Here’s how to make some delightful shredded beef for tacos. Nom! Uncle Smokey here today doing some indoors cooking because it is cooling off now and nice to turn on the oven to help warm the house.

Overview of Taco Beef

Hamburger is the American meat for tacos – but in Mexico it is shredded beef. Shredded beef is far easier to make because you can pop it in the oven and walk away. I prefer this to standing over a frying pan and spattering grease all over the kitchen. Less messy to clean up.

This recipe is good for tacos, quesadillias (cover photo above), tamale meat, stuffing in enchiladas, or even for making a sort of “Philly” cheese steak that is divine.  You can mash up cultures and stuff your shredded beef Philly cheese steak into a Mexican bolillo (bread roll) – and top it with the sauce you make by deglazing the pot at the end.

Beef For Shredded Beef Tacos

Ingredients

one 2-pound London broil
herbs and spices
2 tablespoons oil, or rendered beef fat, or 1/4 stick of butter
Dutch oven or cast iron fry pan are ideal

Herbal “Dry Rub”

3 Tablespoons dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
1/4 freshly grated teaspoon nutmeg
yes – include this, it melds well with the flavor of Mexican oregano!
2 teaspoons onion powder
4 Tablespoons Kosher salt

Add some pepper – choice of:
1 Tablespoon peppergrass seed (more about peppergrass on our YouTube.)
or
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
or
several teaspoons of flaked hot peppers of your choice.

Fast Tip

Here’s an easy way to “rub” your beef. Especially good if you live off-grid and have to haul every ounce of water to wash with. Or if you just don’t want to get your hands all “meaty.”

Sprinkle half the herb rub on a platter large enough to hold the meat. Using tongs lay the meat on the platter. Sprinkle the rest of the rub on top.

Prepare the Beef

Let the rubbed meat stand for at least 1/2 hour (up to 4 hours) for the meat to come close to room temperature. Searing cold meat just makes it tough.  You are not going to die by warming your meat.  Letting it sit out for three days might not be optional however.

Preheat oven to 350F

Preheat a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over high heat wit a drizzle of high temperature cooking oil like avocado oil. Olive oil is for salad dressing or low temperature cooking. If you are not keeping a kosher home you could use butter bu don’t let it burn.

When the skillet is HOT, add the meat and allow it to sear on one side at least 1 minute before flipping.

Once both sides are seared, you are ready to bake your meat.

You can transfer it to a casserole dish that you can cover. If you seared it in a cast iron Dutch oven, pop on the lid.

Place it in the oven for about an hour (longer if it is thicker). No need to turn it.

Shred Your Beef

When done take it out of oven. Let beef rest on a cutting board for at least 15 minutes. Shred using forks for true shredded beef. Don’t cheat and use a knife.

You can deglaze the Dutch oven with some wine if you want to makes some sauce to use as a dipping sauce, or to juice up your rolls. dipping sauce also good if you make soft rolled tacos.

Enjoy!

What do you think?!
Please leave your comments and ideas in the comment section below.

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