Food Guide

Best Beef for Slow Cooked Tacos: Discover the Perfect Cut for Flavorful and Tender Mexican

The beef filling for tacos is often quickly grilled, but if you want a more tender dish without any fuss, using a slow cooker will be a great choice.

So what cut of beef is best for slow cooker tacos?

Let’s find the answer in this article.

How to choose beef for slow cooker tacos?

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If you are looking to make tacos with tender beef for the filling, you should know which beef is best.

There are several cuts of beef you can choose from and each one will bring a different flavor with it.

Now let’s see how to choose the best beef for slow cooker tacos with the following useful tips:

1.     Buy a tough cut of beef to save money

There is no need to opt for a tender cut of beef in a slow cooker taco recipe.

The reason is that the long cooking time in the slow cooker will help tenderize even a tough cut of beef.

Moreover, a beef cut that comes with a tougher texture is often less expensive than a tender cut of beef like a tenderloin or ribeye steak.

So you can still achieve a tender dish from these cuts without breaking your budget.

2.     Fresh cuts work better than frozen cuts of beef

The second tip to make sure that the beef for your slow cooker tacos is great is that you should buy a fresh cut of beef.

Fresh meat tastes better and also has a good texture.

It is safer to consume because frozen meat can be contaminated if improperly stored in the freezer.

Although frozen meat is usually cheaper, it is worth investing in a high-quality cut of beef.

3.     Either a lean or well-marbled cut of beef can work for slow cooker tacos

Normally, most recipes of beef work great with both a lean or well-marbled cut, including slow cooker taco recipes.

Therefore, it depends on your preference to opt for either a lean or well-marbled cut of beef for slow cooker tacos.

A lean cut is healthier, but a cut with a generous amount of marbling fat running throughout the cut will be much more flavorful and juicier.

4 best beef for slow cooker tacos

Here are the four best beef cuts that are ideal for slow cooker tacos and easy to be found on the market:

1.     Chuck roast

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Chuck roast is a classic cut for slow-cooking methods.

It is cut from the upper portion of the cow’s shoulder.

Chuck roast is pretty tough and chewy, so it needs a long cooking time to break down the connective tissue and tenderize the meat.

After that, you can easily shred it apart and serve it as a filling for tacos.

What makes a chuck cut a favorite of many housewives is not only its versatility and deliciousness but also its affordability.

2.     Brisket

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Beef brisket can be a great cut for slow-cooking tacos.

It has a tough texture and sufficient marbling fat that stands out and shines when slow-cooked for hours.

Beef brisket is a popular cut that can be found in any local butcher shop or grocery store throughout the country.

So it is not hard to find this cut on the market if you want to make some slow cooker tacos.

3.     Flank steak

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Flank steak is a versatile cut that can be used for your slow cooker tacos.

This cut is prized for its flavorful taste, but not for its tenderness.

Flank steak, when sliced into thin pieces against the grain, is very tender.

Especially when you give it a slow and low cooking method, you can have the most tender meat out of the tortillas wrapper.

4.     Tri-tip

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Tri-tip is a cut that comes from the bottom sirloin primal muscle.

It has good marbling, which means it is very flavorful and juicy when cooked properly.

The tri-tip cut is often cooked on the grill, but it can be slow-cooked until the meat is tender and easily pulled apart.

The bottom line

So now you know some of the best cuts of beef for slow cooker tacos.

It all depends on your preference and budget to opt for a favorite cut of beef for your next taco recipe.

Having your beef slow-cooked for tacos is a great way to serve this Mexican delicacy to your family even if there are kids and the elderly.

Emily W.

Emily Wong is an Asian-American food writer the founder of Cookindocs.com. With nearly 8 years of experience, she has a passion for making cooking accessible to everyone and sharing her personal experiences with food. Emily's vision for Cookindocs.com is to create a community of food lovers who are passionate about cooking, eating, and sharing their experiences with others. Read my story
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