This recipe for Mexican Shredded Beef is my go-to for tacos, hardshell-style! The completed flavor is just what you’d expect from a classic bite. Eat them with a few, (+ easy prep), freshly chopped ingredients or a spicy salsa ranchera. These tacos come through for the appetite.
Like to spice your foods up? Make my fake guacamole, or for mild try tomatillo salsa or creamy avocado salsa. Let’s get into it!
Why You Should Try This Recipe
It’s a simple and memorable shredded beef recipe that’s seasoned, simmered, and best of all, ALL Natural! Second best part is you’ll get lots of tacos out of this recipe vs buying them out. You’ll save some major monies making these nostalgic and delicious tacos.
As for the method to make, this shredded Mexican beef can be made on the stove top or an instant pot (pressure cooker). I’ll guide you through it all.
Ingredients
Grocery Quick List: beef, onion, garlic, bay leaf, ground cumin, tortillas, oil for frying, lettuce, mild cheddar, roma tomato, salt.
For the beef
- 2 – 3 lbs Beef, cubed
- Water
- 1 1/2 Onion
- 5 Garlic cloves
- 2 Bay leaf
- Ground cumin
- Sea salt or kosher salt
For the tacos
- Tortillas
- Oil for frying
- Lettuce, shredded
- Roma tomato, diced
- Mild cheddar cheese or monterey jack, shredded
Ingredient Notes / Variations
- Beef – selected for cooking this is beef chunks for stew. If you plan to cook more beef, go with a chuck roast.
- If possible, purchase the tortillas from your local tortilleria [tortilla factory]. This way, they’re fresh, and pliable. If not, we’ll go through the warming up tortillas step, since warming them is essential.
- Lettuce and tomatoes: Dice them up well. It only takes a little bit of time and you’re so worth it the effort.
- Romaine can also be used, I love leafy greens too.
- As for cheese, for this cali-style crunchy taco, a mild cheddar cheese block is used.
- If you prefer Monterey jack, that’s a tasty option too. As for a block, it’s fresh and a great value.
- Using pre-shredded cheese will also work and save some time.
Note about the Meat and Searing from Erika: You’ll notice I have oil as an ingredient for the beef in the photo above. Searing the beef with a little bit of oil on the stove or instant pot is entirely optional. It’s not necessary but primarily a matter of preference.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Cook the juicy shredded beef.
A printer-friendly recipe card with detailed instructions is available at the bottom of this post.
- Fill and fry the tacos until crispy.
- Once cooked, let beef hardshell tacos cool for a couple minutes.
Eat a crispy taco and serve it up with finely shaved lettuce, diced tomato, and shredded cheddar cheese for the classic bite.
Foods To Eat With Crunchy Beef Tacos
Wondering what to serve alongside? Here’s a few suggestions to help you with meal inspo:
Ways To Flip Leftover [Shredded Beef]
Some ideas for using up any meat for easy weeknight meals…
- Chile Colorado (Shredded)
- Rolled Taquitos
- Machaca Breakfast Scramble
- Loaded Tostadas de Carne
- Tortas Ahogadas (Spicy Beef Sandwiches)
Pro Tip: Use the broth for more future meals. This comes in handy, is useful during holiday seasons and will save you from having to purchase beef broth. You can freeze broth for later use in tasty dishes.
Pro Tips / Receta Notes
Recipe yield: Enough for 16-20 hard shell tacos.
Storage: Tacos taste best crispy fried. Place the remaining beef in a food-safe storage container and cover it with a lid.
Great for hosting, hang outs, backyard parties, and just cause you deserve it!
Reheating instructions: To reheat the tacos, preheat the toaster oven to 325 degrees and heat for 8-12 minutes. If heating on the stove, warm on preheated pan for 4-5 minutes on each side on low heat.
Please star rate this LQC Recipes Classic Shredded Beef tacoS. Your stars and Shares help us reach Comida-Makers. Thank you!
Follow And Share LatinasQueComen
Mexican Shredded Beef (and Tacos)
DESCRIPTION
Equipment
- Slotted spoon
- Tongs
- Fork
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Pot or IP
- Shredder for cheese
Ingredients
- Beef 2.5 – 3 lbs
- 3 quarts water
- 1 large whole Onion
- 8 pieces Garlic
- 2 tsp Salt kosher 1 + 3/4 tsp if using sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground Pepper or peppercorns
- Bay Leaves optional, Use them if you have them, but it’s not a detriment to the recipe
- Ground cumin
For the tacos:
- 16-20 Tortillas depending on how much meat is filled with
- 1 head lettuce
- 3 roma tomatoes
- 1 lb block mild cheddar cheese or monterrey jack
Instructions
To cook the Beef on the Stove:
- Place all meat and all its ingredients in a large stock pot. Set the stove to Medium/ high heat and cook for 50 minutes. Set the timer for 50 minutes as a reminder. Once cooked, leave the lid on the pot for additional 15 minutes.
- Once finished with a slotted spoon, remove the cooked beef from the pot and place it in a large bowl. Quickly shred meat with a fork. It’ll be so soft that it’ll break up quickly, especially while still hot, so less effort from you.
- Add 1/4 cup of broth from the pot and pour it over the shredded meat, then cover it with a lid or plastic wrap to keep moisture trapped. Set to the side.
To make Beef in the Instant Pot:
- Place all ingredients to make the beef in the instant pot, cover with lid and seal the venting. Set to manual mode, removing ‘keep warm’ setting on the IP. Set manual time to cook for 35 minutes.
- Once cook time is up, let the meat chill in the instant pot for 15 minutes of natural release time before manually releasing the pressure.
- Once finished with a slotted spoon, remove the cooked beef from the pot and place it in a large bowl; quickly shred meat with a fork. It’ll be so soft that it’ll break up quickly, especially while hot.
- Add 1/4 cup of broth from the pot and pour it over the shredded meat, then cover it with a lid or plastic wrap to keep moisture trapped. Set to the side.
Tortilla prep & Frying the Hard-Shell Tacos:
- Heat comal (pan) on medium heat for a few minutes (2-3). Place stacks of 2 tortillas on the skillet to warm on each side until pliable enough to fold.
- Once warm, set to the side to cool in a tortilla warmer or towel to keep them soft. Repeat for as many tortillas as you place to use to make tacos.
- Add 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan (use the existing pan or a different pan if you used a comal).
- As the oil heats, fill each tortilla with Mexican beef. Fold and lay flat on the pan in oil. Repeat for the remainder of what fits comfortably on the pan.
- Let tacos fry on each side for 2-3 minutes on medium heat until golden.
- Note: Add oil as necessary into the pan in rounds of 3 tablespoons (Tip: Done to prevent oil waste.)
- Remove crispy tacos from pan and place them on a cooling rack. (Or, put it on a plate lined with a paper towel.)
- Repeat for the remaining tacos left to fry.
To assemble the Mexican Beef Tacos:
- Open the beef taco shell and fill it with lettuce, tomato, and shaved cheddar cheese.
- Additional toppings include drizzled crema, shaved cotija cheese, or Monterey jack.
Notes
- Recipe yield: Enough shredded beef for 18-22 hard shell tacos. Perfect for all day group tacos!
- Storage: Tacos taste best crispy fried. Place the remaining beef in a food-safe storage container and cover it with a lid and place in refrigeration.
- Reheating instructions: To reheat the tacos, preheat the toaster oven to 325 degrees and heat for 8-12 minutes. If heating on the stove, warm on preheated pan for 4-5 minutes on each side on low heat.
- Tortilla: Prefer soft tortillas? Skip the frying directions and prepare tacos with warm corn of flour tortillas of your choice.
For the full tips, salsa, and recommended ways to flip and use up your cooked beef, visit the full post at the LatinasQueComen website!
Nutrition
Equipment
- Large pot or,
- Instant pot
- Slotted spoon
- Knife for dicing
- Cheese shredder, (finely shredded if you want them just like the photo).
loved this recipe…
Then try these too! They were created with the same amount of love.
- Chickpea Salad
- Mexican Vegetables
- Chiles Rellenos Recipe (Easy Version)