Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos With Cabbage-Carrot Slaw
By Danielle Desiato KuhnPublished on October 16, 2019
Time
7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Slow cooker size
4 to 7 quarts
Ingredients
½ onion, chopped fine1 ounce (2 to 3) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces (½ cup)3 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¾ cup water 1 tablespoon honey 2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch piecesSalt and pepper ½ head napa cabbage, cored and sliced thin (6 cups)1 carrot, peeled and shredded1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin½ cup lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro 12-18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmedcrumbled queso fresco
Instructions
- 1. Microwave onion, anchos, garlic, tomato paste, oil, chipotle, and cinnamon in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in water and honey. Season beef with salt and pepper and stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
- Combine cabbage, carrot, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, and ½ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to another large bowl. Using potato masher, smash beef until coarsely shredded; cover to keep warm.
- Process cooking liquid in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Adjust sauce consistency with extra hot water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss beef with 1 cup sauce. Toss slaw to recombine. Serve beef with tortillas, slaw, and queso fresco, passing lime wedges and remaining sauce separately.
Time
7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on highYield
Serves 4 to 6Slow cooker size
4 to 7 quartsIngredients
½ onion, chopped fine
1 ounce (2 to 3) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces (½ cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon honey
2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
½ head napa cabbage, cored and sliced thin (6 cups)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
½ cup lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
12-18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
crumbled queso fresco
Ingredients
½ onion, chopped fine
1 ounce (2 to 3) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces (½ cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon honey
2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
½ head napa cabbage, cored and sliced thin (6 cups)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
½ cup lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
12-18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
crumbled queso fresco
Ingredients
½ onion, chopped fine
1 ounce (2 to 3) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1-inch pieces (½ cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup water
1 tablespoon honey
2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1½-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
½ head napa cabbage, cored and sliced thin (6 cups)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and sliced thin
½ cup lime juice (2 limes), plus lime wedges for serving
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
12-18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
crumbled queso fresco
Why This Recipe Works
We turned to chuck roast, with its big beefy flavor, as the basis for the filling because it becomes meltingly tender and shreddable in the slow cooker—plus it's inexpensive and easy to find. Cutting the roast into 1½-inch pieces helped it cook faster and, as a result, become even more tender than when left whole. To make our red sauce we built a flavorful mixture of dried ancho chiles, chipotle chiles, tomato paste, and a hint of cinnamon. The different types of chiles created layers of heat without turning the sauce overly spicy. We bloomed the aromatics, including the dried chiles, with oil in the microwave to bring out their full flavor and added them to the slow cooker with a little honey to balance the heat, and water to distribute the spices evenly. Once the beef was pull-apart tender, we simply pureed the braising liquid into a rich, smooth sauce and tossed it with the shredded beef. To complement the warm spices of the beef, we topped our tacos with a cool and tangy cabbage slaw, which we kept simple with just a splash of lime juice.
Instructions
- 1. Microwave onion, anchos, garlic, tomato paste, oil, chipotle, and cinnamon in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in water and honey. Season beef with salt and pepper and stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.
- Combine cabbage, carrot, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro, and ½ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to another large bowl. Using potato masher, smash beef until coarsely shredded; cover to keep warm.
- Process cooking liquid in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Adjust sauce consistency with extra hot water as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss beef with 1 cup sauce. Toss slaw to recombine. Serve beef with tortillas, slaw, and queso fresco, passing lime wedges and remaining sauce separately.
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