The people have spoken and they want a savory recipe!
Or so Twitter told me last night when I was trying to decide whether to post these tacos or a cake recipe. Guess you’ll just have to wait till Monday for the cake! (please come back)
You know though, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with tacos on a Friday. Yep, I’d say this is a pretty darn good recipe to leave you with this weekend. I hadn’t brushed off the ol’ crockety pot in quite some time, so what did I do?
Stuck some steak in it.
These tacos are off the chain (does anyone still say “off the chain”??). A lovely piece of flank steak gets a spicy rubdown before sitting in the crock pot for eight hours with onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Never thought to put steak in the crock pot? Well, let me tell you—it can be done!
Flank steak is typically a tougher cut of meat (I accidentally just wrote “me” instead of “meat” here…it’s a tougher cut of me, too) that usually requires a lengthy bath of marinade. Not in the slow cooker! The meat literally just cooks in its own juices all day long. When 5:00 rolls around, you’ll be ready to go with your shredded beef carnitas! Or here’s an even better idea: stick all the stuff in the crock pot right before bed. When you wake up, the beef is ready!
Here’s what your meat should look like after eight hours. This is man food if there ever was such a thing—perfect for upcoming football season!
Now put that shredded spicy beef on top of a tortilla with salsa, cilantro, lime juice and avocado and you’re SET. Check out these cute little baby Hass avocados I found the other day at a farmstand!
It’s the little things in life, folks.
You’re not really set yet, though—I lied.
You need a margarita! Oh yes you do.
Get it.
Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos
serves 6-8
Ingredients:
2 lbs flank steak
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
for spice rub—
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
for serving—
corn tortillas
avocado slices
cilantro
your favorite salsa
limes
Directions:
Mix together all spices in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak—be generous here! Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot.
Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.
After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.
To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Enjoy with a margarita for best result.
Time:
active time–10 min
total time—8 hours
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{ 179 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh. My. Yes!
Can not wait to try these babies, thanks
Ps – those avocados = super cute! I love
I think you’d appreciate this. I was reading this morning and absolutely HAD to have this for dinner tonight. I hopped up (mid breakfast, mind you) and ran to the grocery store. Got home and threw everything in the crockpot….Now finishing breakfast with time to spare before work! Can’t wait to see how they turn out.
whoops that was meant to be a general comment! not a reply. clearly trying to accomplish too much before 8 am
that.is.awesome.
let me know how you like ‘em!!
trying this now…. i put in 3 lbs instead of 2. Will I have to increase cook time?
Love the bright green avocado! And wanting a savory recipe? Actually, I’d be happy seeing cookies, cakes, or sweets every day (me & my sweet tooth talking…haha!)
I love the last step of the recipe: enjoy with a margarita for best results. lol. excellent.
I don’t cook much with red meat–I leave that up to my husband–but if it’s a slow cooker recipe, then I think I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
I am so pinning this recipe! My husband would love it! Thanks!
These look so good! I do love a good taco.
Top taco that I’ve ever had has been pork belly tacos!
I’m a vegetarian and this looks delicious. Love me some avocados!
These look great! So no liquid at all goes in the crock pot? I know you said it cooks in it’s own juices, I’ve just never done this before and I’m afraid that I will end up burning it, haha. I guess I’m not used to putting something “dry” in there.
Nope! No liquid….you’ll see!
Taco friday needs to happen in my house! These look great
Ooh I love that last photo! Something about avocado pictures has been getting me very excited lately! I don’t even eat red meat but I still want to make these… maybe with slow-cooked chicken instead of steak. Great recipe for a hot summer weekend!
Yay! You told me how to cook a steak in the crockpot! I can’t wait to try these. They look amazing Jenna!
All I needed to see was a little bit of that yummy avocado and I was SOLD on this recipe. Mmm….so good. Happy Friday Jenna!
I cannot wait to try these! I love anything that I can use my crockpot for.
I love carnitas!!! These look delicious. And definitely better with a margarita.
Oh it’s official. I NEED a slow cooker. If for no other reason than to be able to make these! These look unreal!
I still say off the chain. “All that and a bag of chips” may slip out of my mouth every once in a while as well.
It’s the 90′s child in me.
Side note – I need these tacos in my life.
yummmmmy! Dan would be over the moon about this pork in a corn tortilla deal.
i never got a chance to comment yesterday, sweet sis, but WAHOO on your yoga teaching!
ya know, with a heart like yours, those girls (or boys!) will be so blessed just to have a friend who loves life so much and loves the Lord and her man and dang good food… who is REAL. Your love for all those things will trickle (or pour!) into each class you teach. oh and smoosh their feet with your feet when they are in childs pose. seriously, just lightly step on the bottoms of their feet with your toes… they will love it!
love you, have a beautiful weekend, sweetie!!! i still cannot believe i will see in you a few months! eeks!
XOXO
p.s. we are all good here. getting ready to travel back to Florida. yay sunshine and BBQ and family time! <3
love you, pol!
Just saw your comment on FB about your book tour and headed over to Amazon to put a pre-order of your book in my Shopping Cart… I’ll be ordering later today when I am finished with all of my shopping! Good luck with your tour!!
I miss my Slow Cooker so much. I also want my own cocktail waiter (on a timer, like a coffee machine) to prepare me Margaritas upon entry to the house..
Oh I am SO making these!!!! They look easy and delish!
My husband says “off the chain”…always in reference to food. It’s like, the highest compliment he can give a dish, haha.
Tacos are like a Friday/weekend staple! I usually do pork in the crock pot, but steak is a pretty great idea!
These look amazing. I need to get a crock pot asap!
Tacos are one of the BEST foods
although i’m vegetarian…those tacos look seriously good O_o. yowza!
Hahaha! Yes, I still say “off the chain” and wonder if other people say things like that too. In fact, my last post included an embarassing amount of random slang…
oooohhhhh yummmmm!!!! I’ve been craving tacos and with the ease of the crockpot, this recipe looks perfect!
This looks good, but I’m pretty sure it’s incorrect to call beef “carnitas.” Right? Especially shredded – I think carnitas are for little hunks of meat.
Well, I was unsure about that, too, actually so I looked it up and found out that since carnitas technically does mean “little bits of meat”, shredded beef does fall in the carnitas category as well! I learned something, too
I thought carnitas = pork! Ooops!
I think traditionally carnitas is made with pork. At least the carnitas I’ve had has been pork. But any slow cooked meat is delicious and will do. It’s great to serve them with a side of radishes. I don’t know why but it works!
I would recheck your sources as this is NOT carnitas. Carnitas are purely pork they are slow cooked much like this in their own fat all day and left in chunks so as to get the outside of the chunks a nice crispy texture but the inside moist and juicy. If you are ever served anything other than the above and are told its carnitas they have taken liberties because making good carnitas is an art form and they probably messed it up along the way.
I’m shocked more people haven’t weighed in on this as it was the first thing I checked. Mark is absolutely correct tosay that carnitas are purely pork and involve specific methods of preparation. Wikipedia agrees as well:
“Carnitas, literally “little meats,” are a type of braised or roasted (often after first being fried) pork in Mexican cuisine. ” I don’t mean to be nit-picky but it’s a signficant difference, especially when you live with someone who doesn’t eat pork.
in a literal translation it is carnitas = little meat… in mexican cuisine (my being mexican and not by any means a chef) this would be more like Barbacoa (northern mexico, literally= barbeque) or Birria seca (as known in the south) Carinitas here in mexico is always referred to as pork. All this being said this recipe looks AMAZING and spot on for a traditional taco filling, whatever you want to call it
Very nice. Never did think of putting steak in the crock, but this has inspired. Have a lovely weekend.
ummm holy yum. i am definitely making this very, very soon! looks incredibly easy & delicious!
Can you leave them in the slow cooker longer, like 11 hours or will it dry out? I would love to start using my slow cooker but it I ussually about 11 hours from when I leave for work and get home. Looks amazing!!
Okay, so I’m really not sure about this one but I would ASSUME it would be fine. They definitely will not dry out..if your slow cooker has a timer, I would probably set it for eight hours, but if not, I’m sure it would be okay.
I leave it in the slow-cooker for about 12 hours for it to be cooked enough to be able to pull it apart. It tastes great!
You totally read my mind! Just yesterday I was thinking about how carnitas tacos are something my picky boyfriend would actually like, and that I should find a good recipe to make over the weekend! I can’t wait to try them!
This looks A-mazing!
definitely trying these soon!!
would pass on cake for tacos and a margarita any day. thank you again jenna!
Looks delicious! Nothing better to kick off some Olympics Opening Ceremony watching!
Yum! These look delicious, and my fiance would LOVE them! Definitely trying this recipe out next week!
What a great recipe! I am going to test it and I expect it will go into my regular rotation. I have but TWO recipes I got of the internet at one time or another (and both, years ago) which have gone into the regular rotation. And oddly, they are both Mexican-style. One is a turkey chili recipe (in the crock pot) and one is a cilantro-lime chicken fajita recipe.
My husband will LOVE these, and I am sure I will too.
Did anyone EVER say “off the chain?”
(I think it was “off the hook,” where I lived.)
I’d like to make a recommendation…
I call my slow cooker a “crock pot,” but it is really a Hamilton Beach model (which my husband bought before I knew him!) It’s great – you have a rather shallow metal base with the heating element, and it comes with three very heavy white ceramic bowls of different sizes (which are not encased by the base – they sit in it and most of the bowl is well above the base, but the ceramic material conducts heat very well.) It’s like having crock pots of three different sizes. Plus, the bowls actually look pretty nice so you can just take them and go if you need to bring food somewhere. (I like to imagine my husband cooked lots of crock pot meals for himself in his single days, but the truth is that he bought it so that he could bring food to work for potlucks and fundraising sales some committee sometimes has. He would cook up FROZEN PRE-PACKAGED stuff in it but it would look like his own!)
I love that you recommend a margarita in the blog post and in the serving directions. I feel the same way:-)
You cannot beat of meal like this, especially the active time of 10 minutes. Yes, please. They look delicious!
Would this work just as well with a chuck roast? I have a little 2 1/2 lb roast I need to use and this sounds delicious! Thanks
I’m sure they would!
Uh yeah, these tacos are licking my soul lining.
Looks great! I adore the pics of the avos.
Oh holy yum – I cannot wait to make these for my new roommates! A perfect “thanks for letting me crash on your couch for 4 months” dinner! And your food photography is beyond gorgeous.
Just added these to my menu for next week, except I must add sour cream to the topping section. Mmm, so excited! Thanks!
Ahhh I used to work at a mexican restaurant and crockpot tacos were one of the best kept secrets in town!
I might be in the minority, but I’m tired of the dessert recipes. I’m sorry! Don’t hit me!
I just miss your veggie-rich recipes from a few years ago. : )
I made this today and it was AMAZING! Our tortillas were old so I ate the meat over white rice. Added cilantro, avocado, sour cream, and salsa… SO GOOD! Thanks for the awesome new recipe
Made these today and they were amazing!! So easy and some of the best tacos I’ve made at home. My husband was a big fan too and requested that I make them again every week! Thanks for sharing!
Does the jalapeno make it hot? I have a 7 year old girl just starting to like hot stuff but if it’s too hot she won’t do it!
Nope–it doesn’t!
Made these today…soooooo good! Thanks for the recipe. I chopped the veggies and put the rub on the steak the night before and threw it all in the crock pot this morning. I can’t believe how simple it is and I just never thought of steak in the crock pot!
We had these last night and they were FABULOUS!! I want to love my crockpot, but the reality is I am just not a fan of most of the recipes I’ve tried, but this hit it out of the park! i was a wee bit naughty and poured about half a can of beer over the whole shebang when I started to cook it. Thanks soooo much for the recipe!
Beer in the crock pot! So naughty, yet SO good! Glad you liked ‘em
We have a favorite food truck we go to called El Don and we get these tiny tacos! We love them and I always wanted to make them at home. THEN I FOUND THIS RECIPE!! Yeah!!!
I made these this weekend!! SO WONDERFUL!!! It was so easy! We saved the meat for the next day because it needed another hour or so. I warmed the meat on a griddle pan along side some baby size corn tortillas. I get the extra small ones at the Mexican market. Meat warms fast. I put a little cheese on the tortilla then add the meat with some cilantro pieces on top and a slice of avocado if you like them. Add some more cheese and top it with another tortilla. If you have an avocado on there push to squish and flatten the avocado. That way it spreads. So good! I’m the only one that likes it in my family!! Fry both sides with cooking spray on the pan. Put a little homemade salsa on top and you have the BEST dinner ever!!! I’m so glad I found this blog and this recipe!!
These look so delicious. We had some pork loins in the fridge that needed cooking so I just used those instead. I’m sitting here salivating over the thought of how good dinner will be tonight. I suppose I should go find something to do for the next 8 hours.
We made these tonight (well this morning actually LOL) and they were excellent. We all really liked them and I will definitely be making them again. I love your blog, thanks for the recipe!!
These look so great! Just came across them on Pinterest as I’m trying to find new recipes to make, especially in the slow cooker.
Do you know of anyway to not make them spicy (I can’t take spicy) but still retain maximum flavor?! That’s the only thing I’m on the fence about!
Thank you!!
This beef really isn’t spicy! I promise. You can omit the cayenne pepper to, to make it even more mild.
Would this work with chicken?
OMG. I was soooo skeptical of cooking this without any liquid. I was prepared to come home to a dried out hunk of meat. Partly because my crock pot is old and crappy. You were so right, though. So so so good. Thanks!
Glad you liked it!
Just took this out of the crockpot. Genius Girl. Genius. Love your receipes! Folks think I’m a gourmet cook.
Its.The. Bomb. = Off.The.Chain.
Yes, I’m that old.
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Would these freeze well? I am part of a Mom’s freezer club and would love to make them for everyone.
So I’ve been itching to make this recipe since I pinned it. I have flank steak in my freezer. Can I throw it in the crock frozen???
I would defrost first! Let it defrost in the fridge overnight before using.
Thanks! I guess I’ll have to wait another day.
I made these tonight, and my family LOVED them! It’s officially going into the recipe book!
Do you happen to know how many calories are in one of these tacos? Thanks for the recipe. I look forward to trying more of your stuff! 
This recipe was so easy to make and delicious! Even my 11 yo and my 6 yo have couple of tacos, thank you for the recipe :0)
I made these the other night for dinner and they were “THE BOMB”!!! My kids loved it. I was worried it would be spicy with all the onion and peppers but was not spicy at all!! Definitely making these again!!
I also used a pot roast / chuck steak instead of the flank steak cuz it was much cheaper! Worked perfectly easy to shred I gave the extra fatty pieces to my dogs and they loved it too!
You used chuck roast and still no liquid?
Did you have to leave the rub on for any certain time?
My kids do not like spicy food-please post spice measurements that will still give good flavor but not spicy. A little kick is OK. THANKS!!
I made these on Friday. My house smelled awesome! My man-love wanted them again the very next day! Thanks for this recipe.
These carnitas are currently sitting in my crock pot, I can’t WAIT for dinner when I get home! =) Thank you!
Oh word!!! I am so making these bad boy’s like today. I am heading to the grocery store. YUM
Lol, another thing, I do actually say “off the chain” too funny! I thought I was the only one, so glad I am not!! hee hee
These look amazing! Going to the store now to get my ingredients. Perfect for a busy Labor Day weekend!
This was our dinner for tonight! DELICIOUS! I seasoned the meat over night and wrapped it in plastic wrap with the diced onion and bell peppers(just to save myself time this morning) I was suprised at how much juice the meat produced! Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!!
oh i cook beef frequently in the slow cooker – comes out melt in the mouth. Gravy beef cooked with a BBQ marinade, gravy is fantastic. These look awesome, so will try them for sure.
It sounds crazy to put meat in there for 8 hours without any liquid. But it’s in my crockpot right now…Hope it turns out as good as the picture!
think i could get away with putting it on a low for a few hours, and high for another 3? i got a late start putting these in the crockpot!
I think that would be fine!
I just found this recipe on pinterst and meat is in crock pot as we speak. When I went to pick up ingredients they were out of flank steak but butcher told me skirt steak should work just fine. My house smells soooo good! I can’t wait to eat tonight! Thank u for the recipe
Love it! Thanks for sharing! It’s absolutely delicious!
WOW, looks amazing
Love your blog
I love you and I love your recipes!
They are ALL SO good! Thank you for this recipe. I’m thawing a flank steak right now to make these tomorrow for dinner. My husband will love it. Can’t wait! Thanks for the restaurant recs on your Southern tour too – will be doing a southern tour soon and will try all the places you recommended for sure, as I know they will be good food! Do you have a few favorite restaurants in Savannah you love? Thanks!
I realize I’m not the first to point this out but carnitas are PORK not beef. You have made some great sounding beef tacos. Carnitas are tender and delicious but not saucy at all.
Thanks – now I know what’s for dinner tomorrow night!
Just tried this recipe and loved it! I’m always looking for new crock pot recipes, so thank you for sharing!
Just made these. I’ve NEVER had success in a crock pot. Don’t judge. BUT, these came out AMAZING! Seriously, SO good. Thank you, thank you THANK YOU!
I just made these tacos and they were delicious! I used brisket instead of flank steak because it was on sale at my grocery store and I used flour tortillas because I prefer them to corn. I also put a little sour cream on the tortillas and my salsa of choice was mango peach! Thanks heavens Pinterest brought this recipe to me!
Would these not work in the crock pot on high for 4 hours? I’m a little late in starting
I think you would be fine!
OMG! Just finished inhaling these for dinner! The skirt steak cooked perfectly & pulled apart with forks SO easily after 7.5 hrs on low. Made fresh guac & salsa to garnish them. My husband repeatedly said, “These are so good!” They really are! I wish my mouth was bigger so I could eat two at a time! Thanks for this recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
I’ve never used a crock pot and I wanted to make sure that I am reading the recipe correctly…there is no liquid in this recipe?
No liquid
I made these today and they were DELICIOUS! I used tostada shells, put cheese and sour cream on top, and it was so good!!! I was a hesitant about buying the flank steak because it’s a little pricey, but it was worth it. Definitely my favorite slow cooker recipe. Thanks!
We had these last night- sooo good! I live in the middle of nowhere and the store didn’t have flank or skirt steak so I just used good ol’ round steak, but it worked so well I might always do that now! Thanks for the great recipe. I started these @ 10AM so I did the first few hours on High, then switched to Low until dinner.
I made this tonight for dinner and I was amazed as to how tender the meat was. This was my first time putting flank steak in a crock pot and I was so glad I tried it. I would make this recipe again and again.
I’m soooo making this tomorrow…I’ll by the ingredients TONIGHT !!!!!!!!!
These are in the crockpot RIGHT NOW! And my house has never smelt so good. My neighbors curse you and we thank you
This was delicious. I did not have any Jalapeno’s on hand, which worked out well because I have one child that thinks toothpaste is spicy. This was plenty spicy without the jalapeno. (If it were just me eating…. I would add 2 Jalapeno’s, just to be sure that my throat burns, and my head sweats). My son woke up at 10:30 pm, and asked if I would make him another soft taco!??? He had been asleep for two hours…..No! But, gave him some luke warm hot chocolate. Hormones. Almost 13! I promised I would make him another for snack after school tomorrow, if I do not eat the leftovers first.
These are in the crockpot now. So excited. I was reading comments and this one cracked me up. Toothpaste is spicy, hehehe made me laugh out loud!
I must admit to something, I did not owe a crockpot when I saw this recipe and 2 things stood out for me: Flank Steak and the Avocados! I luv the rub you sue on the flank steak..btw i went out & ourchased a crockpot, I will make sure to check back in for my results!
I made this on Wednesday. I actually loaded the crockpot up the night before with all of the ingredients. I left it in the fridge overnight and plugged it in the next morning before I left for work.
About mid-day my wife called to ask if I added water to it before I left. I told her I though the onions and peppers would provide enough liquid and they did. When it was all done, I topped it with a corn salsa from Trader Joe’s, a Mexican cheese blend, avocado slices, and fresh cilantro.
It turned out great! Thank you for the recipe.
If I wanted to try this with pork, what would be a good cut to use? Thanks for posting!
I make this once a week and we love it! I do not put mine in the crock and still is wonderful. I cut the steak very thin and put in the a pan with the onion (we leave out the green peppers) and the spice mix. This is cooked until almost done and then the cilantro is added. After a few more minutes it done and ready to eat! Yum!
Holy cow! I cannot get over how delicious this is! Thanks so much for sharing. Definitely putting it in the regular rotation.
These look great! I really want to try them this weekend, but I am wondering if you can share a different type of meat I could use besides flank steak. I haven’t seen it in my store. Thanks so much!
I just put these on my grocery list for tomorrow. They look amazing, can’t wait to make them!!
I made this few weeks back and everyone in my family loved it.I have made it several times since then.This is one of our favorite recipe. Thank you!!!
I am making these as we speak. Trying to do the quick cook method with the 6 hours on high instead (I always get slow cooker meals started so late I have to do it this way). Hopefully it turns out as fantastic as everyone else says it’s been for them. It smells heavenly!
I always use pork for making burritos and tacos (I cook it in the slow cooker, in beer) – never thought of trying them with crockpot-cooked beef. Love the idea, they look amazing.
I justknown jst read all the reviews on these because I loved them so much. I wanted to put the argument to rest regardbeefy heather or not these are Carnitas or not. so, here you go from a website called Cha Cha: Carnitas which means “little meats,” is a type of braised or roasted (often after first being simmered) pork in Mexican cuisine. It can also be made from beef using a chuck roast, although using pork seems to be the more common method. Right on Jenna!
I don’t care what you call them, I call them yum! I made them for a Christmas block party last night and my neighbor who is Hispanic came up to me and said. ” this is kinda forward, but, can I take some of the beef home please? “. Took that as a major endorsement! He said they were just right!
Sorry for the typos on the 10th! I had my recommended margarita or two! Making them again today
I don’t know who beefy Heather is, but I think that shoud read “regarding whether or not beef can be considered carnitas or not”. Lol! My apologies to Heather…
This is a great and easy recipe my boys love it…you have to try it…
Can I put them in on high for 4 hours?
I tried them on high last night for 4 hours and I found the meat to be too chewy. I’m gonna try on low for 8 or more hours next time. Flavor was great though!
This wouldn’t be classified as ‘carnitas’ , carnitas is pork. Still sounds good though!
Mrs green, I think the arguement has been laid to rest. Carnitas can be either beef or pork. These are in my crock pot right now while I am at work and I cannot wait until 6pm!!! Haha. Ill letnyou guys know how they turn out!
There is no argument to settle. Seasoning may vary, but carnitas is pork by definition, and not just pork, but pork slow cooked and then fried in lard to make it tender enough to fall apart inside but crispy on the outside. Anything else is not carnitas, plain and simple.
This recipe is just shredded beef. That said, it looks delicious, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with shredded beef tacos. I definitely plan on trying this out.
Found your recipe on Pinterest. This meat was delicious! My intention was tacos but I made it into Beef Enchiladas. They were the BEST enchiladas I’ve made. Ate them up so quickly I didn’t even get a picture. Guess I’ll have to make them again. Darn….
I made these last night for my book club and received rave reviews!!
Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe is very good, thanks! Truth be told, I used it as a starting point, making a few alterations:
– Chuck instead of flank
– After covering the steak with the peppers/onions, dumped a jar of salsa verde on top of that
– Frank’s Red Hot instead of the cayenne & jalapenos, applied liberally; enough to completely cover the salsa verde mound
– 1/3rd a bottle of Zesty Catalina salad dressing
– Didn’t use lime or cilantro
The meat was literally falling apart as I was trying to take it out of the crockpot. Absolutely delicious.
I made this with the oldest, most freezer burned piece of flank steak from my freezer and it turned out delicious! Reminds me of Brisket Tacos that are popular where I am from. Thank you for this delicious recipe, it is definitely going into the dinner rotation
Thanks for this amazing recipe! I have made this several times and it is now a neighborhood favorite. Don’t alter the recipe. It is great just the way it is. I season the meat, cut up the veggies and throw it in the fridge the night before. Next morning plug it in and is ready for dinner. I make a little Mexican coleslaw to throw on the Carnita and some cilantro lime rice as a side. Yummy. Making again tomorrow.
Thanks again
It doesn’t matter what they are called, just make it! I made it for the Super Bowl yesterday an it was fantastic! My husband love it too. Thank you for the recipe . I will definitely make them again.
Outstanding recipe! I made this last week and it’s a keeper! Thank you very much for posting it!
I made these tonight (Taco Wednesday)! The family loved the smokey savory taste and I was amazed that this did not call for any liquid whatsoever! The tacos were amazing and this meal is now on rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Making as we speak. I was off today and ft side tracked. Can I do in high? Right now it’s in low but would like to switch to high if I could or we will be eating at 9pm tonight lol
You can cook it on high, sure! But just watch it..it will probably take half the amount of time.
Thanks so much for quick response!!
This Mexican/Italian can’t wait to try this!!! Gracias!
Wow! they look awesome. can’t wait to make them this weekend..going to leave out the celanto though as my friend carolanne is allergic to it. let you know how the gang likes em. thanks marcy!
I just made this & its the best! Super juicy & awesome flavor! My little one can’t get enough of them.
Just finished dinner. Holy carnitas, batman, these ROCK. And finally, a crock pot meal that is super easy to get in the crockpot before I start my day. SOOOOO good. Thanks, Jenna.
So glad you liked them, Jen!
Carnitas is pork
I skipped the cayenne pepper and added a 6oz can of pureed adobo peppers to the mix. it came out amazing!! 6oz is prob too much for 2lbs so def go with a 3oz can unless you love heat like me. Thank you for the recipe!
This was AWESOME. In the past I have never been much of a cook but I have been trying to cook different things. The Beef Carnitas were great and my family loved them.
Do you have a recipe for a good margarita??
I just got home from work and was disappointed because my flank steak was burned to a crisp. I questioned not adding any liquid, but wanted to follow the recipe. I did add half a cup of beef broth and some jalepeno juice this morning , but it didn’t help. My crock pot does run hot, and I did not use bell peppers, which would have created more liquid. Still very disappointed
I will try again with a couple of cups of beef broth.
I’m so sorry! I haven’t heard of that happening to anyone yet. Did you keep the steak in the crock pot for longer than the time in the recipe? I think this is more of an issue with a too-hot crock pot than it is with adding a couple cups of broth, which will turn it into more of a stew than taco meat.
what size crock pot did you use for this?
This is sitting on warm in my crockpot right now as I type — smells heavenly, I eat low carb so are skipping the tortillas and just mounding with lots of toppings. I am sure my company is going to be over-the-moon with this dish!! Thanks for posting a great recipe
Blessings!
Gail
Came across your recipe on Pinterest and tried it tonight. Delicious! Thanks for sharing it on the Internet.
I can’t wait to make these tonight! I’m cooking for two so I only bought 1.35 lbs of meat. Should I cut the cooking time in half or go for the full 8 hours?
Tonight is daylight savings taco night! These are in the pot as we speak. 1.98#s of flank perfection covered with all the peppers and onions! I only have 5 or 6 hours to work with so I’ll have a couple 15 minute high sessions on the crock and will report back.
Well, it didn’t get ‘shredd-able’… but I caught it early enough to pull it out, cut it up into slices, and call it fajitas.
Next time keep it in the crockpot for an additional hour, and it will get shreddable for sure—I know because I made it today as well
I am so confused on what I did wrong?!?! I followed the directions perfectly and came home to a dried out steak and burned vegetables! Help!
That’s totally bizarre and I am SO sorry! Is your crock pot especially hot? I just made this three days ago and it worked perfectly so I have no idea what could have happened — I’m sorry
I’ve made this recipe twice and both times my beef has become really tough and not shreddable at all… I have lots of juices (from the veggies and beef) in the crockpot both times but the beef has become large hunks of tough beef. Any suggestions?
They look so delicious in the picture, I wish they’d turn out!
I made these a couple nights ago and they were amazing! Definitely a huge hit w/me and my boyfriend. They are for sure going into the rotation. I read the comments about the dried out beef and the burned veggies the same day I had it cooking so I was paranoid all day while I was at work but I had no problems. Not sure what’s going on there. Maybe the wrong cut of beef? I had never bought flank before and was a little worried because at first I couldn’t find it – turns out it was labeled under london broil at my supermarket.
Looks YUMMY!! Do you put any liquid in the crockpot?
Nope!
I made these tonight. They were a hit. My husband gladly ate leftovers the next day. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.
You place the meat in the crockpot dry like that? I’ve never put meat in without water or a sauce, how will that work out
I thought the same thing, but don’t worry. It was amazingly delicious and when I took the lid off after 9 hours it looked like it was sitting in about 2 inches of brown liquid. This could easily cook 10-12 hrs on low and it would never dry out. So easy and my picky husband loved it.
Does anyone know if you can double this (2 flank steaks) in one crockpot? I need to make 2 of them.
It would depend on the size of your crockpot I suppose cause that would be 4 lbs, I’ve cut this recipe in half and it works out,
Before I make this I just wanted to clarify one thing. The recipe is just for beef right? I’m a little confused by the title of the recipe because “carnitas” is pork. So are they beef and pork tacos or just beef?
Made these today! Very good! Kids ate it too. Thrilled to have another beef recipe for the crockpot. I used a 2 lb pot roast! Thanks.
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