Shredded Mexican Beef is tender and flavorful, using a beef roast and a few pantry ingredients. It's super easy to make on the stovetop or in your crock pot. It makes fantastic tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
🐄Ingredients
Beef roast—a well-marbled chuck roast is preferred
Beef broth
Tomato paste
Spices—chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder
Onion—chopped
Jalapeno—optional but recommended
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Featured comment from VaBelle:
"The recipe turned out great. Love the flavor and the spices and amounts are spot on."
This Mexican shredded beef recipe (AKA barbacoa) will deliver some of the best Mexican flavors you can make at home. This fork-tender beef is cooked in your crock pot and is perfect for any Mexican dish.
This shredded beef can be used almost anywhere you use Ground Beef Taco Meat. Use it in tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, or enchiladas. It is perfect for a casual dinner or a taco buffet for a party or game day.
Try other Mexican crockpot dishes like Fiesta Chicken, Chicken Nachos, or Pork Butt Carnitas. Try some helpful side dishes like Mexican Rice, Guacamole, or Pineapple Mango Salsa.
👨🍳How to make Mexican Shredded Beef
- Trim and brown a beef roast.
- Add beef broth, chopped onion, spices, and optional jalapeno to a smaller crock pot or Dutch oven. Mix well and add the beef.
- Cook on low in the crock pot for 6 hours or place the Dutch oven in a 300° oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
- It is done when fall-apart tender. Add more cooking time if needed.
- Remove the meat, and reserve all the braising fluid for later.
- Hand shred and discard any waste when the meat has cooled enough to handle.
- Add some of the fluid back into the meat but keep it light. It is easy to add more but hard to remove.
- Refrigerate for later or place back into the crock pot on the "keep warm" setting.
This is a summary of the steps and ingredients. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.
🐄What beef roast to use
The best choice is a cheaper cut of beef, a well-marbleized chuck roast. You could use a leaner cut of beef, and the last step of adding some braising fluid back in will help a lot, but not quite the same.
How to use Mexican shredded beef
The obvious uses are the standard Mexican dishes: tacos, nachos, burritos, burritos bowls, enchiladas, and quesadilas
Perfect on a taco salad or in a taco buffet for parties and game days. Or use it in a casserole like Easy Taco Casserole and replace the taco ground beef.
For tacos, serve with warm flour or corn tortillas with traditional toppings: cheddar or Mexican cheeses, diced tomatoes, jalapeno slices or green onions, cilantro, sour cream, and many more.
Side dishes: Corn chips with salsa, refried beans, guacamole, or Mexican rice.
Storage of leftovers
Store sealed airtight in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen in an airtight container like a ziplock bag for 3 months.
Reheat in a microwave. You can use a skillet over medium heat. Or in a 250° oven on a tray covered tightly with foil. Always thaw if frozen before reheating.
❓FAQs
I have kept this recipe with the minimum ingredients to get a great taste. Common Mexican seasonings like oregano and paprika. Other ingredients like adobo sauce, citrus-like limes or oranges, and various fresh chilis.
Beef broth or stock, or if it is only a little, use water.
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Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Start with an approx 2 ½ to 3 pound chuck roast.
Trim a beef roast of excess fat and cut it into quarters. If you have time, brown all sides of the beef in oil over medium-high heat before proceeding.
Add one small chopped onion, one can of beef broth, chili powder, ground cumin, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a smaller crock pot or a Dutch oven.
Add beef roast. If the braising fluid is not near the top of the beef, add more broth. If you need more than 1 cup more broth, add proportionally more spices.
Cook on low in the crock pot for 6 hours or place the Dutch oven in a 300° oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Check the meat—it is done when fall-apart tender. Add more cooking time if needed.
Add about 1 cup of braising fluid back to the beef.
Return to the slow cooker on warm until needed for serving. Or refrigerate the moisturized meat and the remaining braising fluid for later.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Easy Mexican Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds beef roast - chuck preferred
- 14 oz beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 onion - small chopped
- 3 oz tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 jalapeno - Optional, minced
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Start with an approx 2 ½ to 3 pound chuck roast.
- Trim a beef roast of excess fat and cut it into quarters. If you have time, brown all sides of the beef in oil over medium-high heat before proceeding.
- Add one small chopped onion, one can of beef broth, chili powder, ground cumin, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a smaller crock pot or a Dutch oven.
- Add beef roast. If the braising fluid is not near the top of the beef, add more broth. If you need more than 1 cup more broth, add proportionally more spices.
- Cook on low in the crock pot for 6 hours or place the Dutch oven in a 300° oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Check the meat—it is done when fall-apart tender. Add more cooking time if needed. Remove the meat from the pot. Shred and remove any fat. Remove the braising liquid from the crock pot and set aside.
- Add about 1 cup of braising fluid back to the beef.
- Return to the slow cooker on warm until needed for serving. Or refrigerate the moisturized meat and the remaining braising fluid for later.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- A nicely marbled top round roast or an eye of round would work. But I prefer a chuck roast which will always be fall-apart tender.
- Decrease the sodium by using low-sodium broth and cutting the salt.
- Do not add too much fluid back into the shredded beef. It is much easier to add more than take it out.
- Store sealed airtight in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen in an airtight container like a ziplock bag for 3 months.
- Reheat in a microwave. You can use a skillet over medium heat. or in a 250° oven on a tray covered tightly with foil. Always thaw if frozen before reheating.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published December 26, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Dea Varner says
Dr. Dan, HELP!!!!! I love all your recipes I've made so far and usually I have no problems with any of them but for some reason this roast came out tough as can be after 4 hours on low in my crockpot! I used a 2.38lb chuck roast, trimmed all the big fat off and followed the other directions to a T and when I went to shred it, it was like rubber!! Did I not cook it long enough? Too long maybe? It tastes delicious so I'll still eat it for sure but there was no way it was going to shred for me so I just sliced it as well as I could and stuck it back into the crockpot with some of the braising liquid... I feel horrible giving it only 4 stars because I feel I probably did something wrong... but like I said it IS delicious!!!!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Dea,
There are several possible reasons for the beef to be tougher. Most likely would be it didn't get to a good shredding temperature. Very much like brisket or pulled pork, we what to melt that connective tissue and fats causing the marbling. That is 185° plus. Some will say 205° but for chuck roast, it is usually not needed in my experience. I efind 4 hours in a crock pot will usually do it but you can check the internal temp next time.
Another cause is a too lean cut of beef. So be sure it has good marbling.
Lastly, the thicker the meat, the hard it is to get to a good internal temperature. So flatter is better than square.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Kristi + Al says
This shredded beaf looks delicious. Perfect to prepare sandwiches. Thx for the directions.
Chris says
Hey I like they new site design, it's clean, attractive and loads faster. Nicely done!
The shredded beef? Love it. So many possible uses too, dishes like that rock.
Dr Dan says
Glad it worked well for you with the leaner meats. I did some a 2.5 lb. top round for 4 hours which lead to some of my comments. I may try it again with the extra time.
VaBelle1964 says
The recipe turned out great. Love the flavor and the spices and amounts are spot on.
I used extra lean beef (2 lbs of Top Round and 2 lbs of Eye Round), so mine stayed in about 8 hours. Came out delish.
Thanks!
Christine @cookingcrusade.com says
This looks fantastic! I don't eat pork so I was looking for a yummy shredded beef recipe and I think I found it! Thank you for sharing!!
VaBelle1964 says
It's in my Crock-Pot right now. I'm making a double recipe as I've made a couple of your recipes before and they were spot on. I'll report back in about 5 hours ;o)
Stephanie Parker says
This looks really good! I am adding it to my list of must make foods.