Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Soft Tacos

Name: Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Soft Tacos
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican, Latin American, American
Ingredients: 1.5kg beef bolar roast, or chuck or topside; 2 tbsp rice bran or grapeseed oil; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, finely chopped; 1 carrot, finely chopped; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 6 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes in juice; ½ cup tomato paste; 1 tbsp mild smoked paprika; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp ground coriander; ½ tsp chilli powder; 3 tsp brown sugar; 2 cups reduced-salt beef stock; 3 cups water; 2 bay leaves; 6 whole peppercorns; 1 x 400g can kidney or black beans, drained; salt and freshly cracked black pepper; avocado or guacamole (see page 208); sour cream; chopped fresh coriander; Tabasco or chilli sauce; chopped pickled jalapenos; chopped lettuce or cabbage; lime or lemon wedges; grated cheese; 8 soft tortillas

8 steps

Prep:35minCook:8h

This recipe is really cool. You shove a big, tough hunk of meat into a slow cooker then forget about it all day. You come home and it's so tender that you can literally pull it to pieces. You simmer the cooking liquid down to a tasty sauce, add the shredded meat back in, season it and serve in warm tortillas with a load of delicious condiments. That's what I call clever cooking!

Updated at: Fri, 02 Feb 2024 22:12:08 GMT

Ingredients

8 servings

To serve - choose some or all

Instructions

Step 1

Remove the beef from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Trim any fat (leaving a little bit on for flavour).

Step 2

Heat the rice bran or grapeseed oil in a frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the meat to the pan and sear to brown all over — this will help add great flavour to the sauce. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Step 3

Tip excess fat from the pan, return to a medium-high heat and add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until starting to turn golden. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and sugar, stir to combine, then add to the slow cooker. Add the stock, water, bay leaves and peppercorns, and muddle to combine.

Step 4

Cut a piece of baking paper a little bigger than the slow cooker. Press it down to cover as much of the meat and liquid as you can to prevent the top of the meat drying out. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Step 5

Carefully transfer the meat to a board — it will be falling-apart tender so you might want to use a fish slice or barbecue turner. Gently lay paper towels on top to absorb the layer of fat, then discard. Strain the cooking liquid (about 2 cups) through a sieve into your largest saucepan and add the beans. Discard the veges. Place the pan over a high heat and boil until reduced to about three-quarters of the original amount - this might take 15-20 minutes.

Step 6

Leave the meat to cool a little, then cut or pull off any fat or sinewy bits. Shred the meat and add to the bean mixture. Simmer until it's thick enough to spoon onto tacos.

Step 7

Season the mixture with salt and pepper until it tastes right to you. At this point you can freeze or refrigerate it in a sealed container.

Step 8

Place the meat mixture in a serving dish on the table with bowls of all the other goodies. Warm the tortillas according to the packet directions, then pile up with toppings, wrap and devour.