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Smoky and hearty Steak Carnitas Meat in the Crock-Pot is one of the best set-it-and-forget-it meals that’s exquisitely flavored and makes some tender and rich tacos.
What’s better than tacos? There isn’t much that I can think of… Maybe my kids and husband and, on a good day, our new puppy. Right below them on my list of favorite things? Tacos. Obviously. This steak carnitas in the crockpot recipe will take your taco game to a whole new level, too, so get ready. I could eat these over and over again — they just don’t get old.
Perfectly seasoned with some hearty veggies to beef it up (pun intended), these steak carnitas bring some serious flavor to all your favorite Tex-Mex dishes, including tacos as well as quesadillas, nachos, and big-as-your-face burritos. Plus, this recipe is flexible. For real — I’ve used this method and spice rub on elk steaks, porkchops, and lamb, and it goes well on all the things. Just give it a try for yourself to see what I mean!
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe:
- Easy- throw it in the crock pot and forget about it!
- Flexible-this meat can be used in a variety of entrees
- The rub itself can be used on all kinds of meats
- Keeps well refrigerated
- Will be a hit with everyone
Ingredients:
- Flank Steak
- Chili Powder
- Cumin– or smoked cumin if you have it
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne Pepper– To taste
- Salt and Pepper– to taste
- Onion
- Bell Pepper
- Jalapeno
See recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Additions and Variations:
- For a less spicy dish, take out the jalapeños
- You can use different types of onions if you’d like to shake it up
- Any color bell peppers will do, so use what you have or what you prefer
- Serve with corn or flour tortillas, cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, or anything else you and your family prefer!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Barbacoa comes from the same word as barbecue, while carnitas means “little meats”. Barbacoa is often braised meat from a cow head, and carnitas are often made of pork and are fried in their own fat. But my rendition in this recipe uses steak!
Steak carnitas in the slow cooker are easier than you might think. Simply rub the flank steak down with your dry spice rub, place it in the Crock-Pot, cover with additional veggies, and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. When the time is up, remove the meat from the cooker, shred in a bowl using forks, and serve on tortillas for your tacos, or on top of rice!
Yes you can! You’ll want to be sure to add some beef broth so it doesn’t dry out. Use the “sauté” setting for a few minutes before pressure cooking it for about 30 minutes.
More Beef Recipes to Consider:
Recipe Collections
Zucchini Recipes
Beef Recipes
Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon
From Scratch Recipes
Perfect Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
Steak Carnitas Meat in the Crockpot
Ingredients
For the Carnitas:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin or smoked cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
Serving Options:
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded lettuce
- Grated cheese
- Tomato
- Sour cream
- Salsa
Instructions
- Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl for the spice rub. Rub the spices into each side of the steak, using all of the mixture.
- Place the spice-rubbed steak in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chopped onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno on top of the steak.
- Cook for on low for 7 to 8 hours.
- After the cooking time has lapsed, remove the steak from the Crock-Pot and shred with two forks. Serve immediately, or return to the Crock-Pot for a few hours until you are ready to eat.
- Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Flank steak is generally a tougher, and therefore cheaper, piece of meat. It’s a great candidate for the Crock-Pot. I have actually used everything from elk steaks to lamb and pork with this recipe, and loved them all. It’s VERY versatile, so use what you have on hand or what’s on sale — if it’s a leaner cut of meat, you may need to add a bit of beef stock at the end to make sure it doesn’t dry out before it’s done cooking.
I never write reviews but I have to rave about how easy and delicious this recipe is- thank you!! My family loves tacos, although we moved somewhere where Mexican food is hard to find, so I’m grateful to have found your recipe. I use whatever meat I have on hand and every time it turns out great. We make this at least once a month, perfectly simple!
This is my jam!! Thanks for sharing. I will definitely be making this soon.
We had another night of carnitas. Easily this could be made into enchiladas, burritos or just a pile of yummy stuff on a plate with other sides to compliment it. The remainder has been divided into servings and placed in the freezer for nights I don’t want to cook and of course, I have a serving to run thru the freeze dryer. It looked lean enough to FD ok…..I will test run the first batch and if it turns out amazing, I will cook another batch and skim off any fat hiding in the liquid before adding the meat/veggies back in. Less fat means a longer storage life. This could be another fantastic trail dinner to share with you someday!
LOVE this report! Thank you for filling me in 🙂
Hey…this stuff is good…really, really, really good! I always slightly panic at the words cayenne pepper and jalapeno…I’m a wimp….but I made the recipe as printed…well, I used a London Broil instead of Flank steak because Flank, Skirt or Flat-Iron do not exist in my store…..and…..the flavors were amazing! Even though we threw the shredded meat into tortillas and topped them like regular tacos, the taste and texture weren’t even similar! Mr. Picky won’t knowingly eat bell peppers, so I chopped them up small and they disappeared into the meat perfectly. If he had spotted a green thing, I would have told him it was jalapeno anyway! This recipe is a 100% keeper! Thanks a zillion!!!
Wohoooo!!! And what do you have planned with the leftovers? Is it lean enough to do something with your freeze drier??
You got the puppy!!!!!!!!! I will probably never knowingly eat barbaco again! My brain won’t let me! bahahahaha. PS….I’m gonna try this soon!!!
Oh my gosh, you have to come meet him, such a great dog for our family!