Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas – Tender, slow cooked beef just begging to make the best tacos you’ve ever eaten.
I know. Carnitas are traditionally made with pork. But, well, beef was what I could find at a good price and we wanted tacos. Tacos are a serious business at our house. We take them quite seriously. I, for one, am never satisfied with a ground beef taco. It feels like the peanut-butter-and-grape-jelly-on-Wonder-bread of tacos. They get the job done, but you can always do better, add more flavor, and make it more exciting.
We LOVE our shredded beef taco recipe (and I still whole-heartedly recommend you try it if you haven’t). It’s delicious. But they do require a bit of planning ahead, and I don’t always have the time to go through the browning and the chipotle pepper and spice-blend pureeing steps. Enter: beef carnitas. In the slow cooker.
These were a cinch to pull together. I had a few spare moments after Milo went to bed and Sophie was happily playing with Michael after dinner one night, so I sliced up the veggies, sprinkled the spice rub on the beef and refrigerated it in the crock overnight. The next morning, I pulled out the crock, settled it into the slow cooker and forgot about it till many hours later. With a quick shred (I was able to just pinch the meat with tongs and it fell apart), we were ready to go.
We served these plain with corn tortillas (we love Tortilla Land brand that you cook yourself. They also happen to be gluten-free, but we loved them even before that was a concern). You could certainly dress them up with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, salsa, or guacamole. I liked mine with a little of our favorite mango-pineapple salsa and some guacamole. Michael did it man-style: meat + tortilla + a few manly grunts here and there. If you’re Paleo or on Whole30, you can skip the tortillas and make a big salad out of the carnitas.
Whatever you fancy, these are delish.
p.s. If you’re on the hunt for a great slow cooker, we’ve been really happy with ours. It’s easy to program and has clips on the lid to prevent spills. Holla!
- 2-3 lbs chuck roast
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 onion, sliced (I like sweet onions)
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 (4oz) can diced green chiles (don't drain)
- corn tortillas*
- your favorite taco toppings: shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, etc.
- Place roast in the slow cooker. In a small bowl, whisk together chili powder, salt, pepper, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle spice mixture over the roast. Scatter the onion, bell peppers, and green chiles over the roast.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until beef is pull-apart tender. (You should be able to easily shred it with a fork or a pair of tongs).
- Serve with corn tortillas and your favorite taco toppings.
Recipe adapted from Eat Live Run
These look so tasty, and it’s great that they’re made with affordable, yet oh so tasty when slow cooked, chuck!
My mouth is watering. We love taco’s but hate ground beef. Thank you for a wonderful alternative!
Can I add these to the Hootenanny menu?? Please? Also, Emily–where do you find the tortillas? I’m guessing cold food section?
Elisabeth all bread items are in the bread isle !
These were fantastic and easy since I keep bell pepper strips frozen in my freezer. It took only a few seconds to throw together and made a TON.
These were a huge hit with my family! Than you for sharing this great recipe. I didn’t marinate overnight but decided to sear the seasoned meat first, worked well, crockpotted it all day. My house still smells yummy the morning after!
We made these tonight and everyone loved them! The meat had just the right amount of seasoning to add flavor without taking away from all my other favorites (avocados, cilantro, sour cream, etc..) Thanks for sharing!
Emily we love this recipe. We have made it multiple times since you posted it and it has become an instant staple in our house. I’m featuring it on my fabulous friday post tomorrow just to give you a heads up. Miss you girl and keep the great recipes coming!
These were so yummy! Made these for dinner tonight and the hubby and I both loved them!
I’m so glad you liked them! They’re my husband’s absolute favorite meal.
Wow this looks delish. I have some chuck roast that I cut up do you think 8 could use that
Tha ks
Nanci – Absolutely! Since the meat is in smaller pieces, you may just want to check it 1-2 hours earlier. It will probably be tender sooner. Yum! Hope you love them!
Instead of cooking it on low, could I cook it on high for a shorter amount of time? Any idea how long that might be if I cook it on high?
Tania – That should be just fine! When switching from low to high, I generally half the time, so I’d say 3-4 hours on high should do the job. Just so long as the meat shreds easily, you’ll know they’re done!
I have now made this several times. My family begs for them which is just fine with me. We love them and it is really easy to make. Thank you for the recipe and also the tip about the corn tortillas-I will never go back to the ones I used to use.
ANA – I’m so glad! Thank you for the kind comment and great feedback. Happy eating!
You don’t put any liquid at all in the crock pot?
Karen – I don’t. In all the times I’ve made this, the beef releases it’s own liquid shortly into the cooking process, and it’s enough to keep everything from burning. If you’re nervous, you could put a little beef stock or water in, but I wouldn’t add more than about 1/2 cup at the very most.
So the ingredients calls for a chuck k roast but directions reference a rump roast. Have you tried this with a rump roast? I’m just a bit worried it’ll be too lean.
JJ – I’m sorry for the confusion! I’ve updated the directions to say chuck roast. I’ve used both kinds of roast with good results, though I most often use a chuck roast since the price is typically better at my markets. I hope that helps! Have a great day!
Do you add any liquid?
Tracy – I don’t. I’ve never had a problem with scorching. Typically the juices from the beef are plenty to keep everything nice and cozy! I hope that helps!
I am making this as we speak. The smell is so delightful I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this. Thanks for such a tasty recipe.
Mia – Oh, you made my day! I hope they tasted as good as they smelled!
would it be reasonable to save the juice (the water released by the meat) to use as, say, a salad dressing? (I ask because I know you’re not supposed to reuse chicken marinade.) if so, would it need to be stored in the refrigerator?
S – you could certainly repurpose the juice from the cooked meat if you like. Mine has never tuned out overly juicy since there’s no added liquid.I’ve always just eaten it as part of my carnitas. You would absolutely want to refrigerate it and it will only keep for about 5-7 days max.