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You are here: Home / Beef / Shredded Beef Tacos

Shredded Beef Tacos

Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

Tacos de Carne Deshebrada

Taquería style shredded beef tacos on corn tortillas garnished with finely chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salsa verde or your favorite homemade salsa.

Shredded Beef Tacos with Salsa Verde

How to Make

You will need 1 ¼lb of skirt steak, 1 large white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 12 sprigs cilantro, 12 to 16 small tortillas (taqueria size), and 2 cups of your favorite salsa. We love them with salsa verde.

Ingredients to Make Shredded Beef Tacos

Cooking the Beef

Place the beef, onion, and garlic in a pot. Cover with 1″ of water.

Cooking Skirt Steak by Boiling

Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. The meat is ready when you can pull the meat apart with your fingers. It may take more than 1 hour. Test the meat after 1 hour if it needs more time to cook for another 15 minutes and check again. Repeat if necessary.

Boiled Skirt Steak to Make Shredded Beef

Shredding the Meat

Cut the beef into 2″ to 3″ inch strips then use your fingers to tear the meat into thin strips. This is a bit tedious but worth the effort.

Shredded Beef on Plate

Seasoning the Taco Meat

Heat 2 tbsp. of cooking oil to medium-hot. Add the shredded meat to the hot oil. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until the meat is just starting to brown.

Cooking Taco Meat

Add 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce that adds a touch of sweetness and enhances the beef flavor. Don’t add more. You can have too much of a good thing. Too much Worcestershire sauce overpowers the flavor of the meat.

Seasoning Shredded Beef in Pan

Add 1 /4 cup of the beef cooking broth and ¼ tsp. salt. Stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has just evaporated. This makes tender nicely seasoned taco meat.

Adding Beef Broth to Taco Meat

Garnish & Salsa

Remove the stems from the cilantro and discard. Very finely chop the cilantro. Very finely chop the remaining ½ white onion. Cut the limes into quarters.

Tacos are nothing without salsa. Everyone has their favorites. We recommend any of these: salsa verde, fresh tomatillo salsa verde, or the habanero salsa.

Serving

Heat the tortillas on a comma or griddle. Always serve your tacos with hot tortillas. Place 2 tbsp. shredded beef on each tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of chopped onion, cilantro, a squirt of lime and a spoonful of your favorite salsa.

Take care when you are plating the tacos. Presentation counts. There is an expression in Spanish, “de la vista nace el amor,” which means love starts at first sight. A beautiful taco is a tastier taco.

Are you hungry yet? Provecho!

Shredded Beef Tacos with Salsa Verde
Print Pin
3.34 from 6 votes

Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe

Authentic taquería style shredded beef tacos on corn tortillas garnished with finely chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salsa verde or your favorite homemade salsa.
Course Lunch
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Beef Tacos, How to Make Shredded Beef Tacos, Shredded Beef Tacos, Shredded Beef Tacos Recipe
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 12 tacos
Calories 496kcal
Author Douglas Cullen

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ lb. of skirt steak
  • 1 large white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 12 sprigs cilantro
  • 12 to 16 small tortillas taqueria size
  • 2 cups of your favorite salsa We like salsa verde

Instructions

Shredded Beef

  • Place the beef, ½ onion, and garlic in a pot. Cover with 1" of water.
  • Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour. The meat is ready when you can pull the meat apart with your fingers.
  • Cut the meat into 2” to 3 “ strips. Then use your fingers to pull the meat apart into thin strips.
  • Heat 2 tbsp. of cooking oil in a large frying pan then add the shredded beef to the hot oil. Stir the beef and fry for 2 minutes until the beef is just starting to brown.
  • Add 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1 /4 cup of the beef cooking broth and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the liquid has just evaporated.

Garnish

  • Remove the stem from the cilantro and discard. Very finely chop the cilantro.
  • Very finely chop the remaining ½ white onion.
  • Cut the limes into quarters.

Serving

  • Heat the tortillas on a comal or griddle.
  • Place 2 tbsp. shredded beef on each tortilla.
  • Top with a sprinkle of chopped onion, cilantro, a squirt of lime and a spoonful of your favorite salsa.

Notes

Recommended Salsas
  • Cooked Salsa Verde
  • Fresh Tomatillo Salsa Verde
  • Habanero Salsa
Substitutions
  • You can substitute Maggi sauce for the Worcestshiresauce sauce.
  • You can use flour tortillas instead of corn.
Storage
  • The meat will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and 2 months in the freezer.
  • If you make a double batch, you can freeze half for later use. The shredded beef freezes well.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 496kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 17g | Sodium: 998mg | Sugar: 5g

More Authentic Taco Recipes

  • Chorizo Potato Tacos
  • Arrachera Tacos
  • Breakfast Tacos
  • Fish Tacos
  • Shrimp Tacos

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Trevino says

    September 27, 2017 at 9:08 am

    4 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! Previously I have seen people simply quickly grilling skirt meat and it was always too tough for me. I will definitely be slow cooking mine first as you did so I can enjoy this wonderful cut in many dishes.

    Reply
  2. Commendatore says

    July 30, 2022 at 2:51 pm

    Ehhh I would marinate the beef & grill it. Instead of boiling in plain water, that’ just … sad

    Reply

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D. Cullen Profile Picture

Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

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D. Cullen Profile Picture

Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

More about me →


Most Popular Recipes

  • Classic Salsa Verde
  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Traditional Sopa de Fideo
  • Red Pork Pozole
  • Chicken Tinga
  • Agua de Jamaica
  • Tres Leches Cake
  • Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
  • Red Enchilada Sauce
  • Mole Poblano

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