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Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos could not be easier to make and also make a popular dinner idea. 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.

3 Sonoran shredded beef tacos on a board with hatch chile sauce and cilantro

Living in 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.

A closeup holding a taco with garnishes in background
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.

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 here New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce.

A grey bowl full of New Mexico Hatch Green Chile Sauce

Chefs cooking tip

Cut the beef into large 5 large pieces, it will cook faster as well as fitting better in the pan.

Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos – Step by Step

Mix ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin and salt.

Spices mixed in a glass bowl

 

Rub the spice mix all over beef chuck roast pieces

Chuck beef on a board rubbed with spices

 

Brown the beef on all sides. Remove from the pan.

Spice rubbed chuck roast browning in a pan

 

To the same pan, sauté onion and garlic until the onions are softened.

Onion and garlic cooking in a pan

Add diced tomatoes to the onions and garlic. Mix.

Cooked onions and garlic with diced tomatoes in a pan

 

Add beef stock to the onions, garlic and tomatoes.

Beef stock being poured into the pan with onions, garlic and tomatoes

 

Add the beef back to the pan, cover and simmer for 2 hours.

Beef chuck roast simmering in a beef sauce

 

Use 2 forks to shred the beef.

2 forks shredding cooked beef chuck roast

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 high 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.

If you’ve tried these Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos  or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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Scooping up a helping of salsa with a tortilla chip

Easy Restaurant-Style Red Salsa

A tortilla chip being dipping to Easy Restaurant-Style Red Salsa

Yield: 4

Sonoran Shredded Beef Tacos

3 beef tacos ready to eat

Chuck beef is simmered in a sauce of onion, garlic, spices, tomatoes and beef stock, shredded and served on corn tortillas.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 pounds (1 kg) beef chuck roast, cut into 5 large pieces
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups (192 grams) yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • 14 ounces (397 grams) diced tomatoes
  • 2 cups (472 ml) beef stock (low sodium)
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch

Instructions

  1. Mix the ancho chile powder, smoked paprika, cumin and salt. Rub all over the beef.
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Strain the pan juices through a sieve into a pan and bring to a simmer.
  7. 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.

Notes

Taste your stock, if it is salty, you may need to adjust the amount of salt in the dish

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 575Total Fat 38gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 28gCholesterol 188mgSodium 1390mgCarbohydrates 14gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 60g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Culinary Ginger
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Dinner Ideas