Our zesty, flavorful Mexican Shredded Beef is the delicious basis for so many different recipes! Cook up a batch tonight!
This Mexican Shredded Beef is an adapted version of the one that my husband Jack made many years ago, when he worked at the popular Edgewater Café, in Magnolia, Massachusetts. At the restaurant, they used large, commercial pressure cookers to cook the beef, but our version is cooked low-and-slow in the oven, making it a recipe that anyone can prepare at home.
I’ve got to say – the aromas that fill our house when this Mexican Shredded Beef is cooking in the oven are pretty amazing!
How do you make Mexican Shredded Beef?
First, place a layer of sliced onions and peppers in the bottom of a baking dish or Dutch oven – this serves as a bed for the beef as it cooks.
Then, a wet rub made with tomato paste, honey, spices, chili sauce and our popular Rocket Fuel (or your favorite hot sauce) is slathered over the beef before it is cooked.
Roast in the oven for about 3 to 3 ½ hours* and your Mexican Shredded Beef will be fork tender and ready to shred for sandwiches or other recipes!
What kind of beef should I use?
We have made this recipe a number of times over the years with different grades of chuck roast – ranging from a really nice Angus beef to a less expensive, lower grade of beef known as “select”.
*The cooking times varied greatly as a result. The select grade of beef, for example, took almost five hours to become fall-apart tender, while the Angus beef was tender in a little over two hours. Depending on your cut of beef, you’ll need to check to make sure your beef is tender. (It may even be easier to make this a day ahead of serving, or start it early in the day to make sure the meat is ready for your meal.)
What recipes can I make with this Mexican Shredded Beef?
Here are a few delicious options:
- Beef and Bean Enchiladas
- Beef Chimichangas
- Beef Tostadas
- And our newest recipe: Baked Shredded Beef Taquitos!
Can I make this in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?
Lots of readers have asked this question – and the answer is yes, although we do think the best caramelized flavor will come from roasting the beef in the oven as written in our recipe below.
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes – in fact, we often cook up a batch of this Mexican Shredded Beef, then freeze half for a recipe another day. Just seal the portions of beef in an air-tight bag to avoid freezer burn (a food saver bag sealing system like this works especially well.)
This Mexican Shredded Beef recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in September 2013. We’ve updated the photos and post text.
You may enjoy these other Mexican dishes:
- Mexican Pulled Chicken
- Quesadillas
- Chile Colorado Burritos
- Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Pickled Taco Vegetables
Mexican Shredded Beef
Our zesty, flavorful Mexican Shredded Beef is the delicious basis for so many different recipes! Cook up a batch tonight!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: entree
- Method: braise
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
1/2 large onion, peeled and cut into large slices
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into large slices
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon Rocket Fuel, or your favorite hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast
1 cup beef stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- In a 9×13-inch glass baking dish or Dutch oven with cover, lay sliced onions and peppers on bottom.
- Mix tomato paste, agave or honey, all the dried spices, Rocket Fuel and the chili sauce. Smear all over the beef, then set beef over peppers and onions. Pour the beef stock around the sides of the beef.
- Cover with parchment paper and then foil, sealing tight. (Or place the cover on the Dutch oven.)
- Roast in oven for three hours or until fork tender. Check after three hours and cook for another 30 minutes if not falling apart tender. Depending on the size, grade, quality and cut of the chuck, this cooking time could be much longer, see notes. *
- With two forks, shred meat and mix with all liquid, cooked onions and cooked peppers.
- Use as a filling for a variety of Mexican or Southwestern-inspired dishes.
Notes
* We have made this a few times with different grades of chuck from a really nice Angus beef to a really low grade of beef known as “select”. The cooking times varied greatly as a result. The low grade of beef for example took almost five hours to become fall apart tender, where the Angus was tender in a little over two hours. Depending on all of the variables, you need to keep checking and cooking until tender. It might be easiest to make this a day ahead, or start cooking early in the day to ensure that your beef is ready for your meal.
It sounds tasty. but the “Bell Peppers” , “avave nectar /honey” , Siracha sauce” (beef stock?) Pears, Ginger, Tabasco/cayenne peper” Fish Sauce , sugar , Sound Distinctly NOT Mexican. Sounds Very pasty white Gringo Impressionistic. Or at least it definitely is not Sonoran Mexican. MAYBE Mexico City , new Avant guard Mexican food.
Just really does not sound “Authentic Mexican” But then again I like “Tex-Mex/Arizona-Mex food, which is Not “truely” Mexican food han Taco Bell. 🙂 But so Yummy! . It is “close to Mexican food, Mexican Inspired”. Much More Mexican inspired than Taco bell. But this recipe Is Sounding Good! so probably worth Trying! Dang It, Now I Am Hungry!
Thank you, I think.
It is authentic Plymouth Massachusetts Mexican. “Gringo impressionistic” is pretty funny, I am totally stealing that line. Also love your email address.
Jack
Hi, this recipe looks tasty and I will be making it soon. I bought a 4lb London and intended to make shredded beef like the one you have here. Should I just double the time or increase the temp. I am looking for the pull apart shredded texture. Thank you, Kristie
A London Broil can be a name given to a few different cuts of meat. It may be from the round or flank. Either cut will be OK, just not as flavorful as the chuck because they are lean. Chuck is always the best bet for flavor. I would think that they may take a little longer to cook and suspect that they may be a bit dry and stringy compared to a chuck. So bottom line, it certainly can be used but will not be as good as a chuck.
Hope this helps,
Jack
This looks incredibly delicious. Yum!
Thanks Maggie!
Made this Sunday 11/12/2017 and it was a grand slam! Husband and step son LOVED it! Still raving about it few days later. Thanks for the recipe!
You are very welcome Stacie – so glad the recipe was a hit!
is it not too spicy because you use lot of chili stuff like chili powder,chili sauce,and another hot sauce that can make the shredded beef taste really really spicy?
Hi Mark – I wouldn’t describe this recipe as too spicy at all – but feel free to cut back on the chili powder and hot sauce if you’d like! You can always add more once it is cooked.
Pulled beef looks great! – did a few of them this summer on the smoker..
But what I really wanted to say was I have a ton of fond memories from the edgewater from back in the early 80s. Loved living in magnolia and loved the edgewater!
Hi Mark! You are one of several readers who have written to us to share very fond memories of the Edgewater (and Magnolia)! 🙂 So sad it is no longer there…. Hope you enjoy the recipes! Thanks for writing to us today.
Hi Patricia – This would be a great second entree with the fajitas. Our Carnitas (pork) is another very popular Mexican entree recipe on our site in case you’d like to check that out too: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/carnitas/ Hope that helps!
In our very small town, a Mexican restaurant serves a dish with shredded beef, onions, pepper, tomato over cheese enchiladas. I came looking for a beef recipe that might work for me.
Hi Hyacinth – We hope our shredded beef recipe is as good as the dish at your local restaurant. Enjoy!
I make this very often since it is so versatile. But I salt and pepper it first then brown it before roasting. Add some broth or water and just put a lid on it. Bake at 325 for 3 – 4 hours, depending on the size of the roast. After it is done and shredded, it can be used in different ways. My personal favorite is to saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, fresh tomato and cilantro with the shredded beef.
So glad you are enjoying the recipe Diana – great ideas!
when you say 300degrees, is that celcius or farenheit?
Farenheit