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.

1. 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.
2. Step 2: Get a good brown crust on the two large flat sides of the meat.

3. 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.
4. 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.

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.

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.