Spicy Braised Beef Tacos
Spicy Braised Beef Tacos
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Spicy tender braised beef loaded into soft taco shells topped with creamy guacamole and sour cream dip!
I think its safe to say most people love Tacos! I love a good soft shell taco packed with flavourful meat and fresh and fragrant toppings! You will love these Spicy Braised Beef Tacos. The beef is juicy, spicy and perfectly tender and perfect for shredding and piling into tortilla.
I came up with this recipe last Tuesday when all I was seeing was Cinco de Mayo recipe posts! I officially had a taco craving and simply had to make myself some! The beef I used was Aberdeen angus lean diced beef. I sautéed onions, garlic and the beef in olive oil before adding diced chillies and red pepper. I then added a whole bunch of fragrant spices before deglazing the pan with some red wine. The result was some seriously spicy braised beef that falls apart in the mouth!
The pictures were so popular on our instagram and facebook pages, that I just had to post the recipe on the blog for you all! If you are not following me on socials be sure to click the links to my profiles at the bottom of this page. I never really make tacos and I wasn’t expecting this recipe to be so good and for it to be so popular! But the people have spoken, so thank you for your patience and I hope you love the recipe as much as I do! Don’t forget to tag your creations #chilliandlife and let me know what you think in the comments. I would love to hear from you! I hope you love these beef tacos!
What do i need?
The Braised Beef
- Firstly, you will need some good quality diced lean beef. The beef I used had just 5% fat. You don’t need too much fat for a recipe like this because we want juicy meaty filling for our tacos. You can use something like this diced beef from Ocado.
- For the essential vegetable component you will need onion, garlic, red pepper and fresh chillies. I used one large yellow onion, 1 red pepper and 1 red chilli and 3 green chillies. I love it spicy so use the right amount of chilli for you.
- The dried seasoning and spices list is quite long, I used: cumin, ground coriander, rosemary, cinnamon, chilli powder, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, paprika, mixed herbs, thyme, black pepper, and salt. These spices will give your beef and sauce a deep complex flavour packed with a punch!
- The liquid parts to this recipe are red wine and beef stock. I had some leftover red wine in the fridge that was reserved for cooking. Beef and red wine always pair well, so I poured what was about 200ml of wine into the pot to deglaze before adding 500ml of beef stock. I used my favourite Knorr organic stock pot, as I don’t have any beef stock in the freezer at the moment (shock…horror!).
Taco Toppings –
- Every taco needs guacamole right? You will need a very ripe avocado, red onion, coriander, lime juice and salt and pepper.
- I also served mine with a homemade sour cream dip. I made this using sour cream, chopped chives, white pepper, black pepper and lime juice.
- For the final toppings I added chopped coriander, green chilli and red onion.
- The taco wraps I used are the Mission deli original mini wraps, you can buy these from most big supermarkets. They are super soft and toast really well.
Tips & Tricks
- If you have an instant pot or cast iron casserole, I advise using these as they are the best for slow cooking. A cast iron pot will retain the heat very well and ensure you are not having to cook the beef for hours and hours.
- I made the braised beef on Tuesday night so it was ready for taco assembly the following day for lunch! The beef takes about 2-3 hours to cook depending on your pot and stove. I like cooking things like this in the evening. It means I can put everything together and then just leave it simmering away until it’s ready.
- Once you have put all your ingredients in the pot and turned the heat down the beef can simply be left alone and ignored for a while. But be careful you dont want to forget about it or worse still fall asleep! I use timers in the kitchen all the time. I suggest setting a timer for 1 hour so you can stir, taste and adjust seasoning if needed before returning the lid and leaving to simmer for at least 1 more hour.
- Do adjust the chillies you use to your taste. I like it really spicy and so i use a combination of a mild red chilli and some hot green finger chillies!
I hope you enjoy this super tasty and easy meal. Let me know what you think in the comments. Want a Taco Tuesday post this is the perfect recipe for your next taco fix!
Braised Beef Tacos Serving Suggestions –
Tacos to me are like a Mexican sandwich, I feel they don’t need any extras – all the goodness can be found inside! I like to serve my tacos with extra toppings, guacamole, sour cream dip and chopped veggies and fresh herbs of your choice! Feeling extra hungry and want a yummy side to go along serve these tacos with some Sweet Fried Plantain!
Spicy Braised Beef Tacos
Equipment
- Cast iron pot or instant pot
- Cooking spoon
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- 2 bowls
- Fork
Ingredients
Braised Beef
- 400 g lean beef steak diced
- 1 onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 red pepper
- 3 green finger chillies
- 1 red chilli
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp mixed herbs
- 1 bay leaf
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of thyme
- 200 ml red wine
- 500 ml beef stock
Guacamole
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tbsp diced red onion
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- 1 tbsp lime juice half a lime squeezed
- 3-4 cherry tomatoes diced
Sour Cream Dip
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp lime juice half a lime squeezed
- ½ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
Taco Toppings
- 6 mini tortilla wraps or soft taco shell
- diced red onion
- chopped fresh coriander
- chopped fresh green chilli
Instructions
Braised Beef
- Wash and dry your beef and set aside.
- Heat some vegetable oil in your cast iron pot and sauté onions until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Next add garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add the beef and sauté until the beef has browned all over – about 5 minutes.
- Throw in the chopped pepper and chillies and sauté for about 3 minutes or until soft.
- Add all of the dried spices and herbs and mix well. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan. Leave to allow the alcohol to cook off – about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef stock stir and cover and allow to come to the boil. When boiling stir again and turn the heat to low. Set a timer for 1 hour and leave to simmer.
- After 1 hour check your beef stir and test for seasoning. Recover and leave for another 1 hour minimum. After 2-3 hours your beef is done and ready for pulling and loading into tacos!
Guacamole
- Cut your avocado and remove the fruit into a bowl using a spoon. Mash the avocado well using a fork.
- Finely dice 1 red onion and set aside half for the topping. Pour the rest into the guacamole bowl.
- Finely chop washed fresh coriander, again set aside half to be used for the topping.
- Wash tomatoes and dice finely then pour into guacamole bowl.
- Squeeze half a lime into the guacamole and stir everything well. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Sour Cream Dip
- Pour the sour cream into a bowl, squeeze half a lime into the bowl and add your finely chopped fresh chives. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Taco Building
- Using a tong remove the beef from your pot onto a plate and use a fork to pull the beef apart.
- Heat a pan on the stove, when hot place your tortilla in the pan and heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Be careful not to overdo it.
- Load your tacos with the pulled beef and pour on a little sauce from the pot. Spoon on some guacamole and sour cream dip and sprinkle with the reserved topping for extra spice, bite and freshness.
Notes
Did you make these Beef Tacos?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @chilliandlife on Instagram and hashtag it #chilliandlife
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