Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless chuck roast
- 1 Tbsp. cooking oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado)
- 1 ½ tsp. coarse ground pepper
- 1 ½ tsp. salt
- 4 dried Guajillo chiles
- 7-8 dried arbol chiles
- 5-6 Chipotle chiles in adobo, from a can
- 1 white onion, thinly sliced
- 8 whole cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 32 oz. beef stock
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1 tsp. dried minced onion or ½ tsp. onion powder
For Serving
- Corn tortillas
- Cilantro
- Diced red onions
- More oil for frying tacos
Instructions
- Season and Sear Beef: Season all sides of the chuck roast with salt and pepper. Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add cooking oil, and sear the meat for 4-5 minutes on all sides until browned.
- Prepare Slow Cooker Sauce: Add guajillo chiles, arbol chiles, chipotle peppers, sliced onion, garlic cloves, beef stock, tomato paste, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, lime juice, cumin, thyme, oregano, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, ground cloves, smoked paprika, dried minced onion, and ground coriander to the slow cooker. Stir everything to combine.
- Slow Cook Beef: Place the seared chuck roast into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low heat for 9-10 hours until tender and shreddable.
- Shred the Beef: Remove the chuck roast from the slow cooker and shred the meat with two forks. Remove bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and chile stems from the sauce.
- Blend the Sauce: Use an immersion blender (or a food processor/stand blender) to blend the sauce until smooth. Return sauce to the slow cooker or transfer to a large bowl.
- Combine Beef and Sauce: Add 1 cup of the blended sauce to the shredded beef and toss to coat evenly.
- Prepare Tacos: Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add cooking oil. Using tongs, dip each tortilla into the sauce, double it over, and place it flat in the pan. Fry for about 2 minutes on one side.
- Assemble and Fry Tacos: Flip the tortilla, spoon additional sauce on the exposed side, then add shredded beef, diced onions, and cilantro to one half. Fold the tortilla over and fry each side for up to 2 minutes until crispy and heated through. Spoon more sauce on both sides as it fries.
- Serve: Transfer tacos to a serving plate and serve with extra pureed sauce for dipping. Garnish with additional diced onions and cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Use gloves when handling dried chiles to avoid irritation.
- Adjust the number of chipotle and arbol chiles based on your preferred spice level.
- For a richer sauce, toast the dried chiles briefly before adding to the slow cooker.
- Can substitute beef stock with chicken stock for a lighter flavor.
- Leftover meat and sauce make excellent taco filling for other dishes like burritos or quesadillas.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 hours
- Category: Tacos
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
