A simple old fashioned chuck roast morphs into some mighty fine shredded beef tacos. Beautifully flavored with Mexican seasonings and finished with your favorite taco toppings. And what about that flavor? It definitely shows up for the party. These roast beef tacos are a weeknight meal dream come true.
If you’re looking for more Roast Beef Recipes, don’t miss this one for Mexican Pot Roast. Take that Sunday Pot Roast South Of The Border.
Why Roast Beef Tacos Are A Weeknight Winner
How about grabbing that crock pot for some easy, hassle free, “feed a family” roast beef tacos! This is one of those dump and go dinner that is a weeknight life-saver.
- With just a little bit of morning prep, your evening meal comes together in a jiff.
- The low setting on your crock pot, with an 8 hour cook time, will yield fall-apart, flavorful roast beef tacos.
- You’ll learn a crock pot method, crisping tips, and topping taco bar ideas.
- With warming Mexican spices, the meat turns out super flavorful.
- The end result is roast beef is so fall-apart tender, it practically shreds itself. It carries a barbacoa vibe and if you take the time to crisp the meat, will remind you for carnitas tacos.
- Not to mention how satisfying it is to come home to a house wafting with cozy savory aromas.
We’re big fans of New Mexico chile powder which is used to add spice, and using pantry staples like cumin, bay leaves, garlic and onions, make this a classic Mexican seasoned dish..
And the beauty about this recipe is that you can make it as spicy as you want.
So let’s put a humble chuck roast beef to work for some crock pot roast beef tacos. It truly doesn’t get any easier than this recipe. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients for Roast Beef Tacos
- Chuck Roast: Good old fashioned pot roast (chuck roast) is the best choice for crock pot roast beef tacos. It’s a relatively inexpensive cut of beef that starts out ornery and tough. But when slow cooked in the crock pot, the long cooking time allows the connective tissues to break down into rich geletin. it becomes meltingly tender and becomes a perfect canvas for taco shells. The long slow cook, mingled with Mexican spices turns out incredibly flavorful.
- Neutral Oil. Canola oil or vegetable oil work well here. And don’t be afraid to use lard.
- Onion and Garlic: Friends don’t let friends eat Mexican food without onion and garlic. Fine dice the garlic and simply slice a lare onion to flavor these roast beef tacos. Easy!
- Canned Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes are a miracle product for the home cook. Especially during those Winter months when the stores only offer sad flavorless hot house tomatoes. Choose canned tomatoes that are chopped or diced. The smaller chop, the more they’ll break downinto the sauce.
- New Mexico Chile Powder: Red Chile powder from New Mexico is a pure treat. Beautiful in color and flavor and just right spicy. I keep a supply of New Mexico Chimayo Chile Powder and Hatch Red Chile Powder on hand, but if you can’t find them, Ancho Chile powder is a great substitute. Don’t use Chili (with an “i”) powder, it’s a blend of spices used to flavor Beef Chili style recipes.
- Ground Cumin: Cumin is a popular spice for Asian and Middle East curries, and is also commonly used in Mexican Southwest recipes. It has a warm earthy flavor and in my humble opinion makes about anything taste better.
- Bay Leaf: Add such a distinctive flavor for roast beef. Pungent and herbal, it adds a lovely depth of flavor to this dish. Just don’t forget to remove them after cooking. They’re sharp and remain sharp even after an all day cook in the crockpot.
Best Beef Cuts For Roast Beef Tacos
As I mentioned above, I prefer a good old fashioned chuck roast. Here are other options and the trade-offs.
- Beef Brisket will work well here. Rather than purchasing a whole brisket, look for a point cut brisket. A whole brisket can be cut into two sections, the flat point, and the point. The point is a thicker piece of meat which will work better for this long-cook recipe. The trade off is price. Brisket is a more expensive cut of meat that a chuck roast.
- Rump Roast: You can use a rump roast, but keep in mind it comes from the hindquarter of the animal and is a leaner cut of meat. It is better for sliced roast beef options. Save this cut to make your Sunday Pot Roast dinner.
The Only Crock Pot Roast Beef Taco Recipe You’ll Need
Easy Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper and flour both sides. In a large Dutch oven, or skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat. Add the pot roast and brown. Get a nice brown crust on each side of the beef.
- Step 2: Get a good brown crust on the two large flat sides of the meat.
Pro Tip: Don't skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it's responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It's a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
- Step 3: Place the beef in the crockpot. Sprinkle the garlic and onion over the beef. Add the crushed tomatoes, water and spices. Cook in crock pot on low for 6 – 8 hours.
- Step 4: Let meat cool in the liquid. Use forks to shred meat and set aside.
Shredding and Finishing – Texture Matters
- Shredding: I personally feel that using two forks is the best way to shed roast beef. As I mentioned above, if cooked properly, the beef will practically shred its self. You can also use your hands as quick tools.
- Crisping: If you want a crispier taco, once the meat is shredded, place it on a sheet pan and broil the meat for just a couple of minutes in the oven.
Toppings and Sauces That Work Well for Roast Beef Tacos
Once the chuck roast is cooled and the beef shredded, just serve with your favorite taco toppings.
- A crunch of shredded cabbage. Cabbage is used commonly for a taco topping.
- A slice of avocado or some homemade Chunky Guacamole.
- Salsa is always welcome. We love these Mexican pulled beef tacos with a drizzle Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. Or a tomato based salsa like this Essential Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa works well here.
- I love sliced raw jalapeno peppers or chopped raw onions.
- Cotija Cheese: A Mexican crumbling cheese with a wonderfully tangy salty flavor works well for these shredded beef tacos.
- Chopped cilantro: Yes please.
- Lime Wedges: Serve tacos with a side of lime wedges. A splash of lime juice will brighten the flavors of any taco.
- Mexican Pickled Onions are always a good choice for any taco and they’re so easy to make.
- Tortillas: Serve shredded beef on either yellow corn, white corn, or even small street style flour tortillas.
Tips For Success
- Adjusting the spice level: New Mexico Red Chile Powder can deliver quite a punch of heat. This recipe calls for using 1 – 2 Tablespoons. Start out the lesser amount. Once the meat is done cooking in the crockpot, you can always sprinkle on some more once you start shredding the meat.
- Use The Right Cut Of Meat: Chuck roast is easy to find in the grocery store. And it’s usually a cheaper cut of meat. I prefer it for this recipe. But please don’t hesitate to try a small brisket, or even flank steak.
- After shredding the beef, make sure to strain out the onions, tomatoes and some of the sauce to mix into the meat.
Storage
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. I like to heat any left over shredded beef in the microwave in 15-30 second increments. Small bursts of heat in the microwave, and using the 50% power feature won’t compromise the tender texture.
- Meat for shredded beef tacos can be frozen for up to 6 months. I like to use freezer safe zip-lock style baggies, that way you can store them flat to optimize freezer space. Let the meat thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
How To Warm Corn Tortillas
You can’t just take a corn tortilla out of the package and use it. You must warm it to make it pliable for these shredded beef tacos.
You could take the time to fry and shape your own corn tortillas into tacos. But to keep things weeknight easy just heatup soft white or yellow corn tacos.
Warming corn tortillas in the microwave:
- Drizzle about three tablespoons of water over a clean kitchen towel.
- Wrap your corn tortillas in the towel.
- Slide the package into a gallon sized plastic bag. Don't seal the bag.
- Microwave the tortillas at 50% power for four minutes.
- This creates a steamy packet. Let sit 2 -3 minutes inside package before using.
Warming corn tortillas in the oven: You an also wrap store bought corn tortillas in foil and pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Warming torn tortillas stove top: My favorite way! Place individual tortillas directly on the grate of your gas stovetop. Turn the flame so it’s the exact size of the tortilla. Toast them for about 15 seconds per side, or until the edges are starting to brown.
Or you can purchase this incredible microwave tortilla warmer that works like magic. I have two because they work well for serving tacos to a crowd. You can heat corn tortillas in one and flour in the other – then get that taco party started.
Flour tortillas are easily warmed in the microwave to make them soft, steamy and pliable. No need to use the corn tortilla bag method, just place them on a plate and heat until warm.
Questions You May Have
To prepare roast beef tacos stovetop, start by searing the beef, adding the spices and canned tomatoes. I would add a cup of beef broth to prevent it from drying out. Cover and cook over low heat until the chuck roast is very tender. About 3 hours. Monitor the level of liquid as you may likely need to add more broth. This is especially important when using a heavy Dutch oven like a Le Creuset.
You can reduce the cooking time by half, by using the “high” setting on your crock pot. But I simply wouldn’t recommend it. Cooking a chuck roast low and slow in the crock pot will insure that the meat will be fall apart tender and very shreddable. A quicker cook time may compromise the texture of the meat.
I love those little Street Taco flour tortillas. So the answer is a resounding yes. If you use flour tortillas, be sure to drizzle them with salsa verde, the flavors are spot on. As far as flour vs. corn tortillas, they’re both delicious options for any taco.
There’s only one easy answer. It’s not been cooked long enough. Keep cooking until the meat is fall apart tender.
Recipe For Chuck Roast Beef Tacos
Give these roast beef tacos a try. So easy and so big on flavor.
These chuck roast beef tacos were a life saver this week. Simple with seasoning and big on flavor, the meat went into the crock pot before I went to work and I arrived home to an aromatic party that filled every nook and cranny of our house. So very easy and with plenty of leftovers for a couple of quick dinners.
More Popular Taco Recipes
And if you’re a fan of Mexican food, don’t miss my Mexican-Southwest Category. You’ll find lots of great recipes. Including the most popular taco recipe on my site for Fried Beef Tacos.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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Crock Pot Roast Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Neutral oil Canola or vegetable oil work well here
- 2 pounds Chuck Roast
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons All purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes Canned, undrained
- ½ cup water
- 1 Tablespoons New Mexico Chile Powder or more if you want the spicy heat
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Sweet smoked Paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 24 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Flour both sides of the chuck roast. In a large Dutch oven, skillet, or if your crock pot has a stove top insert, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat. Add the pot roast and brown. Get a nice brown crust on each side of the beef.
- Place the beef in the crockpot. Sprinkle the garlic and onion over the beef.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, water and add spices.
- Cook in crock pot on low for 6 – 8 hours. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.
- Warm corn tortillas by dampening a clean kitchen towel with water. Place the corn tortillas on the wet towel and fold the towel over the tortillas. Place the package in a gallon zip lock bag, but do not seal.
- Place them in the microwave and cook for two minutes at 50% power. Let them steam in the bag for 4 minutes before removing.
- Toppings for tacos: Shredded Cabbage, Avocado, guacamole, Sour Cream, sliced radishes, cilantro, salsa.
Notes
-
- Adjusting the spice level: New Mexico Red Chile Powder can deliver quite a punch of heat. This recipe calls for using 1 – 2 Tablespoons. Start out the lesser amount. Once the meat is done cooking in the crockpot, you can always sprinkle on some more once you start shredding the meat.
-
- Use The Right Cut Of Meat: Chuck roast is easy to find in the grocery store. And it’s usually a cheaper cut of meat. I prefer it for this recipe. But please don’t hesitate to try a small brisket, or even flank steak.
- After shredding the beef, make sure to strain out the onions, tomatoes and some of the sauce to mix into the meat.
Nutrition
Crock Pot Chuck Roast Beef Tacos … It’s What’s for an Easy Dinner.
Why Trust My Recipes? I am a Culinary School Graduate and a lifelong student of home cooking. I hope to inspire you try to cook as often as you can. I’ve been cooking for 50 years, and my recipes are tried and true tested and tested and then tested again before published. To read more take a look at my About Page.
That sounds fantastic and yes, the leftovers rock. I could see putting a little of this, some diced veggies on a tostada and topping it with a fried egg for breakfast.
OMG, sounds like a winner. Wish I still had leftovers so I could do that.
Shredded beef with those wonderful seasonings sounds like something I would love. Tri tip always cooks up so nicely, too.
It’s so exciting to see the real estate market pick back up. I have always considered my home equity to be my golden ticket investment and was just sick when my best asset lost its ass. 🙂
I’m loving my Costco try-tips. Well, I’ve been buying them for years and years. I just did a Santa Maria Tri-tip and will be blogging about that one. So wonderful. Hopefully your equity is seeing better days. Always a roller coaster.
These sound perfect for a busy day – which I have plenty of these days with gardening season upon us! Burning up all of those calories I deserve a few tacos 🙂
I like how you think Susan. With us food bloggers, any calorie burned is worth a celebration.
So I’m totally craving beef tacos now, betch ya I have them before the end of the week. It’s such good news that the housing market is taking an upward turn!
More like a soar. It won’t last forever. Real Estate is a roller coaster. You should try this recipe, it’s a good one.
It’s the greatest thing to come home to a crock pot meal after a long day at work. The house smells so good and it’s like there was no work to it! This sounds like a really good recipe.
You’ve got that right. Thanks Karen.
That’s what it was like when we bought our house two years ago… we probably paid about $5-8K more than we should have, but what can you do…. guess just hope it’s the same way when it’s time to sell 🙂
This taco recipe sounds divine!! And love the simplicity of making it in the crock pot!
It’s all relevant Jenn. If it’s the house of your dreams, then that’s not much to worry about. 🙂
Looks and sounds delicious LA and glad to hear business is booming. My daughter is a realtor and says she has been very busy also. This is coming to you from an RV park in Sevierville, TN as we are finally having our maiden voyage.
I knew your daughter was a Realtor, and glad to hear things are good in Texas also. Can’t wait to hear about the maiden voyage.
So you’re the lady that knows the whole closing by heart. Just was there and she was amazing how she knew the answers to everything and explained up front anything that needed explanation.
Cooking the tacos in the crock pot sounds like a great idea. Wish I hadn’t given mine away. BTW, I can now follow you on Feedly and Bloglovin’, so when I disappear from your mail list, you’ll know what happened to me. Sure don’t want to miss any good eats as Alton Brown would say.
Sam
Actually, it’s our closers that are the expert, I sell them and their knowledge and expertise. I’ve got about 4 crockpots, I’d be glad to give you one. 🙂
Lea Ann,
We really enjoy tacos and I do need to use my crock pot more! Every day seems to be a busy day in our lives, even with every attempt to simplify! So glad to hear the real estate market is picking up. We have a condo that my husband inherited that is in Florida. It has been for sale for 2 years and only lookers. We keep lowering the price, putting money into it to update it, but still no takers! And it is right on the inter coastal waterway! I keep praying for this burden to be removed from our lives! Keep sending the positive vibes!
Yes, I have friends that own property in Florida and they’ve tried to sell it for years. Really a good time to buy there. I’m so sorry to hear it’s a burden. Darnit. Positive vibes are headed your way.
(Sure wish I’d sold when there was a buying frenzy. Although there are so many condos down here, they don’t sell as well as homes.)
My crock pot is long gone, Lea Ann. I’m always tempted when I see so many slow cooking recipes, but then my family is grown and moved out of this area, so when I see something I’d like to make, I adapt it to stovetop. So thanks in advance for that…this looks marvelous and I love Tyler recipes!
Sometimes you just can’t time major decisions like that at just the right time. You and Sam have both given up your crockpots. You need to get at least a small one. Great to hear from you Barbara.
I like Tyler Florence, he definitely has some wonderful recipes. Looks fantastic!
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
I agree! I used to follow his blog. Don’t know what happened there.
I love easy crock pot meals like this for busy days. Sounds delicious!!
Thanks so much for stopping by and the comment Deborah. I’ve been enjoying your blog.