Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
Let the crockpot do the work with my Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos! This super flavorful taco meat is slowly cooked all day and is so delicious baked in flour tortillas with gooey cheese. These will definitely be a huge hit with your family!
One of my favorite recipes on my site is my Barbacoa Beef Burrito Bowls. We are big fans of burrito bowls and the barbacoa beef is *chefs kiss.* The one problem? It has a big of a kick to it. Which means my kids don't love it as much as we do. To solve this problem, I came up with this Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos recipe.
This slow cooked chuck roast is super flavorful from a ton of pantry staple dried herbs like garlic, onion, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika. It is also incredibly tender from slow cooking in a mixture of the herbs, broth, orange juice, lime juice, and diced tomatoes. It can be shredded with forks and is perfect inside tortillas!
Looking for other slow cooker recipes? Check out my Slow Cooker Beef Stew, Slow Cooker Creamy Lemon Herb Chicken, and Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy - this recipe is so simple and straight forward!
- Slow Cooked Beef - chuck roast is SO tender when cooked in the slow cooker, and this meat is so good!
- Crowd Pleaser - who doesn't love tacos?! This recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
Boneless Beef Chuck Roast - this is the best cut of beef for the slow cooker as its high amount of connective tissue results in tender, fall-apart meat when it is slowly cooked.
Olive Oil - used to sear the chuck roast before slow cooking it.
Spices - this shredded beef taco recipe is seasoned with chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic, onion, and salt for a ton of flavor.
Orange Juice and Fresh Lime Juice - this tenderizes the meat as well as adds some citrus flavor.
Broth - I used chicken broth but beef broth is also delicious. I always have chicken bouillon on hand so I can make broth whenever I need to.
Flour Tortillas - these are just so much easier to work with than corn tortillas, and are perfect for getting crispy in the oven.
Shredded Cheese - this goes in the tacos with the beef and gets all melty when the tacos are baked.
Toppings - you can use whatever your favorite taco topping are but we love guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, plain Greek yogurt/sour cream, pickled jalapeños, cotija cheese, and pickled red onion.
Variations
Fresh Garlic - if you don't have dried garlic powder on hand, you can also use 4 cloves of fresh garlic, too.
Add Some Heat - I keep my shredded beef super mild because of my kids, but you could add a couple pinches of cayenne pepper or some chipotles en adobo if you want spicy shredded beef.
Different Protein - you can use this method and spice mixture with the same quantity of a different type of protein like a boneless pork shoulder, boneless skinless chicken breasts, or chicken thighs.
Step by Step Instructions
Photo 1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, Dutch oven, or a slow cooker with sauté/brown function over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chuck roast and sear on each side for 4-5 minutes, until browned.
Photo 2. In a bowl, combine the spices, orange juice, and broth, and whisk to combine.
Photo 3. Add the chuck roast, broth/spice mixture, and diced tomatoes to a slow cooker.
Photo 4. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours, until the beef shreds easily. Shred the beef with two forks.
Photo 5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease two baking sheets with cooking spray or brush with olive oil and place the tortillas on the baking sheets. Add cheese and shredded beef to one half of each tortilla and then fold in half, pressing the tortilla down so it stays folded. Spray the top of the tortillas with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.
Photo 6. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, flip the tacos and spray/brush with more oil, and bake another 4-5 minutes, until browned and crispy. Serve with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Different Uses for the Meat - while this shredded beef is perfect for tacos, you can also use it for beef enchiladas, beef burritos, nachos, or quesadillas!
Dutch Oven Method - if you don't want to use a crock pot, you can braise the meat in the oven at 325 degrees for 3 to 3 ½ hours or simmer on the stovetop for 2 to 2 ½ hours.
Storage - store leftover meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
A chuck roast is my favorite cut of beef to slowly cook in a slow cooker for shredded beef tacos. It becomes very tender and shreddable when slowly cooked due to the high amount of connective tissue in this cut of meat.
You can. You can either make it into a freezer meal by freezing it prior to cooking. Simply put the chuck roast into a freezer bag with the tomatoes, broth, and spice mixture and then thaw prior to cooking in refrigerator. Or you can freeze the cooked meat and then thaw and reheat.
Other Taco Recipes to Consider
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- juice from 1 lime
- 1 ½ cup chicken broth
For Crispy Baked Tacos:
- 12 flour tortillas taco sized
- shredded Mexican cheese
Favorite Taco Toppings
- chopped cilantro
- sliced avocado or guacamole
- pickled jalapeños
- salsa
- sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot or in a slow cooker with the sauté function.
- Sear the chuck roast for 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, onion powder, salt, lime juice, orange juice, and broth.
- Place the chuck roast in the slow cooker (if it's not already in there), and pour the broth/spice mixture over the chuck roast.
- Add the diced tomatoes and give it a little stir.
- Cover with lid and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Shred the beef with two forks.
To Make Crispy Baked Tacos:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray two large baking sheet with cooking spray or drizzle and brush with olive oil.
- Place taco-sized flour tortillas out onto the baking sheets.
- Add cheese and shredded beef on one half of each taco and then fold each taco in half, pressing so the tortilla stays folded.
- Spray the top of each tortilla with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.
- Bake for 5 minutes and then flip the tacos and bake another 4-5 minutes, until crispy and browned.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
- Note: to add toppings, I pull the baked tortillas apart a little bit and add the toppings/filling that way.
