Slow cooked chipotle beef tacos with a crisp honey lime slaw are perfect tacos, for any day!
I first posted this recipe, back in 2012, when I didn’t have a programmable slow cooker, and I was gone for way more hours than would be safe to leave one cooking – so I did a lot of stove-top, dutch oven cooking for shredded meats and such. I was also single and living alone with little more to do in the evenings than cook and watch allthetvshows.
These days…ain’t nobody got time for 2 hours of cook time on a weeknight after work. It makes this mama happy, happy, happy on many nights when I just don’t have it in me to cook dinner after a long day at the office, and a long, traffic-filled commute home, to just walk in the door and have dinner essentially ready. Have I mentioned that I love my programmable slow cooker? Life. Saver.
And, one of the best things about slow cooking is that it allows all of those amazing flavors to really set into the meat. So, you get beef that isn’t dried out, packed full of flavor – with just a kick of heat – and you top it with a creamy, crunch broccoli slaw.
I am a big fan of varied textures in my food, but I especially love added crunch in my tacos and sandwiches, so you know I am in heaven with this.
You can use regular slaw, if you prefer, but I just love the crunch and how broccoli slaw holds up to the sauce. The next day it is still crunch. No soggy slaw here, friends!
Chipotle Beef. Crispy, honey lime broccoli slaw. Tacos. That’s all you really needed to hear, right? I can see you writing this in on your menu plan now. Smart choice.
Chipotle Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 boneless beef chuck roast, about 3 pounds, trimmed of fat
- 3 Tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 8 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
- 10+ Tortillas (quantity will depend on size)
- sour cream for topping, if desired
- cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
For the Honey-Lime Broccoli Slaw
- 2 Tbsp mayo or miracle whip
- 2 Tbsp sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 4 cups broccoli slaw*
Instructions
Stove-top directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut beef into 3 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat a small amount olive oil in a Dutch oven or very large skillet and sear beef well on all sides.
- In a medium bowl, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over beef in Dutch oven and cover.
- Cook for 30 minutes, then remove from oven, remove lid and flip the pieces of beef. Return to the oven (uncovered) and cook an additional 1 ½ hours, turning meat about every 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and shred beef with two forks, or in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, then return to the cooking liquid, if desired.
Slow Cooker directions:
- Heat a small amount olive oil in a Dutch oven or very large skillet. Season beef with salt and pepper, and sear beef well on both sides. Transfer to a slow cooker.
- In a medium bowl,combine chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour over beef and cook for 4 hours on high OR 7-8 hours on low, until fork tender and easy to shred with a fork.
- Shred in the slow cooker with a fork, or remove and shred in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, and return to the slow cooker to mix with the cooking liquid, if desired.
To assemble:
- Warm tortillas and top with sour cream (if using), shredded beef, and broccoli slaw and cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Your version of these sounds great! Mmm, now I really want those tacos again. 🙂
These look good. I love Mexican always looking for new ways to prepare.