharing it!
★★★★★
You’re welcome, Leonor! I’m honestly surprised it’s gotten so many good reviews and people are actually trying it with the horrendous burrito pics I took. Burrito pics are my bane, I can’t seem to manage to take good ones!
We love this recipe I substitute the jalapeño for diced green chilies as my wife doesn’t handle any kind of heat but it is delicious best shredded beef tacos I’ve ever had!
★★★★★
Diced green chilies work and it’s a lot less of a hassle since you can get it in a can at the taco aisle. I’m glad it liked it, Nick!