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!
Hi there, it is unclear in the recipe if you are supposed to mix the remaining spice mix in while you slow cook the meat, or if you just save it for another day. Please let me know! Just got it slow cooking and added about half the remaining mix since I didn’t know.
Hi Kim, you add them at step 6 – the video also shows this 🙂 – N x
Hi Nagi!
How would you say that this recipe compares to your carnitas recipe (https://salesdock.info/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/%3C/a%3E%29? Do you have a favorite to use in tacos?
Hi Sonja, they are completely different – Mexican shredded beef has a tomato based sauce whereas the carnitas doesn’t – both equally as good as each other in my opinion!
Hi Nagi, love your recipes. Just wondering what brand and size is the white round casserole pot you use in this recipe (and lots of others). I would like to buy one. It looks like the perfect size and colour! It looks like Le Crueset but not sure. Thanks
Hi Rebecca, I use Chasseur, it’s a 26cm pot – N x
Thank you!!
Do you use 20 ml tablespoons, or 15? Just worried about the large amount of chipotle!
Hi Shelley, That’s a really good question. The short answer is – I use 15 ml but in the vast majority of my recipes, it does not matter if you use 20ml or 15 ml. BUT if it does matter, I either specify as such or I say 4 tsp (which is 20 ml) or 3 tsp (which is 15 ml) instead (because teaspoons are more standard across the world). 99% of the time it’s baking recipes where it matters. Or where I use a very strong sauce like dark soy sauce. And in those cases, I always cater for the difference. – N x
Hi Nagi
Hope you are well. I’m hoping to make this tomorrow but I only have crushed chipotle. Would this be ok to use or not the same flavour/taste? If not then I won’t make it until another time when I can find some ground chipotle. Thank you. Have a great day.x
Hi Nagi..I found ‘Smokey Chipotle seasoning powder’ in Woolworths
Hi Nagi,
I’d like to make this however i watched the video and you added water? How much water do you use? Thank You!
Sorry – just fixed this!
I don’t see water in the recipe.
I don’t see water in the recipe either. Looks like maybe a half cup? Eek! Making this tomorrow and hope to find out by then. Thanks!
I also just watched the video and see you added water but I don’t see it in the written recipe. Do we add it? How much and when?
Has the layout of this website changed? This seems like a recipe I have made/loved in the past that i would just search by “mexican shredded beef” and i know it by the picture (white bowls with the beef and something green) and this recipe seems very similar but im not sure if its the one ive used in the past? has there been a website update?
Hi Steph, the recipe post has been updated but the recipe is the same – N x
Followed this recipe exactly (used brisket as my cut of meat and 50 minutes in a pressure cooker) and it was so delicious! The flavour is yummy can’t wait to make this again.
Perfect Jasmin – N x
Hi!
I found this yummy recipe on Pinterest.
I am making the meat now but I am missing something.
Your video shows water being added to the pot but I don’t see anything about water in the recipe.
Can you please help me and clarify how much I need to add?
Thank you!
This is the most fantasic recipe that I have found ever!!! It’s all I ever really think about cooking for dinner now hehe. Fabulous – wouldn’t change anything about it.
Great recipe. Followed slow cooker directions. Omitted onion and garlic powder as I don’t care for them. My (basic model) slow cooker is a little “fast” even on low so I wasn’t surprised it was fully shredding at 6.5 hours. Thanks!
Making this recipe for the second time this week, stove top! It’s only Tuesday! This is fabulous. I’ve been searching for a shredded beef recipe for so long. This hits all the marks. I plan to use some of the abundant sauce to make enchilada sauce. Thank you Nagi!
When I found this recipe I laughed because I have spent years looking for exactly this, I have altered so many recipes that were similar. I don’t normally use orange juice but I’m going to give it a try also I understand your frustration with finding chipotle powder. I live in small town West Texas, USA and you would think with all the Hispanic roots here and it being chili country I wouldn’t be that hard to find. I’ve found it labeled as chipotle chili powder finally but in a pinch I will use chipotle adobe sauce and make a wet rub instead, works great.
I hope you give this one a go and love it Haley!
I have just made your Mexican Shredded Beef must say it turned out phenomenal It has the authentic taste of Mexico Note with the leftovers we added black beans and rice just like some of the dishes we have eaten in Mexico Thanks
I’m so glad it was a hit Peter! – N x
Well this was my first recipe that we didn’t enjoy. Makes me wonder what I did wrong. First was that I put it in the slow cooker for the day rather than oven? And after that, I’m no confident cook so anything could have gone wrong by mistake, oops! Glad that others are enjoying it 🙂
Hi Nycolle, Sorry you didn’t enjoy it – I have slow cooker instructions in the recipe notes – did you follow these? – N x
Hey Nagi! BIG FAN from denmark! I was wondering, i made the mistake and bought pork instead of beef. Can i use that for this recipe? I’ve seen your recipe for carnitas but i don’t have a Slow Cooker.
Could you use canned chipotles instead of the powder?
I made this recipe on Saturday. We did not eat it until the next day. I did serve it differently though. Instead of shredding the beef and putting it in warm tortillas, I dipped the tortillas in the sauce and pan fried them until medium crispy then I added beef and folded into a taco. I kept pan frying until the tacos were crispy. I served with lime, onions, and cilantro and beef juice on the side. Family loved the crispy tacos.
That sounds divine Myriam!!
Do you use regular orange juice or juice from squeezed oranges?
Thank you for the recipe! How much water do you add to it?
Urgent when do I have the rest of the spice mix? Not very clear!
Hi Rachel, you add it in step 6 where you’re adding all the remaining ingredients- – N x