Lots of big, bold, savory flavor in our Mexican Shredded Beef! Made in the crockpot with a chuck roast and a handful of pantry staples, this Mexican beef makes the perfect meal served on low carb tortillas or over a pile of cauliflower rice!
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I know I’ve been sharing a whole lot of low carb Mexican recipes with you lately, but Mexican food just makes me happy and if I can eat my favorite cuisines and still stick to a low carb diet…well, that’s a good thing all the way around.
We love American style ground beef tacos, but when we want something with more authentic flavors, we always go for this crockpot Mexican shredded beef. The beef is so tender and juicy and it really packs in the flavor!
I love how simple this Mexican beef recipe is – just toss everything in the slow cooker and let the magic happen.
Beef Barbacoa:
If you’ve ever had the barbacoa from Chipotle or other Mexican restaurants, you’ll love this Mexican shredded beef.
Traditionally, Mexican barbacoa is a mixture of meat and organs cooked in an underground oven, but we’re doing a slow cooker barbacoa (or shredded beef) today using chuck roast.
The flavors are similar, but the method is different.
What Readers are Saying!
“I made this last night in addition to the other ingredients for your Keto Burrito Bowl (Mexican Cauliflower Rice, amd Keto Guacamole). All of the components were outstanding and this Mexican Beef is a definite keeper!!!!! Thanks for the awesome recipes!” – Julie
- Flavor: Chuck roast already tends to be a tender, flavorful cut of beef, but it’s even better when you slow cook it with salsa verde and chipotle peppers!
- Serving: This crockpot Mexican beef is perfect in a burrito bowl with cilantro lime cauliflower rice and all the fixings! It’s also delicious in a low carb tortilla as a taco or burrito.
- Hands Off: I love a good crockpot recipe and this one doesn’t disappoint! Just toss everything in and let the magic happen.
Ingredient Notes:
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Chuck Roast – Chuck roast is a well marbled cut of beef with a rich flavor that turns out so tender after slow cooking.
Salsa Verde – Try this shredded beef with homemade roasted salsa verde! If you’re using the bottled kind you can use any brand and level of spiciness you prefer. We like Herdez.
Beef Broth – You don’t need a lot of this, just some liquid and moisture for the chuck roast to slow cook in. Use a good flavorful brand of beef broth if you can find one to get the best flavor.
Garlic & Onion – Some minced garlic and diced yellow onion are a good way to add extra flavor to the slow cooked pot roast.
Chipotle Peppers – We’re also adding minced chipotle peppers in in adobo sauce! The adobo sauce packs in big, bold flavor with a bit of heat.
Seasoning – Just some ground cumin, salt, and black pepper!
Serving – We like to serve this Mexican shredded beef with freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro!
Citrus Juicer
Freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice is useful in lots of recipes, and this tool makes it easy and mess free.
How To Make Mexican Shredded Beef:
- Sear – We like to start by searing the chuck roast. You can do this in a skillet with some avocado oil, or in a multicooker/crockpot with a sear function. This step is optional, but it does add additional flavor to the beef.
- Combine – Add some salsa verde (this roasted tomatillo salsa is perfect here!) to your slow cooker along with some onion, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and beef broth. Give that a stir and then add your chuck roast.
- Slow Cook – Every slow cooker cooks differently (some run hotter than others), but you’ll want to cook this until the meat easily shreds with a fork. If your roast is still tough and not shredding, just keep cooking it – it’s not done yet! My slow cooker takes about 4-5 hours on high or 8 hours on low to get perfectly tender and shredded beef.
- Finish – Once your meat is all shredded to your liking, season with a little more salt and sprinkle on some fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
Serving:
Serve it up with some of this keto salsa or my keto guacamole!
We love to make tacos out of this Mexican shredded beef. We buy low carb tortillas and fill them with beef, romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocado.
This beef would go well in some low carb enchiladas and it makes a great burrito bowl using my Mexican cauliflower rice.
Turn this into quesadillas with a low carb tortilla and white American cheese.
FAQ’s:
You can keep any leftover Mexican shredded beef stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze the shredded beef. Store in a freezer safe container for up to a few months.
The salsa verde and the chipotle pepper will add some heat but most of it mellows out after slow cooking for 8 hours. We don’t think this is overly spicy! You can adjust these ingredients to your taste.
Our top choice for pulled beef and just about any kind of beef roast recipe is going to be a good chuck roast! It’s got great flavor and the perfect amount of fat. Boneless short ribs also shred well!
MORE KETO CROCKPOT RECIPES!
- Crockpot Cabbage Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
- Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Wings
- Crockpot Sausage and Peppers
Mexican Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the beef and sear on all sides.
- While the beef is searing, add the salsa verde, beef broth, onion, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
- Transfer the beef to the slow cooker. Spoon some of the salsa verde mixture over the top of the beef.
- Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours, until the beef easily shreds with a fork. See note.
- Shred the beef with two forks and sprinkle with cilantro and lime juice.
- Serve hot.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Julie says
I made this last night in addition to the other ingredients for your Keto Burrito Bowl (Mexican Cauliflower Rice, amd Keto Guacamole). All of the components were outstanding and this Mexican Beef is a definite keeper!!!!! Thanks for the awesome recipes!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed the recipes! Thanks, Julie!
Cat says
How hot/spicy is this?
Karly Campbell says
It’s not very spicy. Most of the spice is in the liquid in the slow cooker and the meat is just nicely flavored.
Jodi says
Just tried this and it is a keeper. Delicious!!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Jodi!
Tracy Atwood says
What other pepper’s could be used instead of Chipolte?
Karly Campbell says
I’m not sure what a good sub would be since the peppers are in adobo sauce and that adds a lot of flavor. You could try just using jalapeno, but it’ll be a different flavor.
STEVE TURNER says
I used chicken broth instead of beef because i had an “old” moment and forgot it when i was at the store. Turned out delicious.
Karly Campbell says
Haha! Glad you enjoyed the recipe anyway!
Carol says
Delicious! I didn’t have chipotle chiles, so I subbed fresh chopped buena mulata (hot) and chipotle powder. The house smelled yummy and the meat was delicious!! I even saved and froze the resulting broth to use as a base for soup. I just bought another chuck roast to make it again! Thank you!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds fabulous! Thanks, Carol! 🙂
Julia says
I made this yesterday, put the meat on warmed corn tortillas with homemade salsa, cotijta cheese, shredded lettuce and sour cream, amazing! The fam loved them, made for an awesome taco night! Thank you for a great recipe that I will put into the rotation!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious, Julia!
Pam says
This was a hit with my family. Last nite tacos, tonite burrito bowl! Thanks, Karly
Karly Campbell says
That’s awesome, Pam!
AJ says
Amazing, thank you Karly.
DAVID RUTTENBURG says
I’m assuming you mix in the garlic with the rest of the items at the beginning, but you forgot to include that in the recipe.
Karly Campbell says
That’s correct! Thanks for the heads up. 🙂
Erica A says
Are you adding the beef broth to the slow cooker with the other ingredients in Step 2
Karly Campbell says
Yep, sorry about that!