Whether you are celebrating British Beef Week, or preparing for Cinco de Mayo, or you simply want a meal that is tender, juicy, and has incredible depth of flavour, as well as versatility in how it can be made then this is the recipe for you…Shredded Beef Tacos.
One of the beauties of this recipe is its versatility. The beef can be made on the stove (the instructions below are for this), in the oven or even in a slow cooker, and it’s not just tacos they can be used with. Burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, sliders, or even just with rice offer great alternatives. It’s not just about the beef though, as the sauce shouldn’t be downplayed. It’s rich, thick and full of flavour too.
This recipe below produces a considerable amount, but don't worry any excess can be frozen to use at a future time.
And as mentioned at the start why not buy British for British Beef Week which is currently ongoing, or have them on the 5th May next week for Cinco de Mayo.
Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe
Makes: 20 Tacos
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tbsp chipotle powder
- 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
- 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 add the remaining Spice Mix, canned tomatoes, beef broth and enough water so the beef is mostly, but not completely submerged.
- 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. 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, shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves.
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