Slow Cooker Beef Machaca

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Classic Mexican shredded beef, also known as Beef Machaca, made easy in the slow cooker. This richly spiced tender meat is perfect in burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and more!

Beef machaca tacos on a black plate with fresh cilantro and limes, ready to serve.

If Mexican style shredded beef makes you swoon, this easy beef machaca recipe is for you!

When I was growing up, I was obsessed with beef, bean, and cheese burritos from a local Mexican restaurant, and I recently went on a mission to re-create the beef. Turns out, what I had known as shredded beef my whole life is actually beef machaca.

Beef machaca involves rich, tender shredded beef slow cooked with peppers, chilies, seasonings, and lime juice for the perfect balance of savory, slightly smoky flavors. It tastes positively beefy, which is why I find it so swoon-worthy.

I like making it in the slow cooker because the process is so simple, but it can be made on the stove top as well in a large pot. Enjoy it in burritos, tacos, taco salads, enchiladas, tostadas, and more!

The best part is the recipe requires simple ingredients that can be found at any grocery store.

Ingredient Notes:

Beef Chuck Roast: What is the best cut of beef for beef machaca? Chuck roast! Chuck roast has just the right ratio of fat to muscle so that you end up with moist, flavorful beef that isn’t overly fatty.

Nevertheless, you can try other cuts of beef if you prefer. Flank steak or skirt steak works too, but may require additional cook time to soften the tight connective tissues.

Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, ground cumin and sea salt are the perfect seasonings for this easy machaca recipe. If you’d like, you can swap out all of these seasonings for 2 to 3 tablespoons of chili powder.

Beef Broth: Serves as part of the cooking liquid and adds beefy flavor.

Diced Tomatoes: Contributes subtle acidity, tangy flavor, and some liquid for braising the beef.

Bell Pepper: Bell peppers have a sweet, lightly smoky flavor, which elevates the flavor profile in any dish. Pick your favorite color of bell pepper. I use green bell peppers, but red bell peppers work great too. You can replace the bell pepper with one can of green chilies if you prefer.

Chipotle Chilies: Adds a punch of spice and smoky chili flavor.

Fresh Lime Juice: Contributes tangy acidity, offsetting the rich flavor of the beef.

How to Make Beef Machaca:

Remove the beef from its packaging, and place it on a large plate or a cutting board. Use paper towels to pat off any excess moisture.

Sprinkle both sides of the chuck roast with sea salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, and paprika.

Chuck roast seasoned with paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt on a white plate, ready to be cooked.

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and allow the skillet to heat up for a few minutes.

Place the chuck roast in the hot skillet and sear for 4 minutes. Carefully flip and sear for another 4 minutes, until both sides are golden brown. If the meat becomes too dark, reduce the heat so that both sides just have a golden brown crust but aren’t too dark.

Move the chuck roast to the bottom of your crock pot and place the skillet back on the stove top over medium heat.

Add the chopped onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and saute another minute or two, until the garlic is fragrant.

Transfer the sauteed onion to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients. Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook for 8 hours on low heat or 4-5 hours on high heat, until the beef is fall-apart tender.

Crock pot full of liquid, seared chuck roast, sauteed onions, and bell peppers.

Use tongs to move the chuck roast to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the beef.

Cutting board with shredded beef on top.

Transfer the meat back to the slow cooker until you’re ready to serve it.

Slow cooker full of shredded beef machaca, ready to serve.

Heat up your favorite kind of tortillas and load them up with shredded beef machaca and any other toppings. Use corn tortillas, flour tortillas, or your favorite low-carb tortillas for a low-carb option.

I love adding sliced avocados or guacamole and serving the tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice.

Storage Options:

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze leftover beef in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.

Serving Suggestions:

Tacos: Make tacos using your favorite tortillas or taco shells. You can make quesamachaca tacos by pan frying the tacos with jack cheese or any melting cheese. Top with your favorite taco toppings, like fresh cilantro, chopped white onion, avocado, cotija cheese, etc.
Burrito Bowls: Load some white rice or brown rice into a big bowl and add in your shredded beef with your favorite burrito bowl toppings. Drizzle in some juices from the crock pot or salsa, and enjoy!
Taco Salad: Chop up your favorite salad greens such as romaine lettuce or spring mix, then pile on some black beans, cheese of choice, beef, onion, avocado, and cilantro lime dressing.
Tostadas: Crisp up a corn tortilla in a skillet, then load it up with beef, chopped lettuce, black beans, or refried beans, cheese, and salsa. Follow my Chicken Tostada recipe for inspiration.

Black plate of four machaca tacos with toasted corn tortillas, fresh cilantro, and fresh limes.

The next time you’re craving a really great shredded beef, whip up this easy recipe!

If you love making Mexican food at home, also try some of my other personal favorites.

More Mexican Recipes:

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is machaca beef spicy?

The recipe as written is not spicy; however, some restaurants give their machaca beef a spicy kick. For very mild beef, you can omit the chipotle chiles, and for spicier beef, increase the amount of chipotle peppers or add a diced jalapeno.

What’s the difference between birria and machaca?

Birria is made using reconstituted dried chili peppers, whereas machaca is made with fresh peppers. Both have a slightly smoky flavor, but birria is much more chili forward.

How do you pronounce machaca beef?

Machaca is pronounced mah-CHA-ka with the “cha” sound rhyming with “raw” or “spa”. The word comes from the Spanish word, machacar, which translates to “to smash” or “to crush”.