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    Home / Recipes / Ingredient / Beef

    23 Feb 25, 2011 Beef  |   Jump to Recipe

    Mexican Braised Beef Tacos

    Mexican Braised Beef Tacos

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Earlier in the month, I showed you how to make some delicious Mexican dishes including homemade salsa, chips and slow cooker mole.  Today, I am going to tackle Mexican Braised Beef Tacos.  Seared beef is braised for hours with fire roasted peppers, red wine, tomatoes and caramelized onions.  The finished beef has a deep savory, spicy flavor with melt in your mouth texture.  Topped with Mexican crema, tomatoes and greens, this taco could easily be mistaken for its authentic street style counterpart.   FYI, this is a slow cooker recipe (I just didn’t feel like putting slow cooker in the title).  Continue reading for the recipe.

    Beef and Chiles

    Mexican Braised Beef Tacos

    Mexican Braised Beef Tacos

    by Brandon Matzek
    Adapted from The Kitchn.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings 6 servings

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
    • 4 poblano peppers (sometimes labeled pasilla in the grocery store)
    • 1 serrano chile
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    • Kosher salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced (not thinly, but not too thick)
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • ½ cup red wine
    • 1 (14.5 oz. can) diced tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)
    • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
    • Corn or flour tortillas
    • Tomatoes, chopped (I used cherry tomatoes)
    • Mexican crema (you can also use sour cream thinned out with fresh lime juice)
    • Greens (I used microgreens for aesthetics. Any type of lettuce would work here)

    Instructions
     

    • If your beef is refrigerated, take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan on making this dish.
    • Turn your burner on full flame. Using a long fork, hold one of the poblano peppers directly over the flame until the skin starts to bubble and blacken. Flip the poblano and blacken the other side. Once completely roasted, place the chile in a bowl and repeat the same process with the remaining poblanos and serrano chile. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let the chiles steam and cool for several minutes. If you don’t have a gas stove, you can also roast the chiles under a broiler.
    • Transfer roasted peppers to a cutting board. Scrape off the blackened skin using the tip of a knife. Discard the skin. Cut off the stem end of each pepper and slice in half. Remove the ribs and seeds. Chop peppers into ½ inch pieces and set aside (a rough chop is fine here).
    • Season the beef with a generous amount of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Once smoking hot, add the vegetable oil and then quickly and carefully add the beef. Sear for 2 minutes on each side and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.
    • Reduce heat to medium-high, then add the onions. Cook until softened and slightly caramelized (brown, but not black), stirring often (4 - 5 minutes).
    • Add chopped chile peppers and garlic. Cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes. You want the garlic to be fragrant and lightly brown, but not blackened.
    • Add red wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until the wine has reduced by half. Add diced tomato and bring mixture to a boil.
    • Pour the mixture into a large slow cooker. Set the seared beef down in the middle of the vegetables. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You will know the meat is done when it easily shreds apart when pulled between two forks.
    • Turn your slow cooker to the warm setting (or off if you don't have a warm setting) and scoop out the beef with a slotted spoon. Shred the beef using two forks, then return the shredded beef to the slow cooker. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Finish with a sprinkling of fresh, chopped oregano.
    • To warm your tortillas, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for 1 minute.
    • To serve, place some of the shredded beef in the middle of a tortilla. Drizzle with crema and top with tomatoes and greens.
    Tried this recipe?Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can check it out!

    Mexican Braised Beef

     

    23
    Brandon and Federico
    Brandon

    I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!

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    Categories: Beef Tags: black pepper, chili peppers, crema, garlic, kosher salt, onion, oregano, red wine, slow cooker, tomato, tortillas, vegetable oil

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. aishajam says

      February 27, 2011 at 2:39 am

      Your dishes look yum … loved the presentation of the food ! good work
      you can view some of my dishes on http://kitchensojourn.blogspot.com ! i would be really happy if you follow it 🙂

      Reply
    2. Alissa says

      February 28, 2011 at 11:29 am

      wow! these looks so delicious, definitely my type of food 🙂

      Reply
    3. Kath says

      February 28, 2011 at 4:18 pm

      This really looks terrific! It would be great for entertaining!

      Reply
    4. Belinda @zomppa says

      February 28, 2011 at 4:57 pm

      That is melt in your mouth!

      Reply
    5. Ravienomnoms says

      February 28, 2011 at 5:23 pm

      I bet those are super tasty, delicious!

      Reply
    6. vincent says

      February 28, 2011 at 7:15 pm

      Hello,

      We bumped into your blog and we really liked it – great recipes YUM YUM.
      We would like to add it to the Petitchef.com.

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      Best regards,

      Vincent
      petitchef.com

      Reply
    7. Sandra L. Garth says

      February 28, 2011 at 10:28 pm

      The slow cooker really takes away lots of the work. This is a simple but showy recipe. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
    8. Shari Wakefield says

      February 28, 2011 at 10:42 pm

      This looks amazing – It makes me so sad that I work and am always trying to think of recipes that I can throw together quickly when I get home from work: 30-45 minutes MAX! But this slow cooked beef looks amazing and I think that I might have to try this out one weekend when I am at home.

      Shari from http://www.goodfoodweek.blogspot.com

      Reply
    9. Becky says

      March 1, 2011 at 1:34 am

      Don’t you just love your slow cooker. It makes complicated dishes, much simpler, and they taste so good.
      These would be good for party! Ole!

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        March 6, 2011 at 5:53 pm

        Yes! I am always on the look out for new slow cooker recipes. This recipe does require a little pre work, but it is well worth the effort.

        Reply
    10. Joy says

      March 1, 2011 at 2:38 am

      The crust on the meat looks great. It looks so good.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        March 6, 2011 at 5:52 pm

        I turned my burner on full blast and really got a good sear on all sides of the meat. It makes a big difference!

        Reply
    11. Kita says

      March 1, 2011 at 5:00 am

      These look like great tacos. I deviated from our normal taco menu the other night and am now on the quest for a great beef taco recipe.

      Reply
    12. Angie says

      March 1, 2011 at 5:24 am

      Those beef tacos look picture perfect!

      Reply
    13. Becky says

      March 2, 2011 at 12:56 pm

      Congrats on the Top 9

      Reply
    14. alyce says

      March 2, 2011 at 7:30 pm

      Sounds amazing. Congrats on your top 9!

      Reply
    15. Threemealsaday says

      March 2, 2011 at 9:46 pm

      Congrats on your top9…These look very tasty. Nice photo and food styling.

      Stuart

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        March 6, 2011 at 5:51 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    16. Kim - Liv Life says

      March 3, 2011 at 4:43 am

      This is SO our type of meal. My husband could probably eat it each and every day and never get tired of it. Gorgeous pics, once again!

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        March 6, 2011 at 5:51 pm

        Thanks Kim. Let me know if you give this a try! Since living in San Diego, I’ve realized I could also eat Mexican every single day. It would never get old! I just had dinner at Lucha Libre last night. It is now my new favorite Mexican spot. You’ll have to make the trip!! The salsas are amazing.

        Reply
    17. Kristin Worthington says

      March 6, 2011 at 2:50 pm

      Amazing! I made this recipe this past week and was blown away with the flavor. I would definitely say these are some of the best tacos I’ve ever made/had.

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        March 6, 2011 at 5:49 pm

        So glad to hear! The flavor is really bold and savory. Definitely mouth-watering.

        Reply
    18. Eftychia says

      March 8, 2011 at 8:43 pm

      Delicious Recipe. Thanks for sharing!!

      Reply
    19. Krystal R. says

      May 5, 2011 at 10:30 pm

      You’re so awesome, you got featured on Pioneer Woman’s blog today!! You go Brandon!

      Reply
    20. katie says

      May 13, 2011 at 2:08 am

      Loved this! Found you on the Pioneer Woman website and thought I’d give this recipe a try. Very, very tasty. I am really into the slow cooker lately and saw your comment below about trying more slow-cooker meals. You should check out Brazilian Feijoada. It was definitely a hit with my flavor, loving family. I tried the Cooking Light recipe and loved it.

      Reply
    21. Jessica says

      December 17, 2012 at 9:55 pm

      Delicious!!! Highly recommend heating/browning the tortillas for a bit on a good skillet instead of microwaving though.

      Reply
      • Brandon Matzek says

        December 29, 2012 at 11:08 am

        I totally agree with you. I now heat them in a skillet and keep warm in a kitchen towel 🙂

        Reply
    22. Jessica Taylor says

      September 28, 2015 at 3:03 am

      Fully impressed by your this Mexican braised beef tacos. Love to cook this recipe at this weekend.

      Reply

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    Brandon and Federico

    I'm Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Read More…


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