Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

By Amy Dong
Published Jan. 3, 2019
Updated Jan. 8, 2024

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef uses less than 10 ingredients for a delicious weeknight meal. It’s healthy, flavorful, with minimal effort. Try it over rice, in burritos, tacos, or nachos. Perfect for meal prep!

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Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef Recipe

Despite that I’m not even ready to jump straight into a brand new year, I’m totally ready for yet another January Sugar Fast, which I’ve done for the past several years. I somehow managed to get the entire fam on board with this sugar-free month thing. They may be just as wonky as I am. I’m not going to question it, I’ll take the teamsmanship any day. After all, around here we can all use a healthy reset for sure. Over the holidays, we ate Way. Too. Many. Cookies.

Which brings us to this Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef. It’s my favorite kind of busy weeknight dinner: minimal effort with maximum flavors. It’s flexible in the way you serve it (rice, corn tortillas, etc.) and it’s perfect for meal prep. You can easily make a big batch of this Mexican Shredded Beef on Sunday night and enjoy it in various forms throughout the week.

How to make Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

Use a fresh cut of boneless beef chuck roast, approx 3lbs. Don’t worry if it’s a bit more or less; once you trim the fat, it kind of evens out
Trim the fat. I like to take the time to get rid of as much of the excess fat as possible. The remaining marbled fat within the meat is good for tenderness.
Always use paper towels to dry the chunks of beef. I do this with almost every dish that uses raw protein; getting rid of excess moisture prevents the entire dish from tasting watered down.
To cut down on cook time and ensure even tenderness, cut the roast into 2-inch pieces before cooking. This also ensures that the sauce flavors really get into the meat.
To save time for busy weeknights, we use 30 ounces of prepared green enchilada sauce. You can use your favorite brand or make your own.

Tips for Serving Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

My favorite way to serve this tender Mexican shredded beef is over warmed corn tortillas, with garnishes. We love chopped red onions, a splash of lime, and chopped cilantro.
Come to think of it, diced avocado and sliced radishes would be pretty divine as taco garnishes here as well
Mexican shredded beef tastes delicious as Chipotle Style Chicken Burrito Bowls except use this beef as your protein instead
Surprisingly or not, Mexican Shredded Beef is pretty yummy over Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes – yeah, it’s not even Mexican style but def super tasty
Try this shredded beef over nachos and your fave fixings…YUM.
If you have any other ideas and Mexican recipes for using it, I’d love to hear them in comments below!

Why we love slow cooker mexican shredded beef

It takes less than 10 ingredients to make happen.
It’s fix it and forget it, slow cooker style. Perfect for busy weeks.
It’s healthy, flavorful, and simple.
It’s totally flexible in how you serve it — tacos, burritos, nachos, rice bowl, even mashed potatoes…you name it.
It’s easy on the budget. Anything that makes delicious use of an affordable chuck roast is a winner.
We love it for meal prep; make a big batch on Sunday night and serve it in various ways for several meals. Awesome.

Looking for similar dishes with these flavors? Try this carne asada recipe next.

Did you make this?

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Easy Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

4.67 from 3 ratings

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 8

Servings: servings

Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients

3 lb beef chuck roast, boneless, trimmed
2 whole onions, thinly sliced
1 TB ground cumin
1 TB honey, or brown sugar, if preferred
1 TB smoked paprika*
3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder, plus more depending on taste
30 oz green enchilada sauce
Optional Toppings: Mexican blend shredded cheese, chopped red onions, chopped cilantro

Instructions

Use paper towels to dry excess moisture from chuck roast. Cut roast into large chunks, about 2″ pieces. Place beef into slow cooker.
Add all remaining ingredients into slow cooker, gently stirring to ensure all ingredients are combined. Set slow cooker on low for 8-9 hours OR 5-6 hours on high.
When beef is fork-tender, use tongs to remove from slow cooker and gently shred as desired. Return shredded beef to slow cooker, warm through, and add more chili powder if desired. Serve with toppings of your choice, over rice or tortillas.

Notes

Ground smoked paprika is available at most major grocery stores. It provides a wonderful smokiness to the dish. If you cannot find it, you can sub with regular ground paprika, though you’ll miss that smoky flavor.
This Mexican Shredded Beef is delicious in burritos, tacos, or over rice.

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