Crockpot Shredded Tacos
Tacos are a staple in this house– they’re easy to make and fast to eat, perfect for a busy weeknight especially when you make the main part of the dish in the slow cooker! This recipe calls for beef, but you can just as easily substitute pork or chicken, if you prefer. This recipe makes a DOUBLE batch– use it one night for tacos and the next night for a salad or sandwiches or burritos– or really anything that you like!
INGREDIENTS:
4 lbs beef roast (chuck roast works great)
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup paprika
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs finely ground coffee
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef stock
4 tbs tomato paste
salt, to taste
taco shells, hard or soft (warmed)
shredded cheese, 2 cups
Optional Awesomeness: diced red onion, sliced green onion, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
Mix all spices together in a small bowl– use spices as a dry rub and coat the roast on all sides with the spices (you will have some spice mix left over, keep it– we’re going to use it later!) Preheat a large saute pan with 2 tbs of olive oil over med-high heat– once the pan is hot, sear the roast (you want to get a nice brown color on the outside of the roast.)
Once the roast is seared on all sides, remove the roast from the pan and place the roast into the crockpot. Drop the heat to medium-high for the saute pan and add the onions and garlic. Saute the onions and garlic until fragrant then add 1/2 cup of the beef stock to deglaze the pan (deglaze just means to remove all of the yummy charred bits left behind from when you seared the meat– that’s all yummy flavor, don’t leave it behind!)
Pour the onions/garlic/stock mixture over the roast in the crockpot– add enough stock to cover the roast completely. Put the slow cooker on low and let it simmer for 6-8 hours. Remove the roast and shred it using two forks– remove the stock– take a 1/2 cup of stock and place it in a bowl and whisk the tomato paste into the stock (you should save the rest of the stock to use for another dish– or even serve it as a soup, just add some cooked quinoa or barley and/or some mushrooms!) Add the shredded beef back to the slow cooker, top with the stock/tomato paste mixture and the rest of the spices left over from the rub. Cook on low for another 30 minutes to an hour– season with additional salt/pepper, if needed.
Serve in warmed taco shells and allow people to top their tacos as they wish– enjoy!
