Spicy Shredded Beef (for Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos, Nachos, etc.)

She still cooks?

Why, yes, she does!

She just cooks with a baby in her left arm and that makes photographs just a wee bit more difficult.

So, what if I told you that today's recipe will become one of your favorites here at Short Stop?

You'd probably raise your eyebrows, put your hands on your hips, then point your index finger at Mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies, Fresh Strawberry Pie, and Mini Chocolate Turtles and tell me you're not buying it.

Well, let me tell you - THIS RECIPE WILL BECOME ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES ON THIS BLOG!

I know it. I guarantee it. I am certain, without a single doubt, that you will love this recipe.

What if I told you that I could show you how to make absolutely delicious Spicy Shredded Beef - that you can stuff in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and pile on nachos - and that you can make it in LESS time in the kitchen than it takes to make ground beef seasoned with a taco packet?

What if I told you it's better than Chipotle's Barbacoa? Yes. Really. Better than that!

What if I told you that you could make it for 50 people in the same amount of time it takes to make it for four?

Well, this recipe is all of those things.

This Spicy Shredded Beef (adjusted to your liking of "spiciness") is a chuck roast, placed in a crockpot and covered in a homemade sauce that whips up in a blender in less than 2 minutes. The sauce is tangy and spicy and full of the best Mexican flavors. Once the roast is cooked, you shred it right into the sauce, in the same pot it cooked in, and it's finished.

That's it.

Use this spicy, SO full of flavor shredded beef to make tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas. Anything you use ground beef (or chicken) + a taco seasoning packet for - you can take it up a {really big} notch and use this shredded beef.

Here it is stuffed inside my favorite kind of taco:

Just meat and cheese.

My husband: shredded beef + cheese + lettuce + guacamole + pico de gallo.

My boys: shredded beef + refried beans + guacamole + cheese.

Y'all know I love Mexican food. I have posted many, many Mexican recipes here at Short Stop. But, this one? It's really one of the absolute best.

Because everyone eats tacos. Everyone grabs that taco seasoning packet and a pound of ground beef.

But, in the same amount of time in the kitchen it takes you to do that, you can make something SO much better - and so much more gourmet.

This recipe is one I'd file under "Vacation Favorites". When we're on vacation and heading to the beach, the lake, out shopping, golfing, swimming, sight-seeing - I love coming back and having dinner ready! Heat up some taco shells, pull everything else out of the fridge, and dinner for your hungry brood is on the table!

I'd rather have this Spicy Shredded Beef than anything else I make in the crockpot. Anything.

You will make this time and time, again! And, it will become a staple in your house.

No doubt about it.

Enjoy!

Spicy Shredded Beef

3-4 pound chuck roast, trimmed
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 can Hot Rotel (you can use Original or Mild if you like less heat)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves

Place roast in crockpot.

Combine all ingredients except the chicken broth and bay leaves into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Pour sauce over roast. Add chicken broth and bay leaves.

Cook on high for 6 hours or on low 8-10 hours. Once meat is tender, shred with two forks right into the sauce in the crockpot.

Use to create your favorite tacos, enchilada recipe, burrito, burrito bowl, or pile on top of tortilla chips with your favorite toppings for some killer nachos!