Let the Slow Cooker slave away to make these flavorful and irresistible Shredded Beef Tacos with this simple recipe! A fun taco night recipe that switches it up!
There’s something so wonderful about Shredded Beef Tacos. They’re so flavorful, and this recipe is truly irresistible. Using the Slow Cooker to slowly cook the beef all day makes for some tender beef tacos!
This Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Taco Recipe is so incredibly easy to put together. It’s the perfect thing to add to your weekly meal plan and would be great for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or any day you need a truly simple dinner recipe.
My family loves tacos, like love tacos, everyone loves tacos! They’re always a hit, everyone can add whatever topping they want and now with this shredded beef it’s even easier for me to have it cooking all day while I get other stuff done.
I love using my slow cooker all year long, but when back to school hits and the weather is getting cooler out I really like to use it even more.
That is one reason why these Shredded Beef Tacos have become such a hit in our house is because, they have been made so often that everyone has come to adore them.
If you are looking to switch up that boring taco routine and make something that is super tender, juicy and flavorful – then this is just the recipe for you.
Some of our other favorite slow cooker recipes we have on our site include: Slow Cooker Pork Chops, Slow Cooker Jambalaya and Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- The slow cooker does all the work for you.
- So incredibly tasty, moist meat that makes the perfect taco protein base.
- Easily customizable with your favorite taco toppings and can be used elsewhere.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Chuck roast
Kosher salt
Pepper
Vegetable oil
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Jarred salsa
Tortillas, for serving
Taco toppings, for serving
HOW TO MAKE SHREDDED BEEF TACOS, STEP BY STEP:
- Use salt and pepper to season the roast on both sides.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil and sear the roast on both sides so you get a good sear, we are looking for a deep golden brown which typically takes about 3-5 minutes per side to achieve.
- Place the roast into your Slow Cooker.
- Add garlic powder and onion powder on top of the roast.
- Toss the salsa directly on top of the roast in the cooker.
- Place the lid on and turn on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours, until the meat is easily shreddable.
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Toss any tough fatty bits.
- Put the shredded beef back into the slow cooker insert and stir it with the juices still left in the cooker. Perform a taste test and add more salt if necessary.
- Serve immediately in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings, and enjoy.
DO I HAVE TO SEAR THE MEAT FIRST?
Searing the chuck roast before cooking it in the Slow Cooker adds a ton of extra flavor. I highly recommend that you take a few extra minutes to sear it.
But if you’re in a time crunch, you can skip the searing step, just be sure to season the roast well with salt and pepper.
WHAT SIZE SLOW COOKER SHOULD I USE?
I recommend using a 6-8 quart Slow Cooker to have appropriate room to cook your beef sufficiently. You can use a bigger cooker, but I don’t recommend trying to use a smaller one.
WHAT ELSE CAN I USE THIS SHREDDED BEEF ON?
That’s one of the reasons I love this Shredded Beef so much, it’s AMAZING on tacos, but it’s not just for tacos! You can use it on so many other things. Try using this beef on:
- Nachos
- Burritos
- Taco bowls
- Build a nacho bar
- Taco salads
- Quesadillas
HOW TO STORE:
Any leftover beef should be stored in an airtight container, with any extra beef juices or broth from the slow cooker if possible, in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 5 days.
It should be stored separately from the rest of the taco ingredients. This helps them keep their flavors, and makes reheating easier to not dry out the beef.
This can also be frozen, place cooled meat and juices in a freezer container or bag and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, place in the refrigerator overnight until thawed. To reheat, place the meat back in the slow cooker or add the meat and juices into a pot on the stove over medium-low heat until it’s nice and warmed all the way through again.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- This is a great recipe to build from. Making the shredded beef is easy and then it can be used on more than just tacos, see more ideas above.
- Feel free to add whatever your favorite taco toppings are to your tacos when you serve.
- Use whatever salsa is your favorite. Make sure to do a taste test of the meat before adding salt right before you serve it. Some salsas are saltier than others.
- Let your cast iron skillet get nice and hot before adding the oil. It sears the beef easier that way.
- This recipe makes 12 tacos, which is a great amount of food. I almost always have leftovers and the leftovers are soooo good!
- I like to store the juices from the slow cooker with the beef leftovers so they stay moist and flavorful.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Craving some good Shredded Beef Tacos?! Let the Slow Cooker do all the work and enjoy some freshly made beef tacos for dinner tonight!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these SLOW COOKER SHREDDED BEEF TACOS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Shredded Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 pound chuck roast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 16 ounces jarred salsa
- Tortillas for serving
- Taco toppings for serving
Instructions
- Use salt and pepper to season the roast on both sides.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the oil and sear the roast on both sides so you get a good sear, we are looking for a deep golden brown which typically takes about 3-5 minutes per side to achieve.
- Place the roast into your Slow Cooker.
- Add garlic powder and onion powder on top of the roast.
- Toss the salsa directly on top of the roast in the cooker.
- Place the lid on and turn on low 7-8 hours or high 4-5 hours, until the meat is easily shreddable.
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Toss any tough fatty bits.
- Put the shredded beef back into the slow cooker insert and stir it with the juices still left in the cooker. Perform a taste test and add more salt if necessary.
- Serve immediately in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings, and enjoy.
Notes
- This is a great recipe to build from. Making the shredded beef is easy and then it can be used on more than just tacos, see more ideas above.
- Feel free to add whatever your favorite taco toppings are to your tacos when you serve.
- Use whatever salsa is your favorite. Make sure to do a taste test of the meat before adding salt right before you serve it. Some salsas are saltier than others.
- Let your cast iron skillet get nice and hot before adding the oil. It sears the beef easier that way.
- This recipe makes 12 tacos, which is a great amount of food. I almost always have leftovers and the leftovers are soooo good!
- I like to store the juices from the slow cooker with the beef leftovers so they stay moist and flavorful.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
sharyn
good recipe tastes great. It makes a better burrito than a taco