Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos
Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos could not be easier to make and also make a popular dinner idea. Chuck beef is simmered in a delicious sauce of onion, garlic, spices, tomatoes and beef stock. It is then shredded and served on corn tortillas with New Mexico Hatch Chile Sauce.
I live Scottsdale Arizona where there is a heavy Sonoran cuisine influence stemming from Mexico and New Mexico. Sonoran cuisine is Southwest Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas and chile rellenos.
What cut of beef do you use for shredded beef?
Chuck roast holds up well to low and slow cooking and it basically tells you when it’s done because it will shred so easily with a fork. 2 hours is what works for me.
Chefs cooking tip
Cut the beef into large 5 large pieces, it will cook faster as well as fitting better in the pan.
If you like pulled pork (which would also be so good if you’re not a beef eater, use pork shoulder) then you will fall in love with these tacos.
The spices used for this recipe are ancho chile powder to cumin and smoked paprika. A delicious, non-spicy combination that creates a really delicious sauce once the beef is finished cooking. There are instructions in the recipe how to thicken the sauce which is so good on the tacos.
It is currently hatch chile season. Hatch chiles are native peppers to New Mexico that are only in season from August to September.
Earlier this week, I made a really easy hatch chile sauce that is perfect for topping these tacos. The sauce is also good on any Mexican dish or snacking with tortilla chips. You can find the recipe for this sauce, click here > New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce.
Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos – Step by Step
Mix ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin and salt.
Rub the spice mix all over beef chuck roast pieces
Brown the beef on all sides. Remove from the pan.
To the same pan, sauté onion and garlic until the onions are softened.
Add diced tomatoes to the onions and garlic. Mix.
Add beef stock to the onions, garlic and tomatoes.
Add the beef back to the pan, cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Use 2 forks to shred the beef.
Slow cooker/Crockpot option
For convenience, you can cook the beef in the slow cooker. Just follow the recipe to step 4 and instead of adding the beef back to the pan, transfer everything to a pre-heated slow cooker. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
Instant pot option
Follow the recipe to step 4 (add the beef back into the pot). Set the instant pot to pressure cook and cook on high for 60-80 minutes.
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Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos
Chuck beef is simmered in a sauce of onion, garlic, spices, tomatoes and beef stock, shredded and served on corn tortillas.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 5 large pieces
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 ounces yellow onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 14 ounces diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Mix the ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin and salt. Rub all over the beef.
- Add the vegetable oil to a heavy pan and heat over medium-high heat. Brown the beef pieces on all sides, remove from the pan.
- To the same pan add the onions, sauté until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and beef stock.
- Return the beef back to the pan and submerge into the liquid, bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 2 hours. The meat is ready when it pulls apart easily with a fork
- Remove the meat from the pan to a shallow bowl. Add a little of the pan juices and use 2 forks to shred. Add more pan juices as you prefer to moisten the meat.
- Strain the pan juices through a sieve into a pan and bring to a simmer.
- Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water until dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mix into the pan juices, simmer until thickened. Serve as sauce for tacos.
Nutrition Information
Yield
3Amount Per Serving Calories 575Saturated Fat 20gCholesterol 156mgSodium 2214mgCarbohydrates 14gProtein 48g
Easy Restaurant-Style Red Salsa
6 Comments on “Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos”
Made these last weekend and they were a hit! They were so good! Actually getting ready to head back to the store for round 2. These are definitely a top 3 taco for me.
This is great to hear, thank you for sharing and enjoy round 2 🙂
My nephew just made this recipe and raved about how delicious it is. So now I must make it of course.
I thank your nephew very much and I hope you enjoy the recipe too 🙂
Can the beef be made in the slow cooker? I’m going to make them this weekend.
Yes, this is the perfect recipe for the slow cooker. I’ll add the instructions now, thanks for the reminder 🙂