Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos (Roast Beef Tacos) Easy!

A simple old fashioned pot roast morphs into some mighty fine crock pot 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.

Crock Pot shredded beef tacos served with salsa and slices of lime.

How about grabbing that crock pot for some easy, hassle free, “feed a family” roast beef tacos? With just a little bit of morning prep, your evening meal comes together in a jiff. Simply shred the beef and gathering some taco toppings and dinner is on the table.

Using warming Mexican spices, the meat turns out super flavorful and once slow-cooked, the roast beef is so fall-apart tender, it practically shreds itself.

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 slow cooker shredded 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 is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef that starts out ornery and tough, but when slow cooked in the crock pot, it becomes meltingly tender. It becomes a perfect canvas for these crock pot roast beef tacos. 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.

Step by Step Instructions, Its So Easy

Preparing chuck roast to make roast beef tacos.

Searing chuck roast to make roast beef tacos.

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.

Cooking a chuck roast, spices and vegetables in a crock pot to make roast beef tacos.

Shredding a chuck roast to make roast beef tacos.

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.

Serving Ideas for Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

Once this meat 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.

Questions You May Have

What Kind Of Beef Is Best For Shredded Beef Tacos?

As we know, the humble pot roast (chuck roast) benefits dramatically either slow roasted in the oven, or steeping in a slow cooker all day. Tender texture and pure beefy flavor.

Can I Cook Roast Beef Tacos On High?

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.

Can I Use Flour Tortillas For Shredded Beef Tacos?

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.

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 done’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.

Waring 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.

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.

Crockpot roast beef tacos with cabbage limes and salsa

Recipe For Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

Give these roast beef tacos a try. So easy and so big on flavor.

These crock pot shredded 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.

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