This Mexican Shredded Beef has incredible depth of flavour! The sauce is really rich and thick, and there is PLENTY of it. Make this on the stove, in the oven or even slow cooker! This shredded beef is fantastic for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, sliders or just served on rice.
Mexican Shredded Beef
This took me a handful of goes to get right. Each batch makes a lot of beef – A LOT. I’ve been using them to make frozen burritos and my freezer has been packed to the max. I’ve been off loading them left, right and centre!
The infuriating thing about giving food to friends is that they always tell me they love it. Always! They claim they couldn’t tell the difference between batch #1 and batch #5, even though I probed them persistently to give me honest feedback. Honestly. They tasted completely different! How could they not tell? 😉
The thing I was struggling to get right was the strength of flavour. Beef has a much “meatier” flavour than pork so it requires stronger flavours to carry it. The sauce for this is very different from my Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (Mexican Shredded Pork) (one of the most popular recipes on my bog, a must try if you haven’t already!) because pork doesn’t need such a thick, deep flavoured sauce.
Here’s a close up of the sauce. You can just tell by looking at it how gorgeously full of flavour it is, can’t you?!
This Mexican Shredded Beef is perfect for using for any number of Mexican dishes. I use it for tacos (this recipe), burritos (fully loaded freezer friendly recipe coming on Monday!), enchiladas, quesadillas and I also serve it on its own as well. In fact, you can use it for anything Mexican or Tex Mex dish that you make with shredded meats. You can check out my collection of Mexican shredded meat recipes here. (They are all made with Pork Carnitas, simply substitute with this Mexican Shredded Beef).
In this particular recipe, I’ve used it for tacos. A DIY spread of warmed taco-sized tortillas, a big pile of shredded beef, a quick Pico de Gallo, avocado, sour cream, and the sauce from the shredded beef served on the side. YUM!
So – who’s in the mood for MEXICAN tonight?! – Nagi x
PS This recipe makes loads. Freeze it! SO GREAT for having on hand for quick meals!
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Mexican Shredded Beef (and Tacos)
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tbsp chipotle powder (Note 7)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp All Spice powder (ground All Spice)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp onion powder or garlic powder OR 1 tsp of each
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Beef
- 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 lb / 1.5kg beef brisket (or chuck, gravy or any other slow cooking beef) cut into 2 or 3 large pieces
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion , diced (yellow, brown or white)
- 3/4 cup / 185 ml orange juice
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 14 oz/400g can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups / 500 ml beef or chicken broth/stock
- Water
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Combine the Spice Mix ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle 4 teaspoons over the beef and pat so it sticks.
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based pot over high heat. Add the beef (in batches if necessary) and cook so it is browned on all sides. Remove onto a plate.
- Turn the stove down to medium. If the pot looks dry, add more olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the orange juice and lime juice, and scrape the bottom of the pot so the brown bits mix into the liquid. Then return the beef into the pot, add the remaining Spice Mix, canned tomatoes, beef broth and enough water so the beef is mostly, but not completely submerged. (Note 1)
- Put the lid on, bring to a simmer then turn the stove down so it is bubbling gently, not rapidly. Cook for 2 hours with the lid on, then 30 minutes with the lid off or until the beef is tender enough to shred. (Note 1) OR cook in slow cooker for 6 hours on low Or pressure cooker on high for 50 minutes.
- Remove the beef and shred it with 2 forks. Leave the sauce to simmer with the lid off for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce and thicken to your taste. Adjust salt to taste. Optional: puree with stick blender to make it smooth (I did this for the photos).
- To serve, toss the beef in the sauce - use as much as you want. Serve the extra sauce on the side.
Tacos
- To make tacos, serve the beef with warmed small tortillas, avocado slices, a simple pico de gallo (Note 2), shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
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The beef brisket cut I was given has tons of fat on it! Should I trim it before cooking? Thanks!
Yep definitely, but don’t cut it all off 🙂
Hello! I want to make this tomorrow night. What would you suggest to have for a side dish with this? And do you have a recipe for it? Thanks so much!
Hi Nagi,
Do you need to use fresh orange juice or can bottled orange juice be used?
Hi Felicia, you can use bottled if you prefer (just make sure it’s got no added sugar) – N x
I can’t stop eating the shredded beef while I’m waiting for sauce to thicken…so dang good!
I know that problem all too well 😂
I’ve made this twice now – and both times it has been INHALED by me and my family…no leftovers! Love love love. And reducing the sauce is KEY to its success. Thanks so much for sharing.
I’m so glad you loved it Loretta!
Would it be possible to reduce this recipe to half? 1.5 lbs of beef and reduce the other ingredients by half also?
Hi Emily, yes you can reduce the recipe, you may need to add a little more liquid than half just to ensure it doesn’t dry out. – N x
Hi, what is Allspice Powder exactly? Is this the same as Piment?
Hi Lisa, allspice can also be called pimento!
Hi my question is that what can i substitute orange juice with
Hi Fatima, sub with pineapple, apple or mango juice. OR chicken broth + 1 tsp sugar
Hi there, I’m going to make a Mexican Feast with your recipes! I know lamb is quite a different protein but do you think this recipe would work with lamb shoulder instead of beef? Where I am its cheaper than buying beef
Sure would Vera!
Awesome – thank you! Will send through some pics when it’s all made. Can’t wait!
Wow, I made this tonight and it was AMAZING ..The sauce is out of this world and tastes so authentic. I had loads of beef and sauce left over so have frozen it separately for another two meals for my family.
Hi Nagi
I had two questions about this recipe.
Firstly, if I am making this in a pressure cooker, how much of the water do I need to take out? Should I just disregard step of adding extra water or should I also replace beef broth with 2 beef cubes?
Secondly, is it preferable to cut the brisket up into 2 or 3 pieces or is it fine to leave as one piece (I ask because I saw your comment in the notes section about cooking time for 1 piece and it would be easier for me if I didn’t have to cut my brisket up into 3 pieces)?
Thanks for all your amazing recipes and I look forward to hearing from you on this one.
Kind regards
Daniel
Hi Daniel, you can definitely do this in a pressure cooker and remove the liquid after – simmer to thicken. If you are using a 1.5kg piece of brisket it would need about 75 minutes, just check to make sure it’s tender and shreddable.
Made Mexican shredded beef following your recipe and boy not only was it sooooo deliciously finger licking good, it’s presentation colours was so vibrant and inviting. Thanks so much 🙂
Tried, tested and absolutely loved this recipe! Going to make burritos out of the leftovers but can’t seem to find Monterey Jack cheese. Can you recommend another similar cheese please? Also do you toast the burrito in a skillet with the foil on? Thanks a million!
Hi Laura, you can use any melting cheese such as mozzarella, tasty etc and I toast in the foil to hold it together – N x
WOW!! This is such an awesome Mexican dish! The recipe is so comprehensive and the endnotes are so very helpful. I browned the beef as directed and cooked mine in the crock pot for 6 hours and it came out so perfectly tender. I also puréed the sauce since it was bit too juicy; it became much thicker and the seasonings blended together so nicely. I didn’t have chipotle powder so I add cumin and decided to kick it up with chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. I’m serving it tonight for a get together on baked burritos with sides. Can’t wait for my friends to oooooo and awe about it! ❣️
Sounds fabulous Kathy!