So tender, juicy and flavorful… this Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef is a MUST MAKE for your next taco night. Let your crock pot do the work!
But don’t just limit this amazing beef to tacos. Â It’s awesome with nachos, burritos, quesadillas, or use it as a filling in these amazing shredded beef enchiladas… or you can just eat it with a fork like I do sometimes. It’s that good! Â
Have you seen all the rave reviews on my Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef?! Well, this is basically the same recipe but slow cooks to perfection. It’s impossible to resist!
Ingredients Notes
- Beef chuck roast – 2 ½ to 3 pounds.
- Beef broth
- Dried herbs and spices – salt, black pepper, ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Salsa – use your favorite homemade salsa or your favorite store-bought brand.
- Olive oil – for searing the beef roast.
How to Prepare
Step 1 – Whisk together the herbs and seasonings with beef broth in a small bowl.
Step 2 – Sear the roast in a large skillet on the stove top. Please note that searing the roast is not absolutely necessary, but it does add a little more flavor. So if you’re in a hurry you can most definitely skip this step!
Step 3 – Place the seared roast in your slow cooker insert and pour the seasoned broth mixture and salsa over the roast. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours, or on high heat for 4 hours (or until tender).
Step 4 – Transfer the roast to a platter, rimmed baking sheet or cutting board and shred using 2 forks. Discard any fat. Skim off any fat that has risen in the liquid in the slow cooker. Remove liquid from slow cooker to leave about 1 ½ cups (or you can leave it all if you want it super juicy!).
Step 5 – Return the shredded beef back to the crock pot and toss with liquid to coat.
Enjoy!
More Slow Cooker Mexican Deliciousness
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (2 ½ to 3 pound) boneless beef chuck roast
- 1 cup prepared salsa your favorite!
Instructions
- Whisk together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and beef broth in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, sear the roast on all sides until golden brown (using large tongs to flip roast). *
- Place the roast in a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour beef broth mixture over roast evenly. Top with salsa. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours (or until tender).
- Carefully remove roast from slow cooker and place on a platter, cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. Shred using 2 forks, discarding any fat.
- Skim off any fat that has risen in the liquid in the slow cooker. Remove liquid from slow cooker to leave about 1 ½ cups (or leave all the liquid if you prefer it very juicy). Return shredded beef to liquid mixture and toss to coat with liquid as evenly as possible.
Notes
- *Searing the roast is not necessarily a required step, but does add a little more flavor.
Nutrition
If provided, nutritional info is a courtesy, is not guaranteed and should only be considered as a guideline.
Originally published March 2017. Updated with new photos, new text and recipe slightly revised April 2022.
This slow cooker Mexican shredded beef is over the top delicious! Plus, it couldn’t be easier to make. Put it in the crock pot and forget it, oh my goodness, yes!
Can I use a London broil instead?
Hi Karen, I haven’t tried this with a London broil so I can’t say with 100% certainty how it would turn out. It’s a tougher cut of meat and doesn’t have as much fat as a chuck roast so I’d take that into consideration. Let us know how it turns out if you try it! 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe! I followed it exactly except added about 1/2 cup of water bc my roast was pretty lean. Flavor is fantastic and was hubby approved to make anytime in future!
This is absolutely delicious
great recipe. I made a roasted tomato salsa then followed the recipe. This is very moist and no way of drying it out even with a smaller roast. I feel store bought salsa is too salty for my family’s taste.
I just tried this recipe & as written it has a very balanced flavor with just a slight hint of heat but certainly nothing picky eaters and/or sensitive stomachs won’t like. Matter of fact, next time, I’m thinking of using a “hot” salsa instead of the mild I used this time to give it a little more bite. I made soft tacos with it for the first meal but will be trying it with a good bbq sauce as the flavor should lend itself well. & make a great bbq sandwich. Great & super simple recipe.
Can you make it without salsa? My kids are picky eaters? Or can’ you even tell salsa is in it? Thanks so much!
Hi Brandy, the salsa definitely flavors it but is not overpowering. I wouldn’t recommend making this without salsa. I hope your kids like it! 🙂
My family is the same way so I substituted a cup of Hunt’s tomato sauce instead of the salsa and it turned out absolutely delicious!
I made it without the salsa and it was delicious, I just substituted a cup of beef broth for the salsa and my husband said, and I quote, “Whatever you did to this roast, please don’t change a thing. He applauded the taste and ate it 3 days in a row! Delish!
Hi! Looks delish! Have you tried it with a still frozen roast? Not sure my beef will be thawed by tomorrow morning.
Thanks!
Hi Ty, Thanks so much! No I haven’t so I can’t give any specific advice. Let us know how it turns out if you try it! 🙂
Soooo yummy! I used tri tip and it was delish! Thanks so much.
Hi Patti, Thanks so much… so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hello,
This recipe calls for a 3lbs Chuck roast. Well, the one I have is just under 2lbs. Much smaller. Should I still follow the recipe as is? I don’t want to dry out the meat. I’m a stay at home mom and I’m trying out several different recipes. Help a momma out! Please and thank you!
Hi Sara, I can’t say for sure because I haven’t tested this recipe with a smaller roast. I would check it after cooking on low for 3-4 hours and go from there. Hope you enjoy it!! 🙂
Mine was 2.3 pounds and I still used the 1 cup salsa I just did slightly less than 1 tsp. for each of the spices and turned out perfect. Would make again.
Hello, thank you for this great recipe! Do you know how many calories are in it?
Hi Alicia, I do not have nutritional info for this recipe. You can Google “nutritional calculator” and there are a lot of resources where you can enter the ingredients and it will calculate it for you. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Do I need to add water if I’m using store bought salsa?
Hi Ashton, this recipe calls for prepared salsa (homemade or store-bought) and does not include water in the recipe. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Amy , may I have a salsa recipe?
Thanks jon
Hey, Jon! I have several different salsa recipes which you can find by typing in “salsa” in the search box… but the salsa recipe I think would go best with this shredded beef recipe is here. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂