We are high tailing it into the end of April (Wait, what?.. seriously?) and with the end of April comes the inevitable heat of the summer.
Especially here in the Lone Star State. But- this heat doesn’t exactly mean you can’t pull out the slow cooker for ease in your main meal making. It surely doesn’t stop me.
Plus, I’m still in the ‘new toy’ phase with my sorta kinda brand new crock. I got her for Christmas and my life has never been the same.
Okay.. so that may be a lie. But, I do adore this kitchen appliance so very much.
This recipe slightly resembles that of a favorite build-your-own-burrito (bowl) eatery. I usually stick to the all-natural shredded beef or carnitas.
Calorically, across the board of meat options, they are very similar.
I made this for a week night meal for my Fireman and me- prepping the ‘sauce’ and meat the afternoon before and allowing it to sit in the marinade over night. I just poured it all into the base of my slow cooker and stuck it in the fridge with the lid on it
While it did take up a massive amount of space in my fridge- it was for less than 24-hours, so I made due with the mess my fridge was in. I refrained from opening the doors to look at it too much.
My OCD habits would have put me in a mind spin.
This takes awhile to cook- about 10-12 hours. I started mine on HIGH when I was leaving the house that morning at 7am, and my cooker goes straight to warm after the timer goes off- so I was set for the rest of the cooking time.
Worth. Every. Hour.. Minute.. Second.. it took. I served these beef tacos with a black bean and wild rice salad and extra pico at the table for sprinkling!
Baja Beef Tacos
- Total Time: 10 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 8
Description
The late April heat in the Lone Star State doesn’t mean you can’t pull out the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 1 can chiptole peppers with adobo sauce
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 red onion, cut into chunks
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3-4 dry bay leaves
- 2 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 lb (1.1 kg) flat cut brisket, trimmed
- 1 cup (240 ml) low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups (480 ml) chopped plum tomato
- 1/3 c (80 ml) chopped yellow onion
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) cubed avocado
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lime juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 8 (6-in) corn tortillas
Instructions
- In a large food processor, combine chipotle peppers and sauce, cilantro, onion, garlic, cloves, salt, lime juice, and cider vinegar.
- Pulse until combined and broken down.
- Pour mixture into a slow cooker.
- Lay trimmed beef on top of this mixture, cutting beef into two pieces if necessary to fit well.
- Add stock and bay leaves.
- Gently move beef around to combine everything.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours.
- Once finished, turn your slow cooker to the WARM setting and continue to cook for an additional 6 hours.
- With two sets of tongs, pull the meat apart, shredding should be easy!
- For the salsa, combine tomato, onion, avocado, and the next 4 ingredients (through pepper).
- For serving, heat corn tortillas over a warmed skillet or in the microwave.
- Portion out two tortillas, layering about 2 oz of beef (1/4 cup) on each tortilla.
- Top each with about 2 tbsp salsa mixture.
Notes
- Adapted from: The Kitchn
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos (4 ounces beef, 1/4 cup salsa, each)
- Calories: 235
- Fat: 7.9
- Carbohydrates: 26
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 18
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Cucumber and Corn Grilled Steak Tacos
- Birria Tacos
- Smokey Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos
- Pork Adobado Tacos with Charred Pineapple
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe start on HIGH heat and then switch to WARM for the last 6 hours?
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours to bring the 2½ lb brisket up to temperature and begin breaking down the tough connective tissue, then switch to WARM for 6 additional hours to finish the braise gently so the meat shreds easily with tongs without drying out. The slow cooker automatically switches to WARM after the timer, making this hands-off for a full workday.
Can I prep the meat the night before?
Yes — mix the chipotle-cilantro-onion-garlic-lime-vinegar sauce, layer the brisket on top, and put the entire slow cooker insert in the refrigerator with the lid on overnight. The next morning just start the cooker on HIGH at 7am.
What cut of beef works best, and can I use something other than brisket?
I call for a flat-cut brisket, trimmed — cut it into two pieces if it doesn’t fit the slow cooker. The finished result is like the shredded beef at a build-your-own-burrito restaurant, so any tough braising cut that shreds well (like chuck) would work in the same 10–12 hour cook time.
