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!
Can you use chili powder in place of the chipotle?
You can Jim but it will have a different flavour – and add a small bit then increase to a level you like as they can vary in heat! N x
Will it make a difference if I use dried minced garlic & dried coriander leaves as opposed to powdered versions? Struggling to get the powders in the UK!
I think that will be fine Sam – you could also grind them yourself if you have a mortar and pestle! N x
This was amazing!
Thanks Lisa! I am happy you liked it! N x
Help me Nagi, it’s been in the oven as per instructions for 4 hours and it’s no where near tender, I can’t work what I’ve done wrong. Brisket is right size, oven on low, seared first. I have people coming at 6, should I put it on the stove?
Hi Cath – Different cuts and meat from different animals cook at different rates and it depends on your oven and container- you used 1.5 kg cut into 4 pieces? It just might take a little longer – keep checking every 30 minutes. Let me know how it turns out! N x
Wondering is the Carb = 7.3g
Meant to say is that the net carb:(
I’ve tried several recipes over the past year, and my search has ended. This came out perfect. Tasted authentic without being too spicy. Thank you!
You are welcome Lisa! N x
Hello, and thank you for this recipe it looks amazing. Just wondering if I can substitute the beef chucks for beef cheeks and if so, will it take longer to cook? I’ll be using a pot on the stove. Thanking you 🙂
Recipe looks fantastic !
We have some precooked Beef brisket that was in the smoker and want to use the left overs for tacos. Do you think we sprinkle the spices over the meat and follow the rest of the instructions but only do it for 30min as the meat is already cooked so it has the Mexican taste to the meat?
Exited to try this out! Is it best to cook in Dutch oven on the stove for 3.5 hours or in the oven ? And if so what temp?
I live in the US & it’s still so weird to me that other countries have limited access to seemingly trivial things like spices from different countries. We have so many variations of Chipotle powder, it was hard to choose but I have made this a few times now (with a whole brisket) and I like cinnamon chipotle a lot! We’ve found that the best way to serve is to lay a white corn tortilla on a grittle, sprinkle some cheese on it (Mexican cheese is best but others will work), top it with the shredded beef then fold over like a Taco and cook on both sides to get a nice crispy outer shell and a gooey cheesey inside. We also enjoy it on street tacos with a side of Elote (Mexican street corn) and the beef is great in Mission Hawaiian flour tortillas/street tacos (also probably an American luxury) with mango salsa and black beans! I’ve got another whole Brisket in the Dutch oven now and we will be making taquitos tonight. Not sure what I will do with the left overs, possibly chimichangas or Birria tacos, but this recipe is my family’s new favorite.
STOP!!! You are making me hungry!!! N x
Almost forgot to rate 5 stars!
I LOVE this recipe. As usual with your recipes, this has BIG flavor with a moderate amount of ingredients and easy cooking methods. Making this for dinner again tonight <3
Love at first enormous bite mmmmmm. I followed the recipe for once, and used my ninja foodi (1 hr pressure cooker on high, then slow cooked on high for the afternoon, lid off for a while to reduce the liquid). My children think I’m a genius, my husband is blissed out in a burrito coma. Thank you Nagi!!!! I’m already planning to make this to show off to friends and the abundant leftovers will save my bacon during the week when I’m too lazy to cook. Delicious.
you have made a very pregnant lady a very happy pregnant lady lol. i always seem to get intense cravings for shredded beef when i’m expecting, and it’s been no different with baby #4! i was nervous about doing this myself, especially since even after a store run i found i had forgotten a few things, but nevertheless i crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, and the wait paid off! i had looked through many recipes before deciding on yours, the other reviews were honestly what sold me. it seems you have a reputation for consistently good food so i figured ‘what the heck’. the only thing i did differently than stated was the cook time; i used the crock pot, which you suggested doing 8 hours on low, but from the other recipes i had glanced i saw that 8 on low can also be done as 4 hours on high, so that’s what i did! very flavorful and juicy meat, i’m very pleased with this and will very happily try another of your recipes in the near future! thanks for satiating my craving!
OK I would not want to be the one to mess with a mum of 4 and get in the way of a pregnancy craving!! SO glad you loved it! N x
I know orange juice is essential in this recipe however, sadly I am allergic. In other recipes I have substituted with lime or lemon which don’t seem to bother me. Do you think lime would work? would it need additional sweetness? Thanks, this looks delicious.
Hi Suzanne – it’s already got lime and 3/4 cup would be too much acid/sour – I would suggest maybe some pineapple juice as a sub. N x
Made this last night – amazing depth of flavour. I had never slow cooked anything before so I am a total beginner. Used my Dutch oven! 3.5 hours in the oven and it was perfect. Couldn’t find chipotle powder so replaced it with paprika. What a treat. Am using leftovers today to make pulled beef and coleslaw burgers!
Slow cooking is the bomb!! Total flavour maxed out!! N x
i just had to let you know this recipe was a winner. all your recipes work out well. we served this to our parents and inlaws to rave reviews. we ended up searing it on the bbq, which was a risk but ended up turning out great.
I make this all the time as my special dish! my family always asks for it and guests love it. Best authentic Mexican recipe I’ve found.
Blew me away! Sooooo good! 🤤
My husband can’t stop raving about how delicious this was. He doesn’t handle spicy heat well so I did tone down the chipotle powder to a teaspoon and added a rounded tablespoon of chili powder. This is a keeper for sure. Will be making this at our next family get together.
5 stars
Made this in the crock pot. It was delicious and recipe was easy to follow. Thank you.