Chuck Roast Tacos

We are a taco family. Ground beef tacos make an appearance in our house no less than once a week but even a die-hard taco lover needs a bit of a departure from routine at times. Enter: Shredded Chuck Roast Tacos. Tender, fall-apart chuck roast slow-cooked with smoky spices, green chiles and tucked into warm tortillas. We finish them simply with creamy smashed avocado, bright tomatillo salsa and crumbled cotija cheese. Thank you to Price Chopper for sponsoring this post!

Why You’ll Love our Chuck Roast Tacos

• Kid and adult approved. Throw on a few freshly sliced jalapeños for extra spice to appease less sensitive palates.
• Customizable. Our kids prefer beef, tortillas and shredded cheese, that’s it. Kevin and I love to load them up with smashed avocado, crumbly cotija cheese and spicy salsa.
• Easy! Chuck roast is the perfect cut of meat for easy family meals – sear it, douse it in spices and let it slow cook for hours until fork-tender and delicious.
• Perfect for meal prep. Make the shredded chuck roast 1-2 days in advance and simply reheat when you’re ready. Great for lunches, leftover quesadillas or even with fried eggs on a slow Sunday morning.

Key Ingredients

Beef! We are using Price Chopper Angus Chuck Roast. Chuck roast is naturally full of rich, beefy flavor, and its marbling is what makes it perfect slow cooking. Searing the beef locks in the moisture and creates a lovely crust and maximizes flavor. As the roast cooks low and slow, the fat and connective tissue soften, leaving you with incredibly tender, juicy beef that falls apart with a fork. (We also love it for our Shredded Beef Enchiladas. )

Spices. I use a similar lineup I’d use in ground beef tacos – chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder and onion powder.

Aromatics. Onion and garlic – always.

Green chiles. I love to add in a can of diced green chiles. It adds a bit of tangy and flavor without a ton of heat.

Beer. I tried this with and without beer and definitely prefer the extra flavor you get with a light beer.

Beef stock. The chuck roast needs a little extra liquid to braise appropriately so I add just enough to go up about half the sides.

Let’s Make Chuck Roast Tacos

Season and slice the beef. Start by mixing together the chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. I like to cut the chuck roast into smaller pieces so it cooks a little bit faster but if you have all the time in the world, just leave it whole and make life easy on yourself. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chuck roast, making sure to get every side.

Sear the roast. Heat a little oil in a large Dutch oven and sear the beef until it’s deeply browned on all sides. This step adds a ton of flavor, so while it’s tempting to skip it, don’t!

Add the liquid. Pour in the beer and beef stock, scraping up all those delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the green chiles and return the beef to the pot.

Cook low and slow. Add the onion and garlic, give it a stir, cover and let the beef cook until it’s completely tender and easily shreds with two forks. The key here is not to rush it. Chuck roast needs time to become that melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart beef we’re after.

Shred the beef. Once the roast is tender, remove it from the pot and shred it with two forks. Add it back to the flavorful cooking liquid -never let it go to waste.

Assemble the tacos. Warm your tortillas, spread a little bit of avocado on the bottom, add a generous portion of shredded beef, finish with a spoonful of tomatillo salsa and crumbled cotija cheese.