Carne Deshebrada or shredded beef tacos are a meal the whole family craves. This flavorful beef recipe is also a favorite for, gorditas, tostadas, and more! With stove top, slow cooker, and Instant Pot instructions included, there’s no excuse not to make this delicious recipe. Gluten-free and super kid-friendly.
Recipe first posted on September 22, 2021 and last updated on February 22, 2024.
A big plate of tender beef tacos are really hard to beat. As a culinary enthusiast with a deep love for the vibrant flavors of Mexican food, I’m excited to share my go-to recipe for carne deshebrada, the melt-in-your-mouth shredded beef that forms the heart of countless Mexican dishes.
Over the years, I’ve honed my skills, experimenting with different spices, cooking methods, and regional variations. Just like with my Instant Pot Pork Carnitas and Chile Colorado this carne deshebrada recipe is an invitation to experience my very best version of authentic Mexican comfort food.
This recipe captures the essence of classic carne deshebrada while offering the flexibility to suit your preferences. Whether you prefer the slow simmer of the stovetop, the convenience of the crockpot, or the lightning-fast pressure cooker, I’ve got you covered.
I’ve dressed up a basic rump roast with plenty of garlic, jalapeños, and my homemade taco seasoning made with chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika.
Keep reading for a Mexican food recipe you’ll make again and again!
Love slow-cooked meats as much as I do? Try my Cuban version, Ropa Vieja.
Ingredients
- Basic chuck roast. A well-marbled cut of beef easily found at your local grocery store. You could also use boneless short ribs.
- Kosher salt
- Smoked paprika
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Ground black pepper from freshly ground black peppercorns
- Olive oil
- White onion
- Jalapeños
- Garlic cloves
- Beef stock
- Dried oregano (not pictured)
- Bay leaves (not pictured)
For the tacos:
- Tortillas. Whatever your family likes, flour tortillas, white corn tortillas, or even a crunchy taco shell or low-carb tortillas
- Sour cream
- Queso fresco or Cotija cheese
- Fresh cilantro
- Pico de Gallo
How To Make This Recipe (Stove Top Instructions)
step one
Season meat. Cut the boneless beef chuck roast into large chunks (about 3 inches across). Place meat on a large plate and pat dry with paper towels. Combine the 3 teaspoons salt and all the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle all over the chuck roast. If you want to do this the night before—even better!
step two
Brown the meat. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, once shimmering, add beef in a single layer and sear on all sides. Remove to a plate.
step three
Sauté the vegetables. Lower to medium heat, add vegetables and cook until browned.
step four
Simmer. Add beef broth and scrape any browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Add chuck roast back to pot along with the oregano and bay leaf. Cover and simmer on medium low until very tender, about 3 hours. Check occasionally as it slow cooks and give it a stir.
step five
Pull apart beef using two forks, mix back into the sauce and stuff into warm tortillas. Top with a squeeze of lime juice or your favorite salsa.
slow cooker Carne Deshebrada Recipe
If you are looking for a good slow-cooker Mexican recipe, this is it!
- Once the vegetables and beef are browned, transfer everything to the crock pot, making sure you get all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (FLAVOR BOMBS)!
- Pour only 1 cup of the broth into the slow cooker then set the cook time for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
- Shred and enjoy in burritos or with a side of tortillas and guacamole!
how to make Carne Deshebrada in the pressure cooker
- If your Instant pot has a sauté setting you can do steps 1-4 right in the pressure cooker pot.
- Only add the 1 cup of broth, like we did for the slow cooker.
- Set the pressure cooker setting to high and the cook time to 30 minutes.
- Once the cooking is done, you can either do a quick release or let it slow release for as long as you wish. The beef will be nice and tender either way.
- Shred and enjoy as a rice bowl with refried beans or on top of nachos!
Storage and Freezing Instructions
The leftover beef will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight then reheat in the microwave or covered on the stove until warmed through.
what to make with Carne Deshebrada
- Beef Enchiladas. Swap the shredded beef for the Picadillo in this recipe.
- Easy Beef Empanadas. Use the shredded beef instead of the chicken filling in this recipe. Instead of the Mojo sauce serve the empanadas with the Salsa Verde from this recipe instead.
- Deep Dish Enchilada Casserole. Add shredded beef as an extra layer in this cheesy enchilada casserole.
- Roasted Squash and Kale Quesadillas. Just add beef!
- Gorditas. Substitute the shredded beef and some boiled, cubed potatoes for the chorizo and eggs in this recipe.
Top 5 Most Popular Beef Recipes
- Tangy Green Tomato and Beef Chili
- Red Wine and Garlic Marinated London Broil
- Carne Picada
- Classic Grilled Steak Fajitas
- Easy Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa
cook once, eat all week!
We all need recipes like this—reliable, comfort food that can be spun in a million different directions! I hope you try out this carne deshebrada recipe and if you do, let me know how it went. Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so that I can see your stuff (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Mexican Shredded Beef For Tacos
Mexican Shredded Beef for tacos, gorditas, tostadas, and more! With stove top, slow cooker, and Instant Pot instructions included.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large pieces (about 3-inches across)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 3 jalapeños, stemmed and sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 quart (4 cups) beef broth or 2 cups beef broth and 2 cups beer
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Prep the beef: Combine salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, coriander, and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle on all sides of the beef pieces and rub into the meat. If you can do this in advance even better. You can let it sit with the rub anywhere from 4-24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Brown the beef: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, leaving some room between the pieces and brown on all sides (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pot). Remove to a large plate.
- Brown the vegetables: Add the onions, jalapenos, and garlic. Cook until starting to brown and soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the broth: Add broth and scrape up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Return beef to pot with any juices that are on the plate. Add oregano and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer.
- Braise the beef: Cook, covered, on low, stirring every once in a while, until meat easily comes apart with a fork, about 3 hours.
- Shred the meat: Shred meat with two forks into bite-sized pieces. Taste and add more salt if needed. Stir back into the juices and enjoy tucked in warm tortillas with your favorite salsa.
Notes
- To Freeze: Transfer meat in the sauce to a freezer-safe container with a tight lid. Try to fill it to the top to keep the top from getting freezer burnt. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- For Slow Cooker and Instant Pot Instructions: See Blog Post
- Cut of beef: Use a well-marbled chuck roast or rump roast. It should have visible threads of fat running though it. If it doesn't it will be dry when cooked.
- How to shred beef: Cook the meat until it easily falls apart when scraped with a fork. Use two forks to pull it into small pieces.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 347Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 34g
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Sabrina says
like this, especially since my carne asada doesn’t always work (it’s tough to get it just right and not too chewey but with a marinade that doesn’t make it too skunky), so seems better to just slow cook some chuck roast! thank you
Kate Ramos says
Thank you so much Sabrina!! Let me know how it turns out when you make it.
HV Mom says
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! Made the stovetop version, used my hand mixer to shred in under a minute and then grilled on my flat top to make the best street tacos I’ve ever made. Next time I will double it as the family absolutely loved it. I even strained the extra liquid and will use as soup stock. Thank you. #FeedingBoys
Conrad Skinner says
Another good recipe………
Served the meat mixture up as tortas. Reserved the liquid, skimmed and reduced it. Mexican Dipped sandwiches !!!
Tostadas tomorrow ……
Susan says
Love this recipe, am making it for the 4th time😊
Chelsea says
I’ve made this a few times now and my family always loves it! I use the pressure cooker instructions with 1.5 cups of broth (since that’s the minimum amount of liquid for my pressure cooker), and it always turns out great. We use it in tacos, burritos, empanadas, breakfast hash, you name it – and this weekend I’ll use the juices as the cooking liquid for beans. Excellent recipe!
Kate Ramos says
Amazing Chelsea! Thanks so much for leaving a comment. I so, so appreciate it.
Beck & Bulow says
Do you still add water in the instant pot? Or being as your adding beef broth to the inner pot, you don’t have to add the water????
Kate Ramos says
No need to add water, just 1 cup of broth is all you’ll need for the Instant Pot.
Beck & Bulow says
This turned out great. Followed directions for a frozen roast as I forgot to take my 2.6 lb blade roast out of the freezer. Cooked for 50 minutes, took the pressure off, added good sized chunks of potatoes and carrots and cooked for 30 more minutes.
Kate Ramos says
Amazing! Thanks so much for letting me know.
Heidi says
Wonderful recipe!
Kate Ramos says
Thank you Heidi!
Dustin T says
Followed recipe as directed *EXCEPT*:
After rubbing down the meat (which I let sit in the fridge for a couple days due to household chaos), I made the spice blend again the day I started cooking. After adding Beef Stock & Modelo to the pot, in addition to the oregano and bay leaves, I added the meat spice blend again.
Essentially, I increased the spices and garlic by 50-100% and simmered for four hours. It came out extremely, devastatingly good.
Also, note, I got a particularly fatty chuck roast for this, which was an excellent call. Skim the fat off and dip your tortillas in it before pan frying them for tacos.
Kate Ramos says
Awesome Dustin! Great tips. Thanks for letting me know.
Christina says
I just made this for dinner last night, and holy smokes, did my house smell delicious! I made it in the instapot and my huband swore it tasted like it came from a fine Mexican Restaurant. I was so surprised how a few simple ingredients could come together and make such a bold taste. We put it on chips and made nachos but I will be usuing this for taco nights in the future. This will definately be a recipe we have on repeat!
Kate Ramos says
That makes me so happy Christina! I’m so thrilled your family enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.
Dan J says
Very nice recipe. I modified the broth somewhat by adding a little orange juice and tomato – not much, maybe half a cup of each. I used my oven to slow cook it (375 for two hours, then left it in after turning it off). Wonderful flavor even though I didn’t let the rub sit on the meat. Next time I will plan ahead and I will give that a try ! I also might back off on the salt a little
Kate Ramos says
Awesome Dan! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. Thank you!
Amy Wathen says
Made this tonight for National Taco Day via stovetop and it was bursting with flavor, so tender and delicious! I apparently wasn’t sure of the temp to “braise” on stovetop and had minimal juices left after 4 hours so I added 1/2 cup of beef broth after I shredded. Also made Best Ever Black Beans and Salsa Ranchera. An amazing dinner! Thank you for sharing.
Kate Ramos says
Amy! That’s wonderful. I’m so thrilled you loved your meal. It sounds exquisite.
Mimi Rippee says
Great tacos. I love the photos!
Kate Ramos says
Thanks so much Mimi!