Mexican Shredded Beef (and Tacos) (2024)

This Mexican Shredded Beef has incredible depth of flavour! The sauce is really rich and thick, and there is PLENTY of it. Fantastic for tacos, burritos, enchiladasandquesadillas, piled high on Mexican Red Riceor stuffed in rolls to make sliders!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Mexican Shredded Beef

I have a “thing” about shredded meats. I just love how it acts like a mop for sauces, so every mouthful is so juicy.

From Shredded Chicken TacostoPulled Chicken Nachos, Shredded Beef Ragu PastaandChicken Pot Pie,Chicken and Rice SouptoCrispy Chinese Shredded Chicken, if the eating experience is better when the meat is shredded – I shred it.

And Mexican Shredded Beef makes the cut – tenfold!! In fact, I adore it so much I’ve recently published another version – Beef Barbacoa. This version is slightly tangy and punching through with flavour from chipotle chillies!

The sauce for this Mexican Shredded Beef is loaded with big flavours – and there’s PLENTY of it!

What goes in Slow Cooker Mexican Beef

There’s a ton of spices in this that makes up the flavour of the braising liquid which becomes the sauce!

The secret ingredient is orange juice – it’s actually quite a common ingredient in Mexican cuisine. For example, it’s used in Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork) and the marinade forChicken Fajitas.

It doesn’t make the broth taste orangey at all – it totally transforms when slow cooked, and adds a touch of sweetness and flavour into the sauce.

How to make Slow CookerMexican Beef

The making part is very straightforward and mostly hands off time:

1. Cut beef into big pieces and sprinkle with spices

2. Sear aggressively: browning = flavour on both the beef and in the sauce (from the brown stuff on the base of the pot)

3. Add everything else into the pot

4. Slow cook on thestove, oven, slow cooker or pressure cookeruntil fall apart tender

5. Shred

6. Toss back into the sauce

7. Transfer to serving platter

8. Devour in desired form! (Tacos in this case 🙂 )

What to make with Mexican Shredded Beef

The beauty of this Mexican Beef is that it’s 100% freezer friendly and can be used for dozens of dishes, making it a brilliant standby for quick meals. Here’s just a few ideas:

Obvious uses

1. Tacos (this recipe)

2. Nachos – switch out the chicken in thisShredded Chicken Nachos recipe

3. Burritos– freezer friendly!

4. Quesadillas– switch out one of the fillings for this beef

5. Beef Enchiladas– skip the ground beef/mince filling and spices, just use this beef instead. (Still make the Enchilada Sauce, use the refried beans etc)

6. Mexican Plates –Piled beef over Mexican Red Rice with a big dollop of Guacamole,Pico de Galloand sour cream, corn on the cob, finish with lime wedges and fresh coriander/cilantro

Some less obvious, mighty tasty ideas

1. Sliders – stuffed into bread rolls to make sliders!

2. Mexican Toasties 🥑🧀 – toast bread → smear with avocado → pile on shredded beef → top with cheese → MELT → devour 🙌

3. Mexican “Empanadas”– make triangles/parcels (like this)using puff pastry, seal with egg, brush with egg, bake until golden. Try adding corn and black beans to fill it out!

4. Mexican Cottage Pie – mix through sautéed onion, capsicum/bell peppers, zucchini, corn and other chopped veg of choice. Pour into casserole dish, then top with mashed potato and bake per thisCottage Pierecipe. Or try Mexican BeefChicken Pot Pie!

5. Mexican Beef Lasagna – layer this beef with tortillas in a baking dish, top with loads of cheese and bake!I’d fill it out with veggies.

6. Fully Loaded Mexican Breakfast!– make Shakshuka (Middle Eastern Baked Eggs)which, really, is made with thoroughly Mexican flavours, and serve with a generous pile of this beef and warm tortillas. OMG….

7. Breakfast Enchiladas– skip the bacon, use this beef instead

Shredded Beef Tacos

Here’s what I use to make asimple Shredded Beef Tacosspread- something that’s super quick to assemble:

• This Mexican Shredded Beef

• Warmed or charred tortillas

• Pico de Gallo (Mexican Salsa)

• Sour cream

• Lime wedges

• Fresh lime wedges

• Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves, whole or finely chopped

You won’t need a separate sauce because this shredded beef is so juicy and saucy.

So really, if you have a batch of this Mexican Beef on hand, then you’re just 15 minutes away from the taco spread pictured above because all you have to make is the Pico de Gallo (and if that’s all too hard, just slice some tomatoes!!) – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Originally published September 2015, updated July 2019 with new photos, new video, new step photos and Life of Dozer section added. No change to recipe!

Life of Dozer

Bushwalking with Dozer – best done in winter when it’s snake free!