Perfect Shredded Beef Tacos
My shredded beef tacos are outrageously delicious with melt-in-you-mouth tender beef and all your favorite taco toppings! Trust me, you won’t be able to resist going back for seconds. This Mexican shredded beef is the perfect filling for soft tortillas, and it’s easily one of my all-time favorite taco recipes! The beef turns out to be perfectly spiced, rich, and savory. To make it, we cook beef chuck low and slow with garlic and flavorful spices until it falls apart. I use my oven for this recipe, but I have included tips for making this shredded beef in a slow cooker in the recipe below! For more recipes like this one, don’t miss our slow cooker pulled pork, Mexican carnitas, and shredded chicken tacos. Key Ingredients Beef: Use a high-quality, well-marbled chuck roast for the tastiest, most tender shredded beef. The marbling (the white veins you see running through the meat) renders during the long cooking time, adding flavor and creating that melt-in-your-mouth texture. We use the same cut of beef for this beef stew recipe. Garlic and Tomato Paste: Tomato paste and garlic add rich flavor to the cooking liquid. After cooking for so long, the garlic becomes incredibly soft and almost melts into the beef. Spices: I love the combination of spices in this shredded beef. We combine chili powder, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. I especially love using our homemade chili powder. Tortillas: If you have the time, making your own tortillas is so worth it! They’re much better than store-bought and easier than you think. Check out our recipes for soft flour tortillas and homemade corn tortillas to get started. Toppings: This is where the fun begins! Our favorite taco toppings include fresh and flavorful options like sliced avocado or homemade guacamole, cilantro, onion, and fresh lime juice. For those who like a little heat, we recommend homemade salsa, tomatillo salsa (green salsa), and hot sauce. Creamy and rich toppings like sour cream and cheese are always a hit, and pickled red onions add a tangy bite. Use what you love! Beef: Use a high-quality, well-marbled chuck roast for the tastiest, most tender shredded beef. The marbling (the white veins you see running through the meat) renders during the long cooking time, adding flavor and creating that melt-in-your-mouth texture. We use the same cut of beef for this beef stew recipe. Garlic and Tomato Paste: Tomato paste and garlic add rich flavor to the cooking liquid. After cooking for so long, the garlic becomes incredibly soft and almost melts into the beef. Spices: I love the combination of spices in this shredded beef. We combine chili powder, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. I especially love using our homemade chili powder. Tortillas: If you have the time, making your own tortillas is so worth it! They’re much better than store-bought and easier than you think. Check out our recipes for soft flour tortillas and homemade corn tortillas to get started. Toppings: This is where the fun begins! Our favorite taco toppings include fresh and flavorful options like sliced avocado or homemade guacamole, cilantro, onion, and fresh lime juice. For those who like a little heat, we recommend homemade salsa, tomatillo salsa (green salsa), and hot sauce. Creamy and rich toppings like sour cream and cheese are always a hit, and pickled red onions add a tangy bite. Use what you love! How to Make Shredded Beef Tacos Our shredded beef is savory, rich, and delicious. We cook a beef chuck low and slow with garlic and a blend of spices until tender. We prefer using the oven, but you can use a slow cooker. See the tips section in the recipe below for our slow cooker instructions. To start, prepare the beef. Trim any excess fat from a beef chuck roast and pat it dry. Season it with salt and sear it in a Dutch oven until browned on all sides. This adds flavor to the pot, which will help make our beef even more delicious. Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices (chili powder, cumin, coriander, bay leaves, and cinnamon). Then pour in water (or use chicken stock or beef stock) so the liquid is about three-quarters of the way up the beef. Cover the pot with a lid and bake until tender, about 2 to 3 hours. When the beef is tender, remove it and shred it. See how melt-in-your-mouth tender it looks!? Now, for my favorite part. That cooking liquid is really tasty, so strain it, skim away excess fat, and then reduce it by half by simmering it on the stove. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Then, pour the reduced cooking liquid over your shredded beef and serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings. So good! When the beef is fall-apart-tender, you can remove it from the cooking liquid and shred it. The cooking liquid is delicious, so we strain it, remove excess fat, and then reduce it by half. When you are reducing the liquid, taste it and see if it needs salt or pepper. Pour the reduced cooking liquid over the shredded beef and serve next to tortillas and your favorite taco toppings. Delicious! Perfect Shredded Beef Tacos PREP 20 mins COOK 3 hr TOTAL 3 hr 20 mins PREP 20 mins COOK 3 hr TOTAL 3 hr 20 mins The secret to the best shredded beef is to cook it low and slow. We use our oven, but you can use a slow cooker. Check the notes section in the recipe below for my tips on cooking the beef in your slow cooker. I love serving this super tender beef in tortillas for shredded beef tacos, but you can skip the tortillas and serve with rice, in burritos, or over salad. 10 Servings You Will Need 4 to 5 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat 2 tablespoons avocado oil Salt 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon chili powder, see homemade chili powder 1 tablespoon ground coriander 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 bay leaves 2 cinnamon sticks Flour tortillas or corn tortillas, warmed Taco toppings such as guacamole, sliced avocado, homemade salsa, onion, cilantro, pickled onions, cheese, and lime Directions 1Preheat the oven to 300°F (148°C). Set aside a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid. 2Pat the beef dry, and then generously season both sides with salt. 3Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned beef and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. 4Scatter garlic cloves, tomato paste, chili powder, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks around the beef. 5Pour enough water so it comes up about three-quarters of the way up the side of the beef. Stir, then cover the pot with its lid. Slide into the oven and cook until the meat is fall-apart tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours. 6Transfer the meat to a bowl, let it cool, then shred it with a fork. 7Strain the cooking liquid and skim off most of the fat at the surface. Return the strained liquid to the pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by about half. Taste the liquid and adjust with more salt as needed. 8Pour some (or all) of the reduced liquid over the shredded beef. Serve with tortillas and taco toppings. 1Preheat the oven to 300°F (148°C). Set aside a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid. 2Pat the beef dry, and then generously season both sides with salt. 3Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the seasoned beef and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. 4Scatter garlic cloves, tomato paste, chili powder, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks around the beef. 5Pour enough water so it comes up about three-quarters of the way up the side of the beef. Stir, then cover the pot with its lid. Slide into the oven and cook until the meat is fall-apart tender, 2 ½ to 3 hours. 6Transfer the meat to a bowl, let it cool, then shred it with a fork. 7Strain the cooking liquid and skim off most of the fat at the surface. Return the strained liquid to the pot and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by about half. Taste the liquid and adjust with more salt as needed. 8Pour some (or all) of the reduced liquid over the shredded beef. Serve with tortillas and taco toppings. Adam and Joanne's Tips To make slow cooker shredded beef: Sear the beef in oil on the stove until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Then, transfer to a slow cooker. Scatter the garlic cloves, tomato paste, chili powder, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks around the beef. Pour enough water so it comes up about three-quarters of the way up the side of the beef. Stir, then cover the cooker with its lid. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Then shred the meat and follow our instructions for reducing the cooking liquid shared above. Storing: Store shredded beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 10 servings and did not include tortillas or toppings. To make slow cooker shredded beef: Sear the beef in oil on the stove until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Then, transfer to a slow cooker. Scatter the garlic cloves, tomato paste, chili powder, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks around the beef. Pour enough water so it comes up about three-quarters of the way up the side of the beef. Stir, then cover the cooker with its lid. Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Then shred the meat and follow our instructions for reducing the cooking liquid shared above. Storing: Store shredded beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 10 servings and did not include tortillas or toppings. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 of 10 servings / Calories 298 / Total Fat 13.4g / Saturated Fat 3.3g / Cholesterol 120.6mg / Sodium 389.3mg / Carbohydrate 2g / Dietary Fiber 0.8g / Total Sugars 0.3g / Protein 40.6g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us