Mexican Shredded Beef

I originally printed out this recipe for my surprise fireman graduation party for my husband (Cinco de Mayo theme), and made it again recently. The recipe is originally from HowStuffWorks.com and I always alter it to suit my tastes (it was a little bland as written).

It's a convenient recipe because I can throw the ingredients in my crockpot in the morning and come home to a tasty and healthy dinner, ready to go!

Mexican Shredded Beef

Altered from HowStuffWorks.com

Ingredients

1 boneless chuck beef roast (about 3 pounds)

1-2 tablespoons of ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup salsa

1 tablespoon cornstarch

a few splashes of hot sauce (optional)

1-2 tsp of southwest seasoning (or taco seasoning if you want)

Directions

1. Cut roast in half. Combine cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt and red pepper in small bowl. Rub over roast. Place 1/4 cup salsa in slow cooker; top with one piece roast. Layer 1/4 cup salsa, remaining beef and 1/2 cup salsa in slow cooker. Cover; cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.

2. Remove roast from cooking liquid; cool slightly. Trim and discard excess fat from beef. Shred meat with two forks.

3. Let cooking liquid stand 5 minutes to allow fat to rise. Skim off fat. Blend water and cornstarch until smooth. Whisk into liquid in slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes on HIGH until thickened. Return beef to slow cooker. Cover; cook 15 minutes or until hot. Adjust seasonings. Serve in taco shells. Leftover beef may be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months.

(It does freeze well.)

We enjoyed this on crunchy and soft taco shells with shredded cheddar cheese, salsa verde, chopped onions, chopped cilantro, and sour cream (optional). Taco sauce, more salsa, corn mixed with the beef, guacamole or chopped tomatoes would also be good.