This Easy Mexican Shredded Beef will become your new favorite keto dinner recipe. Full of great flavour, it fits so many healthy diets – ketogenic, paleo and dairy-free too. It’s a family pleaser!
Who needs easy keto recipes? You can’t really get any easier than this easy shredded beef. It practically cooks itself!
Okay I will fully admit that I’ve been dialling it in lately, on a number of fronts. I’ve been trying to take it a little easier this last part of the summer, because I can feel it slipping away on me and I will regret it if I don’t take some time out to enjoy it. So for the last few weeks, I have slowed tremendously on recipe development (gasp!), put minimal effort into the blog posts, and put cooking for my family basically on cruise-control. And I am loving it! It’s so nice to slack off a bit and just chill. It’s quite an unusual feeling for this workaholic keto recipe blogger.
And I need easy recipes for keto dinners. Who doesn’t?
Try topping it with this delicious Pico de Gallo.
One of the recipes from my upcoming cookbook, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen, has become one of our go-to easy peasy low carb meals. I created it sometime last summer when I had a funny cut of beef that I didn’t know how to use. It was called an “arm roast”, which a little investigation showed to be a variety of chuck roast. Any recipe developer worth their salt knows that chuck tends to be quite tough unless it’s cooked low and slow with plenty of liquid. So I tossed it in a pot with some tomatoes, water, and spices and cooked it for 5 hours. And then I shredded it with a couple of forks and dinner was served.
How To Make Keto Shredded Beef
- Any large beef roast will do. Chuck roast, rump roast, eye of the round, what have you. It doesn’t need to be boneless, since you will shred the beef at the end and can easily remove the bones.
- Use lard or bacon fat for browning the roast, as it gives it an extra luscious flavor and makes it more tender.
- Use a large Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot. You can also make this shredded beef recipe in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. For a slow cooker, you will want to brown the beef first before adding it to the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. For an Instant Pot, use the sauté function to brown the beef and then manual or stew/meat for 70 minutes.
- Add your seasonings and liquids. If you aren’t using canned tomatoes, be sure to add some beef broth in to braise it properly and allow it to become extra tender. I highly recommend the liquid smoke and chipotle powder for a smoky flavor.
- Cook it low and slow! No matter how you make this, do not try to hurry it along. Like most tough cuts of meat, it benefits from low temperatures and long cooking.
- Serve with cauliflower rice for a delicious keto meal.
Family Friendly Shredded Beef Recipe.
It was an instant hit. And when I say instant, I mean instant. An instantly instantaneous hit. Kids loved it, I loved it, hubs loved it. And all the readers who’ve tried this recipe loved it.
It’s also freezer friendly, so you can make it ahead and put it away for another easy meal. A whole roast can make a lot of shredded beef, so this is perfect for meal planning.
We’ve begun to make it every chance we get, which is going to be a lot now that I just purchased a quarter cow. Many a chuck roasts from my quarter and so many opportunities to eat one of my favourite ketogenic and paleo meals. It’s dairy-free too, and fits the Paleo and Whole 30 lifestyle perfectly.
Want some delicious toppings for this mexican shredded beef recipe? Try Guacamole 5 Ways.
Looking for more delicious Mexican style beef recipes? Check out this Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe from Foodie with Family. Or this wonderful Carne Asada Recipe from Grandbaby Cakes!
You may also want to try this easy eye of round roast recipe.
Easy Mexican Shredded Beef will become your new favorite low carb dinner. Full of great flavour, it fits so many healthy diets - ketogenic, paleo and dairy-free too.
- 1 4-to-5 lb chuck roast
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup bacon fat or lard
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp liquid smoke optional
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder OR 1 tbsp chile powder
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Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack on the second lowest position. Season the roast liberally with salt and pepper.
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In a large Dutch oven, melt the bacon fat or lard over medium heat. Once hot, add the roast and brown well on all sides. Stir in the diced tomatoes, water, liquid smoke, if using, garlic, cumin, and chipotle powder.
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Bring to a simmer and then cover and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook the roast until it is tender and can easily be pierced with a fork, about 5 hours. Remove from oven and use two forks to shred the meat. Toss the meat in the juices that have collected at the bottom of the pot to moisten it.
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Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can also be wrapped tightly in tin foil and frozen for up to a month.
Serve over cilantro lime cauliflower rice with chopped avocado. It’s also great with some shredded cheddar cheese on top and garnished with fresh cilantro.
You can also make this shredded beef recipe in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. For a slow cooker, you will want to brown the beef first before adding it to the crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. For an Instant Pot, use the sauté function to brown the beef and then manual or stew/meat for 70 minutes.
Esther says
Hi, Could I use this recipe and throw it in the Crockpot? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Yes, i was thinking it would work well in a crockpot too. 6 hours on low. Be sure to brown the beef in a skillet first, for best flavour.
Esther says
Thank you, thank you! Can’t wait to try!!
Mary Fox says
The recipe sounds marvelous, but it looks like it is not a THM recipe. IT seems to fulfill all other diet requirements but not THM. Can you please verify this for me
Thank you
Carolyn says
It absolutely is a THM recipe (S recipe). I simply don’t call that out because I am not specifically following THM.
Mary Fox says
But don’t the tomatoes throw it over into an “E” meal?
Carolyn says
Not in that quantity. Look at the fat and carbs. Pretty much nothing I make is an E meal.
Lou says
24 net carbs in a 15 oz.can of diced tomatoes. Mixed with 4-5 lb. of beef comes to 5-6 carbs per lb. of meat. A half pound serving wouldn’t give you more than 3 carbs.
Carolyn says
My can (Kirkland Brand) adds up to 21g of carbs. Divided by 12, it’s only 1.7 g per serving. So this is super low carb, not even 2g per serving. Personally, I would find 1/2 of the meat too much to eat in one sitting but we’re all different!
Mary Fox says
Thanks so much for your help!
Mary Fox says
Thank. You!
Devin Farrelly says
You would love the Instant Pot ! It’s a pressure cooker, crock pot, sauté pan, yogurt maker all in one and it does a fantastic job on brisket, pork shoulder, or any meat you would normally cook low and slow, without having to babysit it or heat up your house.
Carolyn says
I have one…just now getting around to testing out some recipes. I find it’s not perfect for everything but I will try this recipe in it.
Julia Mueller says
That’s great you’re taking time to enjoy family and summer…we can get so wrapped up in work that we don’t realize the importance of just taking a breather and giving ourselves time to re-energize! This shredded beef looks like perfection! I’m a sucker for all-things Mexican, and shredded meat is my ultimate love. Definitely a must-make!
Inci @ Bella's Apron says
This looks amazing. I will probably try it out in a crockpot like one of the other comments suggested. Thanks for sharing
Jaclyn says
I just purchased your cookbook! Can’t wait to try this and more❤️
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Meseidy Rivera says
This is so great to make ahead dish! I could eat off this all week.
Jennifer Farley says
Absolutely delicious!
Jennifer Blake says
Perfect dish to make on the weekend to serve on a weeknight where you’re short on time!
Chrissy says
I just got an instant pot and was wondering if you’ve ever tried it in there? I can’t wait to try this recipe it looks amazing and I’ve had so much success with all of your things!
Carolyn says
I haven’t but I know it would work well. Just be sure to brown it first on all sides.
Becki says
Such an easy dish to throw together. I did mine in the Instant Pot. Followed the recipe exactly, but used the rule of 60 minutes for a 2 lb, 70 minutes for 3-4 lbs, and 80 minutes for 5lb. I had a 2.75 lb roast and did 60 minutes…I should have done 65 to 70. Chuck is forgiving in the instant pot, so always add more time if you are worried at all. It just gets more tender!
It was delicious and a crowd pleaser. The leftovers are great for breakfast, too!
Jen says
Do you have any subs for bacon fat/lard? Would ghee or an oil work?
Carolyn says
Sure, ghee, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Alli says
I love Mexican shredded beef!! I love that this is low carb. I’m absolutely going to whip this up!
Tara says
This is delicious and so versatile!
Kara says
We bought a quarter cow several months ago, and I still have a couple chuck roasts left. I’ll have to give this a try, it looks delicious!
Sandy says
Our friends are on a paleo diet, so this is my go-to recipe to make for them!
Michelle says
I have 2 questions about the pot. First, my dutch oven is 8 1/2 round diameter and 4 1/2 tall. I’m told chuck roast is long so longer than my 8 1|2 dutch. Can i cut the chuck in half and stack it in the dutch? And if so does the cooking time change from 5 hours? Second question is i do have a pot that is trasferrable to the oven but it’s lightweight (maybe aluminum) so can i use that and would cooking time be different from 5 hours?
Carolyn says
You can totally cut it to fit and the length doesn’t mutter or change the cooking time, it’s the overall weight that matters most. I would use your dutch oven rather than the lightweight one.
Renee Paj says
oh my word! I know what I’m making for my next Taco Tuesday! This looks incredible and I just happen to have a big old chuck roast in the freezer needing to get cooked!
Kayla says
How much is considered one serving??
Carolyn says
You just have to eyeball it.
Jennifer Navarro says
Just wondering if with doing it in an instant pot, should I cut the meat in pieces before cooking? I found I had to do this with a pork shoulder when making carnitas so was wondering if I should do the same with a chuck roast or similiar.
Carolyn says
Sure, that should work.