Beef is browned then slow cooked to perfection in a perfect combo of spices! Easy, delicious burritos or tacos that are sure to impress!
This recipe utilizes a slow cooker to get that perfectly tender, shredded beef. This beef is perfect for burritos, tacos, and if you have left overs then quesadillas! It uses simple ingredients and is one of my favorite meals to make for guests. It’s so easy to throw into the slow cooker in the morning and have a delicious supper for company!
You will need:
- 3 pound roast
- 1 onion (I use sweet)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 jalapeno
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup lemon or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Avocado oil
Steps to make shredded beef
Browning the beef is super important, it adds so much flavor! You’ll want a cast iron pan, or another heavy bottomed pan, a little oil and medium to high heat. The goal is to brown it fast enough that the juices don’t begin to run out. You want all the flavor to stay in! If your new to cast iron learn about them here.
Once all the meat has been browned then you sauté your onion, garlic and jalapeno. I also like to temper my spices and sauté them a few seconds to really bring out the flavor and aromatics. Then I add the beef broth and tomato sauce. While heating it up I make sure to scrape off all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. You want all the browned flavorful beef crumbs you can get.
The sauce
Once your shredded beef is done you’ll be left with sauce in the slow cooker. This is used to pour over the beef and keep it nice and juicy. Depending on the cut of beef you use this might have a thick layer of fat on the top. If this is the case just use a ladle and push it down into the liquid slowly until just the top layer of fat starts pouring in, continue doing this until most of the fat is off the top then pour some of the left over juices over the shredded beef.
Shredding the beef
Shredding the beef is always one of my least favorite parts, but its one of the most important. While shredding you can remove all the fatty, chewy pieces that you don’t want to find in your burritos!
Using two forks shred the meat until it’s a nice bite size. Once everything has been shredded and added to a bowl pour some of the juices on top. Now serve and enjoy!
Shredded Beef In The Slow Cooker
Shredded beef for burritos or tacos
Ingredients
- 3 pound roast any type cut into large cubes
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno diced, seeds removed
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 1 cup beef broth
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Avocado oil
Instructions
- Plug in your slow cooker and begin allowing it to heat up.
- Season the beef with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron pan under medium/high heat. Add 2 tbsp avocado oil.
- Once hot start browning the beef on all sides. Do this in batches if necessary but try not to overcrowd the pan. Add a little avocado oil as needed until all the beef is browned. Put browned beef into the warmed slow cooker.
- Turning the heat down to medium sauté the onions and jalapenos until soft about 4 minutes. Adding avocado oil if needed.
- Add in the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds.
- Add in the spices and continue sautéing for another 30 seconds.
- Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce using a wooden spoon to gently scrape off any browned bits.
- Pour this sauce over the beef in the slow cooker.
- Add in the cilantro and lime or lemon juice and give it a stir.
- Place the lid on and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Once the beef is soft and easy to shred remove and shred it. Place in a bowl and pour a little of the juices over top.
- Serve in burritos or tacos. Enjoy!
Notes
Cook times might vary slightly depending on the size you cut your beef.
Store left overs in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove.
Freeze in a freezer safe container or a ziplock back for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fride and then reheat in a pot on the stove. The texture changes slightly after freezing but its still delicious.
This looks absolutely delcious. My mouth was watering reading and looking at these pictures!
It is a very delicious tender beef! Hope you enjoy it!
Looks so good! Will be putting this on the meal plan soon!
Its such a great meal for busy families, turning the left overs into quesadillas the next day is another reason to make this.
This looks so tasty! How spicy is it with the jalepeno? I might leave that out since our kids don’t do well with spice 🙂
Its actually not spicy at all! It just adds a bit of flavor.
Just started my slow cooker with this recipe! I am prepping freezer meals for postpartum and thought this would make a great versatile protein to use easily later
That’s awesome! I love freezing this for easy meals later.