Go Back

Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Shredded Beef Tacos

Slow cooker honey chipotle shredded beef tacos with tender, glossy shreds coated in sweet and smoky sauce. Cook on low until the beef tears easily, then warm corn tortillas and assemble with fresh onion, cilantro, and salsa.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Rest time 10 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

beef
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
sauce
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth
  • 0.25 cup honey
  • 3 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce minced
  • 2 tbsp adobo sauce
  • 3 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
tacos
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 diced onion for serving
  • 1 cilantro for serving
  • 1 lime wedges for serving
  • 1 salsa for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Cook the beef
  1. Place the beef chuck roast in a 6-quart slow cooker. Arrange it so it sits flat for even cooking.
  2. In a bowl, combine the chicken broth, honey, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the honey dissolves and the mixture looks uniformly dark and glossy.
  3. Pour the sauce mixture over the beef in the slow cooker. Make sure most of the roast is covered in the liquid.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours until the beef is very tender and shreds easily with a fork. You should see steam rising steadily and the beef fibers starting to separate.
Shred and assemble tacos
  1. Remove the beef from the slow cooker and let it rest for 10 minutes. The roast should stay juicy, and the surface should look slightly set.
  2. Shred the rested beef with two forks. The strands should be glossy and pull apart easily.
  3. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir to coat in the sauce. Keep stirring until the meat looks evenly coated and dark, sweet, and smoky.
  4. Warm the corn tortillas until pliable, following package directions. They should feel soft and slightly steamy, not crisp.
  5. Fill each tortilla with the shredded beef and spoon any extra sauce on top. The sauce should glisten and lightly coat the taco filling.
  6. Top with diced onion, cilantro, and salsa, then serve with lime wedges. Finish with a fresh squeeze of lime right before eating.

Notes

For best texture, shred the beef only after the 10-minute rest so the strands hold together. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of sauce. Freezing is yes—freeze shredded beef with sauce up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a gluten-free option, keep salsa and any packaged serving items certified gluten-free; the tacos themselves are naturally gluten-free.