The Easiest Mexican Meat
Want a meal that’s affordable AND delicious? This Mexican Meat recipe is all that and more! Loaded with big flavor, it’s a set-it-and-forget-it crockpot recipe. Plus, you can use this cooked Mexican beef in so many tasty ways.
This Mexican Meat recipe is a favorite of mine because it is easy, has incredible flavor, and can be used in so many different ways. Did I mention how affordable it is? With food costs rising, I can buy an inexpensive chunk of meat and let the slow cooker do all the hard work. A few hours later and we’re ready to feast!
This is an simple crockpot recipe, and you can even prep it all the night before and then pop all the ingredients into the crockpot, set it, and come home to an amazing meal.
I love that it makes a fairly big batch of meat. I sometimes freeze portions for meals later in the month, or I divvy it up and use it for meals during the week.
Did I mention that you can make Mexican chicken and Mexican pork the same way? Just swap the beef for another protein, and you’re good to go!
Ingredients
- Beef – Use an inexpensive cut like chuck roast or any cut you’d make pot roast with.
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Onion – Yellow or white onion, chopped.
- Canned green chili peppers – You’ll need 3 7-ounce cans.
- Chili powder – Fresh spices make all the difference!
- Ground cumin
- Garlic powder
- Hot sauce – I like Frank’s Hot Sauce or Cholula.
- Water
What Kind of Beef Makes The Best Mexican Beef?
Inexpensive beef is the tastiest, honestly! Taking an inexpensive cut like chuck, rump or blade and letting it cook low and slow breaks down all the connective tissue and melts the fat. This infuses flavor into every bite, and the meat is tender, juicy, and oh-so-good! Similar to barbacoa, this recipe is amazing!
How To Make The Best Mexican Meat
This Mexican beef recipe is super simple. Just make sure you have enough time because this recipe needs to cook on low for about 8 hours.
- Trim the meat of excess fat and season it well on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet and brown the beef on all sides.
- Transfer the meat to a slow cooker and top it with the diced onion, green chilis (liquid and all), chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and hot pepper sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is super tender and falling apart. Add more water if needed to make sure there’s always some liquid in the crockpot.
- Transfer the cooked meat to a bowl and shred it with 2 forks or meat claws.Season, serve, and enjoy it in all your favorite recipes!
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Use an equal amount of chicken or pork to switch up this recipe.
- You can prep everything the night before and then just add it to the slow cooker in the morning.
- Buy the meat when it is on sale to make this dish even less expensive.
- This meat freezes well! Portion it in freezer-safe containers and freeze it for up to a month. To keep it longer, use a vacuum sealer to freeze portions.
- Like it spicier? Add a chopped jalapeno to the crockpot!
- You can strain the meat and discard the juice or serve it with juice.
Serving Suggestions
Wondering how to serve Mexican Meat? Sometimes we eat this tasty Mexican stew just as it is on top of rice or with potatoes, other times, I use it in a variety of different ways. Here are some of my favorite uses for Mexican beef:
- My Favorite Enchiladas
- 2 Minute Tacos
- Quesadillas
- Nachos
- Tortilla soup or stew
- Taco ChiliÂ
- Huevos Rancheros
- Mexican Pizza
- Sandwiches, Melts, and Hoagies
- Chimichangas
- Burritos
- Tamales
- Tamale Cups
- Carnitas
- Tostadas
- Taco Salad
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze leftovers. Pack them with the juice in a freezer-safe container for up to a month, or vacuum seal portions to keep them for up to 6 months.
Mexican Style Meat – A Base for a TON of Meals!
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of beef pork, or chicken (cheap cuts of meat work well for this)
- good amount of salt & pepper to season meat with
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 7oz diced green chile peppers, undrained
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 5 ounce bottle hot pepper sauce (I like Frank’s hot sauce or Cholula)
- 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
- Trim the meat of any excess fat, and season well with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the meat in the hot skillet, and sear it quickly on all sides.
- Transfer the meat to a slow cooker and top it with the chopped onion. Season with chopped green chiles, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, & hot pepper sauce.
- Cover, and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender & falling apart, checking to make sure there is always at least a small amount of liquid in the bottom of the cooker (add more liquid if need be).
- Transfer the meat to a bowl and shred it using two forks.
Notes
Other Delicious Mexican Recipes
- Mexican Steaks
- Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup)
- Queso Fundido
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LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! How simple, yet a plethora of options 🙂 Thank you for sharing, sure beats ground beef!!
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Yum – this sounds amazing! I love that it can be used with any kind of meat, too. Pinning to try soon 🙂
It is amazing. Ive made it several times. Making it right now…but in the electric pressure cooker. First time ive made it this way. Ill let you all know how it turns out!
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Yummy ! Made a small batch last week did not last long. Making a large batch right now it in the crock pot. I also shared the recipe with my friend who is going to have a burrito bar for her daughters graduation party.
What kind of meat do you personally use for this?
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I know I’m late to the party, but I couldn’t NOT comment on this awesome recipe! After making and eating it for a couple nights, we were kind of worn out on Mexican food. I ended up making taquitos to throw in the freezer for when we wanted a quick snack. I wrapped about 2Tbsp of the meat (straight from the fridge) and a bit of Monterey Jack cheese in a tortilla and then froze. I pulled a couple out tonight, placed them on a pan, sprayed with a little bit of olive oil, sprinkled a little salt, and baked at 425° for 20 minutes. So much yum! Thank you for this amazingly versatile recipe! Also, I used Chipotle flavored Chalula and it turned out fantastic!
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I pinned this yesterday just fine and followed the link and read up on your recipe, and then came back to look at the recipe today and it says that this link is now blocked for possible spam? I found this page by going to the address mrshappyhomemaker.com that was on your photo that I pinned, and I tried pinning it and it again said it could not since it was blocked for possible spam. Looking forward to using this recipe!
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Can cook on high for 4 hours instead of low 8?
Yes you can, but I think it gets more tender when you cook it on low.
Do you put the meat back in the liquid from the crockpot?
Yes, you do.
I rarely toss the liquid when using so many delicious spices and all that slow cooking to meld the flavors. But on the rare occasion that it is too wet, I will save those savory juices and use to make my rice or even to add to soup later in the week. I’m sure that the liquid could be froze in ice cube trays and then bagged to use that way too.
I made this recipe using a chuck roast, it was so good. Saved the liquid for making posole later in the year.
Just got a pork roast to give it another try. Anticipating good things!
Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!!
This was so delicious, I had enough for 4 meals. I served it as chicken tacos with cilantro cream, then chicken enchilada’s. I talked about it at work so the recipe was shared. Thank you!
Do you use the entire bottle of the 5oz Hot Sauce? I just wanted to clarify. I plan on making this for the first time today, really excited!
Yes!