Easy, healthy, and YUMMY! This Beef Chuck Roast Tacos Recipe is a no-brainer addition to your next meal plan and one of several delicious chuck roast recipes we love. It's fall-apart tender and perfectly seasoned with your favorite red salsa, green chilis, and Mexican spices!
The best part? It's a dump and go slow cooker recipe that will take you less than 15 minutes of hands-on time to prepare! Plus you can also use the Mexican shredded beef taco meat on bowls or burritos for more simple dinner options.
This shredded beef taco meat recipe is one of those one pan dinner recipes that literally fits any occasion. A busy weeknight, a cozy weekend, Taco Tuesday, even serving guests!
If you like a smoky flavor, you'll also love this Chipotle Shredded Beef Recipe!
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Ingredients for shredded beef tacos
One of my favorite hacks is to buy my meat when it is on a good sale, freeze it, and then thaw it when I'm ready to make an easy dinner.
- Olive oil: You can substitute with avocado oil if preferred.
- Boneless chuck roast: The best cut of beef for slow cooking! Choose one that is well marbled with fat all throughout because this will make all the difference in the flavor, moisture, and tenderness.
- Kosher salt and pepper: Seasoning as you go is a pro tip for getting the ultimate flavor.
- Diced roasted green chilis: You can also opt to use fire roasted green chilis.
- Jarred salsa: Use whatever your favorite brand is. I love Mateo's when I can find it for a good price!
- Chili powder: This adds more depth to the flavor.
- Cayenne: Just a touch of spice to liven things up! You can leave this out if you prefer.
- Garlic powder: You can use regular or finely ground powder.
- Cumin: Don't skip this one, it is essential for the Mexican flavor.
- Tortillas: Corn tortillas or flour tortillas will make great tacos with this meat.
- Taco toppings: Lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, lime juice and sour cream... whatever you like!
Helpful tools for making pulled beef tacos
How to make beef chuck roast tacos
If your roast has any really large pieces of fat on the outer edge, trim those down a bit. Then coat the meat in olive oil and sprinkle all over with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. I like to use a cast iron skillet, but any will do.
Once it's hot, sear each side of the roast for 2-3 minutes until a golden brown crust is formed. Then place it in a 6 quart slow cooker.
Into the hot skillet, pour 1 cup of water and simmer for about 30 seconds, scraping up the brown bits. Then pour the liquid over the roast in the slow cooker.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker and use tongs or a spatula to gently mix everything together.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-4.5 hours, or until it falls apart easily when prodded with tongs or forks.
Once finished cooking, use tongs to move the roast onto a cutting board. Use two forks to gently remove any large chunks of fat, then shred the rest into small pieces.
Pour the remaining cooking liquids through a sieve, then stir the meat and liquids back together in the slow cooker. Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings!
Sides to serve with shredded beef tacos
- Authentic Mexican Rice (we've cracked the code on this one!)
- Cheesy Refried Beans Casserole
- Mango Habanero Salsa
- 5 Ingredient Avocado Green Salsa
- Mexican Tortilla Soup
Storage, reheating, and freezing instructions
- Storage instructions: Store leftover meat with the juices in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The juices will help it stay moist when you reheat it. I suggest your leftover meat to make these Smothered Beef Burritos!
- Reheating instructions: Reheat a single serving in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, or until warmed through. To reheat a large amount, use a pot on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until it is warmed through. Make sure to include some of the cooking liquids when you reheat to keep it moist.
- Freezer instructions: Store in a freezer bag or a freezer-safe airtight container. Freeze for 1-3 months. Thaw at room temperature for several hours or in the fridge overnight. Reheat as directed above.
FAQ
You should cook a 3-4lb boneless chuck roast on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-4.5 hours in a slow cooker. At that point, it should shred very easily when prodded with tongs or two forks.
Yes, you can cook the beef on high in the slow cooker and still end up with tender meat. However, my preference is to cook it on low because I find it becomes more flavorful.
Chuck roast must reach an internal temperature of 200-210 degrees Fahrenheit before it will shred easily, and it may need to remain cooking at that temperature for awhile. This post on Internal Temperatures for Meat is an excellent guide.
Tips and tricks
- We always prefer to cook on low because it seems to come out more tender, but high works well too!
- If it is not fall-apart tender when you check it, just cook it another 30-60 minutes. It will get there.
- Once it is tender, it will hold well on the “keep warm” setting for a couple hours.
More Mexican food recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
This post was photographed by Rhadonda Sedgwick.
Recipe
Yummy Beef Chuck Roast Tacos Recipe (Crock Pot)
Equipment
- 12 inch skillet cast iron, stainless steel, or non-stick
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup water
- 7 oz can diced roasted green chilis
- 1 ¼ cup jarred salsa any brand
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
For Serving
- 12-18 corn or flour tortillas
- Lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado optional
Instructions
- Coat the roast generously on all sides with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.1-2 tablespoon olive oil, 3-4 lb chuck roast, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, sear each side of the roast for 2-3 minutes until a golden brown crust is formed. Remove and place in a 6qt slow cooker.
- Pour 1 cup of water in the skillet and simmer for about 30 seconds, scraping up the brown bits. Pour over the roast in the slow cooker.1 cup water
- Add all the remaining roast ingredients to the slow cooker and use tongs or a spatula to gently mix everything together. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-4.5 hours, or until it falls apart easily when prodded with tongs or forks.7 oz can diced roasted green chilis, 1 ¼ cup jarred salsa, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon cumin
- After cooking, use tongs to move the roast onto a cutting board. Use two forks to gently remove any large chunks of fat. Then use the forks to pull the meat apart into bite sized shreds.
- Strain the remaining cooking liquids to remove chunky bits, then stir the meat and liquids back together in the slow cooker. Serve with tortillas and toppings.12-18 corn or flour tortillas, Lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado
Notes
- We always prefer to cook on low because it seems to come out more tender, but high works well too!
- If it is not fall-apart tender when you check it, just cook it another 30-60 minutes. It will get there.
- Once it is tender, it will hold well on the “keep warm” setting for a couple hours.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Lee says
So flavorful! This is one I go back to when I want easy tacos.