Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded beef is incredibly tender and delicious.  It’s super simple and easy to make and perfect for nachos, tacos, salads, burritos, chimichangas, chilaquiles, tamales and more!

I love making this Mexican shredded beef because it is so easy and so tender and tasty.  I can pretty much dump all the ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning and then let the roast simmer in broth and spices all day long until dinnertime.  Then it’s just a matter of pulling out the meat, shredding it with a fork and stuffing it in a warm flour tortilla with some pico de gallo and homemade guacamole for Taco Tuesday.  Or using it to make shredded beef chimichangas (my favorite) or ultimate nachos or tamales!

I really love Mexican shredded meat, apparently, because I have already posted my recipes for Crispy Mexican Pork Carnitas and Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa.  But each of those recipes have very different flavor profiles (and even textures, despite them each resulting in shredded meat) than this slow cooker Mexican shredded beef.  I can’t choose a favorite!  But at least you should be set for options for your Cinco de Mayo party!

I tend to season my roast with salt and pepper and sear it in oil before putting it in the crock pot, but not always and this step really is optional.  If you want to just dump everything in and skip the searing, go for it!

Honestly, I’m not 100% convinced the searing makes a difference in the end.  Usually when I am recipe testing and want to isolate whether a technique or compare two versions of a recipe, I will try to make them both on the same day so I can try them side by side (then I invite friends over to help eat it all!), but one recipe makes so much shredded beef that I have never tried it with this recipe yet.

But I HAVE made it both ways (searing vs. skipping that step) on different days and if there IS any difference, it’s slight enough that I have a hard time telling with time between each batch.  I guess I just keep searing out of habit or superstition or something.  Either way, your meat is going to be delicious.

3.6 from 5 votes

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Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef

Ingredients

• 2-3 lb. beef chuck shoulder roast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 15 ounce can of stewed tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Season chuck roast with salt & pepper on all sides, then sear in the oil on each side until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
3. Transfer roast to the slow cooker and add all remaining ingredients.
4. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until meat is tender and shreds easily. Remove meat from slow cooker and shred.
5. Use in nachos, tacos, salads, burritos, chimichangas, chilaquiles, tamales and more!