Slow Cooker Sunday: Beer-braised beef tacos for an easy dinner tonight

This easy-to-prep meal is perfect for a party or mealtime with the family, and it makes great leftovers too. Beer-braised beef tacos bring new meaning to “pour me a beer.”

What goes better together than tacos and beer? For this recipe, I’ve used the two ingredients to complement each other in the cooking process. The result is a flavorful taco that is fun to enjoy with a group. Serve these tacos with sides like salsa, shredded cheese and, of course, your favorite beer.

I added orange juice and zest to the beef as it cooked (and a little more juice at the end) to give it a bit of bright, citrus flavor. When the beef has finished cooking, you simply shred it using two forks. It will fall apart nicely, and it makes a fab filling for tacos.

Slow cooker beer-braised beef tacos recipe

This recipe for beer-braised tacos is easy to make, and it yields big flavor. For more color and flourish for your tacos, consider adding radishes, black beans, shredded cabbage, bell pepper or Cotija cheese as toppings.

Serves 10-12

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 8-10 hours, plus 5 minutes | Total time: 8-10 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds top round roast, cut in half
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• Salt and ground black pepper, to season the beef
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (12 ounce) bottles dark beer
• Juice and zest from 1 orange (reserve about 1/4 of juice to add just prior to serving)
• 3/4 teaspoon dried cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon dried ancho chile pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 6-inch tortillas
• Toppings like diced onion, bell peppers, avocado, sliced radishes, sour cream, salsa and shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Set the slow cooker to low heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large skillet, and when it’s hot, add the beef, and brown it on all sides. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
2. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, and add the onions. Cook for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds.
3. Add the beer, orange juice and zest, cumin, coriander, ancho chile pepper, salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, scraping the bottom as it cooks.
4. After a few minutes, pour the mixture into the slow cooker over the beef.
5. Cover, and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, until the beef is tender. Just prior to removing the beef from the slow cooker, add the remaining orange juice, and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
6. Remove the beef, and use a fork to shred it into pieces.
7. Serve the beef in the tortillas with your favorite toppings.

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