These chipotle beer braised beef tacos are one of my favorite easy weeknight meals! With just a few simple ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time, the slow cooker does all the work to bring you the most flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth shredded beef for tacos!
The chipotle beer braised beef is slow cooked to perfection in the crockpot and then finished in the oven so you can get those nice crispy edges!
Serve with homemade sourdough tortillas for perfect tacos!
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Ingredient Notes
This braised beef is incredibly easy to make and requires just a couple ingredients!
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - If you've never bought chipotle's in adobo before, you have no idea what you've been missing!! Chipotle peppers are jalapenos that have been dried and smoked and then packed in a flavorful tomato sauce. They add a spicy, smoky flavor to a variety of dishes! You can find chipotle's in adobo in the international foods aisle at your local grocery store.
Beer - I like to use a dark Mexican beer like Modelo Negra or Dos Equis Ambar. But whatever beer you have on hand will work just fine!
Chuck roast - There are several cuts of beef that work great for these slow cooker tacos! Cheap, tough cuts of meat are perfect for long, slow cooking. Think chuck roast, stew beef, short ribs, etc. You could also substitute pork shoulder or lamb shanks!
Brown sugar - You need a little bit of sugar to balance the spicy and salty flavors.
How to Make Beer Braised Beef
In a large skillet over high heat, quickly sear the roast for 1-2 minutes on each side. This is optional, but helps add additional flavor to the beef!
Add the beef, chipotle peppers (and the sauce they come in), beer, lime juice, brown sugar, and salt to the base of your slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. You'll know the beef is done when it falls apart.
Carefully transfer the cooked beef to a large sheet pan.
Shred the beef and drizzle with the chipotles and about 1 cup of the leftover cooking liquid.
Broil the beef of high for 3-5 minutes or until the beef dark brown and crispy on the ends. This step is optional but SO worth it!!
The beef is still super tender and moist, but has crispy, crunchy ends that add so much texture to the tacos!
Serve With
The chipotle beer braised beef makes perfect tacos! But it's also delicious over rice or nachos!
- Homemade Sourdough Tortillas
- Pico de gallo
- Cilantro
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- Key Lime Margaritas
Recipe FAQ's
The beef is moderately spicy! I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so I think the beef is very spicy but perfect with a bit of sour cream. Kyle however, can handle a ton of heat and he doesn't think it's spicy at all. So I think it's a good spice level for most people, but might be too much for young kids.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It reheats up well in the microwave!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Chipotle Beer Braised Beef Tacos
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Beer Braised Beef
- 2 pounds chuck roast
- 2 cups chipotle peppers in adobo , 2 small cans
- 2 cups dark Mexican beer, Modelo Negra or Dos Equis Ambar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Serve with
- homemade sourdough tortillas
- pico de gallo
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet over high heat, quickly sear the roast for 1-2 minutes on each side. This is optional, but helps add additional flavor to the beef!
- Add the beef, chipotle peppers (and the sauce they come in), beer, lime juice, brown sugar, and salt to the base of your slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. You'll know the beef is done when it falls apart.
- Carefully transfer the cooked beef to a large sheet pan.
- Shred the beef and drizzle with the chipotles and about 1 cup of the leftover cooking liquid.
- Broil the beef of high for 3-5 minutes or until the beef dark brown and crispy on the ends. This step is optional but SO worth it!!
- Serve with tortillas, pico de gallo, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Sea Jee says
Tasty. The heat is present but it’s also a creeping warm heat that heats through your chest. I like mild heat and I can bear this with sour cream.
Denise says
These were amazing! I used pork instead of. Definitely will make again
Alexandra says
life changing tacos
Bryan says
Didn't plan ahead and had to cook on high for 4 hours instead and it still tasted great! Don't forget to let the meat reabsorb some of the juice before serving or it could be dry. Would make again for sure.