The Best Slow Cooker Pot Roast Taco Recipe

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Slow Cooker Pot Roast - This Mexican pot roast slow cooker recipe is my absolute favorite way of making my pot roast tacos. The low and slow cooking makes the meat fall apart tender and the incredible flavors from the Mexican peppers, chili powder, cumin, and steak spice are beyond delicious!

When YOU make Slow Cooker Pot Roast Tacos, tag us #munchkinrecipes on Instagram, we would LOVE to see your creation!

The lime juice brightens it up and gives every juicy bite of this slow cooker pot roast an irresistible taste.

Once in the pot, the slow cooker does all the work so it couldn’t be easier! There is no marinating time at all and even still there is so much flavor that gets absorbed right into the meat.

It makes for a great weeknight meal or an easy weekend dinner idea. It’s also the perfect addition to any Cinco de Mayo celebration, the 4th of July, or everyone’s favorite taco Tuesday!

I love serving these tacos piled high with melt-in-your-mouth meat and then loads of toppings like homemade guacamole, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, and cilantro. Of course, what’s great about tacos, in general, is that you can always customize them to whatever toppings you want!

Another way to serve slow-cooked pot roast tacos would be with refried beans, sour cream, and cheese, my man’s favorite!

Ingredients Needed for Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Pot Roast Beef: Use either a rump roast or a chuck roast, both are good for low and slow cooking. Cut it into 5 large pieces and trim any excess fat. Some fat is ok as it adds flavor and you want marbling in the meat, just not too much on the outside.
Chopped Onion & Garlic: Cooking anything with onion and garlic adds incredible flavor. Once the onion is nice and soft it will start to absorb the flavor and juices as well making it taste even better!
Lime Juice: The acid in the lime juice helps to break down the fibers in the meat and makes it even more tender. The bright citrus flavor also balances out the robust smoky spices.
Serrano Pepper & Jalapeno Pepper: Remove the seeds and finely chop them both. The seeds are where most of the heat comes from, so remove them all. You can keep a few if you like your Mexican pot roast a little spicy.
Spices & Seasoning: Chili Powder, McCormick’s Montreal Steak Spice, ground cumin, and salt.
Corn Tortillas: To make the tacos! I like to toast mine in a skillet just to warm them up a bit.
Optional Toppings: Shredded lettuce, tomatoes, feta cheese, sour cream, refried beans, guacamole, and chopped cilantro.

beef and other ingredients inside the slow cooker

How to Cook a Pot Roast in the Slow Cooker

Step 1: To the basin of your slow cooker, add the beef, onion, lime juice, hot peppers, chili powder, steak spice, garlic, cumin, and salt.

Step 2: Cover the lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours (this is great if you’re gone all day and want to come home to dinner ready). You can also cook it on high for 6 hours.

Step 3: Once the roast is cooked through and tender, use two forks to shred the meat apart. Taste a bit and season with salt if necessary.

Step 4: Grab your tortillas and heat them directly over the heat on the stove or in a skillet. Heat for 30 seconds.

Step 5: Assemble your pot roast tacos by filling the tortillas with the slow cooker pot roast then pile on whatever toppings you want. We love ours with lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, guacamole, and feta cheese!

Recipe Tips

When chopping hot peppers and removing seeds, I HIGHLY recommend using gloves so you don’t burn your hands or mistakenly get anything from your hands into your eyes. It burns!
If your beef still isn’t fall apart tender by the time the cooking time is up, leave it cooking for a little while longer.
If time allows, I suggest leaving it to cook on low for 8 hours and only do the shorter cook time at a higher temperature if you’re short on time.
After you’ve shredded the meat, allow it to sit in the juices for a bit before removing it from the pot. You don’t want to leave any of that yummy flavor behind!

FAQs

Do I need to sear the beef first?

No, you don’t! This is a dump-and-set recipe through and through. Sometimes a recipe calls for searing beef first to give it extra flavor and a crispy exterior, but because we’re shredding it, we don’t need it crispy.

What other ways can I use slow cooker pot roast?

So many ways. You can enjoy it with a side of rice and a side salad, inside quesadillas, enchiladas, on top of salad, you name it! Sometimes we’ll make a plate of nachos and add the shredded beef on top.

Can I make this in the Instant Pot?

Totally. If you’re really short on time you can absolutely make this in the Instant Pot in just 2 hours.