Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas – Tender, slow cooked beef just begging to make the best tacos or burrito bowls you’ve ever eaten. Gluten free & paleo friendly!
Post updated Oct 2017. Originally posted June 2013.
First off: I know. These are NOT authentic. Carnitas are traditionally made with pork braised in oil or lard until tender. I skip the oil/lard, and swap pork for beef. I couldn’t say no to our taco craving!
Tacos are a major favorite at our house, but I have to admit that I’m not usually 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 I always feel like there’s something I could do better, add more flavor, or make them more exciting.
Sometimes that’s whipping up a batch of fish tacos with a yummy marinade, or loading them up with grilled veggies and beans for a meatless twist, but shredde
d beef tacos will probably be Michael’s forever favorite.
I don’t always have time to babysit braising meat, I love turning to my slow cooker for situations like these. Enter: Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas!
These were a cinch to pull together. I pop everything into the slow cooker, forget about it for a few hours, and then give it a quick shred with tongs (it’s fall-apart tender!).
You could certainly dress them up with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, etc. I think the meat and veggies mixtures is so flavorful these don’t need much more than a tortilla and a little salsa or guacamole (because EVERYTHING is better with guacamole).
I’ll also say that as much as we love these as tacos, the beef is equally delicious in burrito bowls (with these sweet potatoes), rice bowls, taco salads, or tucked into baked sweet potatoes.
Notes on the Recipe:
Make Ahead Notes: To save time in the morning, I often do the prep for this meal at night. I slice up the veggies, brown the beef, put everything into the slow cooker crock, and refrigerated it in the crock overnight. The next morning, I pulled out the crock, settle it into the slow cooker and forget about it till many hours later.
My FAVORITE Slow Cooker: I always get questions about slow cookers when I post a slow cooker recipe. I swear by this one. It’s programmable, has a lid clip (no more sloshing if you need to transport it), and even has a thermometer you can program so that your slow cooker switches to WARM mode when the meat reaches the right temperature (which means NO overcooked, dried out meat–Holla!). Target and Amazon typically have the best prices.
PALEO Notes: if you’re eating paleo or doing a Whole30, this beef recipe is 100% paleo approved. Instead of serving it in tacos, make a giant taco salad heaped high with salsa and guacamole, stuff a baked sweet potato, or serve it in burrito bowls (with these sweet potatoes!) and your favorite taco toppings.
Don’t Forget The Accompaniments!
Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: about 8 servings 1x
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If your slow-cooker has a removable crock, you can prep this the night before. Follow all steps up until cooking and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, put the crock in the slow cooker, set it to low, and you’re ready to go!
Ingredients
For the beef carnitas:
- 2–3 lbs beef chuck roast
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 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)
For serving:
- corn tortillas*
- your favorite taco toppings: shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- If desired, brown your beef roast in a pan or Dutch oven. Heat a small drizzle of oil over medium heat, add the beef roast and cook 5-7 minutes per side, or until it’s very browned and crisped.
- 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. Add onion, bell peppers, and green chiles over the roast as well.
- Cook on HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 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).
Notes
*Gluten & Dairy Free Notes: not all corn tortillas are gluten free. Read your package to be sure. We like Tortilla Land cook-your-own corn tortillas. They’re gluten and dairy free and are delicious and soft (i.e. they don’t crack or split when you bend them). Also, this is common sense, but skip cheese and sour cream if you’re dairy free.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keywords: carnitas, beef carnitas, slow cooker, beef roast
Recipe adapted from Eat Live Run
Kari@Loaves n Dishes says
June 5, 2013 at 9:14 amThese look so tasty, and it’s great that they’re made with affordable, yet oh so tasty when slow cooked, chuck!
Momma Lynn says
June 5, 2013 at 10:51 amMy mouth is watering. We love taco’s but hate ground beef. Thank you for a wonderful alternative!
elisabeth says
June 6, 2013 at 11:37 amCan I add these to the Hootenanny menu?? Please? Also, Emily–where do you find the tortillas? I’m guessing cold food section?
patricia says
June 12, 2015 at 6:21 amElisabeth all bread items are in the bread isle !
Gretchen says
July 5, 2018 at 1:17 pmThe type of tortillas she mention have to be refriderated. They are normally in the deli section depending on the store.
Anonymous says
November 14, 2018 at 12:44 amYes they are in the regular cooler section at Meijer’s they are called Aztec Torila shells, krogers they are in the regular aisle but a cooler section.
Anna says
July 10, 2013 at 7:03 pmThese 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.
★★★★★
Tobie says
August 21, 2013 at 9:35 pmThese 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!
★★★★★
Melissa says
August 29, 2013 at 6:02 pmWe 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!
Jade says
September 19, 2013 at 2:23 pmEmily 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!
★★★★★
Courtney M. says
January 27, 2014 at 5:20 pmThese were so yummy! Made these for dinner tonight and the hubby and I both loved them!
★★★★★
emily says
January 27, 2014 at 7:10 pmI’m so glad you liked them! They’re my husband’s absolute favorite meal.
Anonymous says
June 17, 2018 at 3:05 amDo you add any water? Can’t wait to make these!
Emily says
June 17, 2018 at 4:54 amI don’t! The meat creates its own juices and is tender and delicious without it!
Nanci says
May 10, 2014 at 5:23 amWow this looks delish. I have some chuck roast that I cut up do you think 8 could use that
Tha ks
emily says
May 10, 2014 at 11:00 amNanci – 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!
Tania says
July 22, 2014 at 12:07 pmInstead 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?
emily says
July 22, 2014 at 4:04 pmTania – 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!
ANA says
August 6, 2014 at 12:38 pmI 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.
emily says
August 6, 2014 at 12:50 pmANA – I’m so glad! Thank you for the kind comment and great feedback. Happy eating!
Karen says
December 9, 2014 at 10:54 amYou don’t put any liquid at all in the crock pot?
emily says
December 9, 2014 at 11:55 amKaren – 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.
JJ says
August 26, 2016 at 12:52 pmSo 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.
Emily says
August 27, 2016 at 6:57 pmJJ – 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!
Tracy H says
September 7, 2016 at 12:55 pmDo you add any liquid?
Emily says
September 7, 2016 at 3:13 pmTracy – 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!
Mia says
January 8, 2017 at 4:39 pmI 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.
★★★★★
Emily says
January 10, 2017 at 5:18 amMia – Oh, you made my day! I hope they tasted as good as they smelled!
S. says
March 2, 2017 at 4:50 pmwould 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?
★★★★★
Emily says
March 3, 2017 at 4:46 amS – 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.
Kiki says
September 12, 2017 at 9:10 amMaking this right now and totally love u for this recipe ! Me and my hubby just moved in together and he wanted this to be his first meal !!!!
Emily says
September 12, 2017 at 10:05 amOh congratulations! I hope you love it as much as we do!
paige flamm says
October 16, 2017 at 10:04 pmYUM! These are totally going onto the menu plan next week!
Miranda H. says
April 9, 2018 at 12:22 pmI made this with venison instead of beef and it was delicious!
Emily says
April 9, 2018 at 12:34 pmWow! That’s great to hear! So glad you liked it!
Karissa says
April 16, 2018 at 5:44 amMaking today for the 2nd time..love them. Cooked it on low it was perfect.
★★★★★
Emily says
April 16, 2018 at 1:51 pmYay! I’m so glad you loved it! These are one of my husband’s FAVORITES!
Jack Smith says
April 17, 2018 at 8:58 amThis looks all kinds of amazing, thanks for sharing 🙂
★★★★★
Emily says
April 17, 2018 at 12:00 pmMy pleasure!
Marley says
May 7, 2018 at 7:09 pmHi. Would flank steak work for this recipe?
Emily says
May 8, 2018 at 5:27 amMarley – I haven’t tried it with flank steak, but I think it would be overcooked in a slow cooker. It doesn’t have as much connective tissue to break down as a beef roast. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Marley says
May 8, 2018 at 4:31 pmOk I’ll have to buy some chuck roast then- can’t wait to make this! Thanks
Katie says
May 13, 2018 at 4:13 pmI made this last Monday with a grass-fed chuck roast. It was sooooo good and my boys loved it so much I made it again today with a grass-fed rump roast. I cant decide which was better! Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Emily says
May 13, 2018 at 6:53 pmI love hearing this!!! So glad you enjoyed it as much as we do!
Jenny says
July 8, 2018 at 11:11 amCould you do this recipe in an instant pot?
Emily says
July 8, 2018 at 2:35 pmI think so! I haven’t tested it, but would guess you’d cook it about 45 minutes at pressure. That’s about how long I’ve cooked other beef roasts with good success!
TKN says
October 25, 2018 at 10:49 amWould a tri tip work well for this dish?
Emily says
October 25, 2018 at 7:57 pmTri tip steak? Or a tri tip roast? I wouldn’t recommend a steak for sure, since the slow cooking would probably just cook it to death. If you’re talking about a roast, the cattlemen’s beef board says it’s good for roasting, so it might be able to stand up to the longer cook time of a slow cooker!
John says
November 23, 2018 at 9:44 amJust a quick question. Just the roast in the pot no additional liquid?
★★★★★
Emily says
November 23, 2018 at 11:22 amYes! The meat and veggies will create all their own juices. I’ve never yet had any problem with scorching, burning, etc.
Aleta Mays says
February 25, 2019 at 1:32 pmWe raise our own beef and thinking of using stew meat. Don’t think I will have any issue do you?
Emily says
February 25, 2019 at 2:34 pmI don’t think you’ll have any trouble. That sounds wonderful! (And good for you!!!)
Pam says
March 3, 2019 at 11:44 amThe spice mix is what puts this recipie over the top. I cooked roast in my crock pot on low for 7-8 hours. We have been using the meat for street tacos alll week. So good and easy.
★★★★★
Emily says
March 4, 2019 at 7:03 amI LOVE hearing that!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Laurie says
April 26, 2019 at 7:21 amHave you tried making this ahead and freezing it? I have a grad party coming up but would have enough time to make it on the day of the party?
Emily says
April 26, 2019 at 9:55 amLaurie – It reheats pretty well, in my experience! 🙂 Otherwise, you can easily make it the day before and refrigerate it. Hope you enjoy the graduation celebration!