Mexican Braised Beef Tacos with Chilis
Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: TexMex
Prep Time: 
Cook Time: 
Total Time: 
Serves: 6-8
A braised recipe for Mexican beef tacos. Cooked low and slow, these tacos are succulent, rich, and flavorful.
  • 3lb arm roast (give or take)
  • large granule (kosher) salt and pepper to season
  • 2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 dried chili's such as guajillo or ancho
  • 1 large white onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • ½ tsp large granule salt
  • 1 cup beer
  • 2 tbls tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 300F.
  2. Pat dry and generously season the arm roast with large granule salt and pepper on both sides.
  3. In a cast iron dutch oven, gently heat 2 tbls of olive oil and toast the chili's until they become fragrant; 1-2 minutes. Remove the chili's from the pot and set aside. Once the chili's have been removed, brown the beef on both sides; 5-8 minutes per side. Make sure that when you place the meat into the pot, that you do not disturb it.
  4. Place it in the pot and check it after 4-5 minutes. Once browned, remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Examine your drippings. If there are burnt pieces in the pot remove them with a slotted spoon. If there was too much fat released, remove the excess leaving about 2 tbls of drippings in the pot. If there is not enough dripping left in the pot, add an additional 2 tbls of olive oil to the pot, gently bringing it back to heat.
  5. Once you have examined and adjusted your drippings, add the onion and garlic to the pot. Sprinkle with ½ tsp of large granule salt and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the beer, mixing and picking up all the cherished browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a slow boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half; 5-8 minutes. Once reduced by half, mix in the tomato paste and beef broth and bring to a simmer for 2-3 additional minutes.
  6. Once the braising liquid is finished, snuggle the meat into the sauce and add the reserved chili's as well. Place a piece of parchment paper on the pot and press it down a bit so that it stands about 1 inch above the meat. Cover and place in the 300F oven. Depending on the toughness of your meat, the braise can take anywhere from 2-4 hours.
  7. After 2 hours, check the meat. If it's not fork tender, check it again every half hour until fork tender. Once the meat is fork tender, remove it from the pot and shred it with a pair of forks placing the meat into a large bowl. Remove the chili's from the braising liquid and toss.
  8. Mix in the remaining braising liquid into the shredded beef. If you have a marrow bone, feel free to scoop out the marrow and eat it or you can scoop it out and mix it into the beef as well.
  9. Serve as taco meat with a variety of your favorite condiments.
Recipe by Honest Cooking at