Beef Carnitas is super easy and cooked all day in a slow cooker. Great for meal prep, full of veggies, minimal effort, versatile, and high in protein.
About Beef Carnitas
Carnitas is typically made with pork, but I used beef in this recipe. Which I believe is called "beef barbacoa"... so this recipe is basically a total contradiction of what it actually is.
Forgive me, please. When I first posted it in 2013, I wasn't conscious of labeling foods and recipes properly.
That being said, if you can get past my misnaming of the dish, you will be rewarded with tender, flavorful shredded beef.
Even more exciting is that this makes a pretty big batch, so it can be enjoyed for meal prep for a few meals over the week.
Plus, you can enjoy it in multiple ways. Or freeze it and enjoy it later when you have no energy or time to cook.
In my opinion, the beauty of the slow cooker is that you don't have much work to do to prepare dinner.
And while these aren't super budget-friendly, they are still cost-effective at less than $5 per serving.
Plus, all the veggies stretch the meat further and make the beef carnitas even more nutritious.
Honestly, I love these beef carnitas, and I'm pretty sure you will, too!
Ingredients
Veggies: These beef carnitas are packed with veggies, including onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos. Any color of bell peppers can be used. For the onions, you can use yellow onions, red onions, or sweet onions.
Personally, I like to use 4 bell peppers and 2 onions, but you can adjust to your liking. Also, you can add diced carrots and/or celery.
Seasoning: Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and salt season the beef carnitas. Feel free to play around with the amounts. For example, you can decrease the salt if you are trying to reduce the sodium content.
Beef: For testing, skirt steak and flank steak were used. You can also use flat iron steak, top blade, chuck eye roast, chuck arm roast, and chuck tender roast.
Recipe Cost
- onions 2 medium: $1
- green bell peppers 2 medium: $1.44
- red bell peppers 2 medium: $1.98
- jalapeño 1 medium: $0.20
- chili powder 2 teaspoons: $0.16
- cumin 1 teaspoon: $0.13
- salt 1 teaspoon: $0.01
- garlic powder ½ teaspoon: $0.04
- black pepper ½ teaspoon: $0.06
- cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon: $0.02
- flank steak 2 pounds: $20.84
TOTAL COST: $25.88 or $3.24/serving (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2024)
Note that this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.
How to Make Beef Carnitas
Time needed: 8 hours and 15 minutes
Beef Carnitas is super easy and cooked all day in a crockpot. You'll love them because they are great for meal prep, healthy, minimal effort, versatile, and high-protein.
- Fill the slow cooker with onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos.
- Top with beef, and season.
- Cover and cook.
- When the meat is done, remove it from the slow cooker.
- Shred or chop the beef.
- Return it to the slow cooker, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Variations
Ingredient Options
Veggies: Use about 6-8 cups of chopped veggies in any combo. Feel free to use different colored bell peppers or add carrots, etc.
Beef: Luckily, these carnitas work with most proteins if you do not eat red meat. Pork or chicken are both great options.
Flavor Substitutions
Pepper: If you don't want these to be spicy, omit the jalapeno or cayenne pepper. Or if you prefer more spice, increase the jalapenos or cayenne pepper.
How to Make Allergy-Friendly
These beef carnitas are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, and nut-free.
How to Fix a Mistake
Too much liquid: Simply drain off the liquid before serving.
Lacking flavor: Season with additional chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, or salt. Also, you can add red pepper flakes for more heat. Or add a squeeze of lime juice.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Beef carnitas recipe is great for a meal prep and make-ahead meal. Simply prepare as directed and keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer until ready to enjoy.
Storage Suggestions
Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
I highly recommend freezing in smaller containers because you can defrost only the amount you need. That way, you won't spend time defrosting the entire batch.
To reheat:
- In the microwave: Place in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat for 45 seconds at 100% power. Stir and microwave in 45-second increments until warm.
- In a skillet: In a dry skillet over medium heat, place beef carnitas in a saucepan and cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beef carnitas recipe is made of steak, peppers, onions, jalapenos, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and pepper.
The best meat cuts for beef carnitas include skirt steak, flank steak, flat iron steak, top blade, chuck eye roast, chuck arm roast, and chuck tender roast.
Nutrition Benefits
One serving of beef carnitas provides 26 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, 81% RDA of Vitamin C, 25% of Vitamin A, 17% of iron, and 15% of potassium.
Plus, you get a full serving of veggies for extra nutrients from the onions and bell peppers.
What to Serve with Beef Carnitas
This shredded carnitas steak can be served in tortillas for tacos, over chips for nachos, with fries, or with cooked beans and rice. Or simply serve over cooked rice, quinoa, or lentils.
Great with fresh cilantro, avocado, low-sodium salsa, and cheese. Or top with a cilantro avocado sauce.
Honestly, they can be enjoyed in whatever way you want!
If you decide to serve these as tacos, serve them in homemade tortillas if you're feeling extra fancy.
Final thoughts:
Beef carnitas made in the slow cooker are simple, delicious, and great for meal prep. You can serve them in a variety of ways, and you get a serving of veggies in each serving of carnitas steak.
While they aren't super budget-friendly, one serving of beef carnitas is less than $5. Plus, the extra onions and bell peppers help to stretch the meat further, and they give your dish extra nutrients.
Everyone in the family (who eats meat) will enjoy these, so they'll be very appreciated.
And you get a big batch. So with only a little effort of cutting the veggies, you get a lot of food.
SLOW COOKER RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:
Slow Cooker Beef Carnitas
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 2 medium green bell peppers chopped
- 2 medium red bell peppers chopped
- 1 jalapeño seeded & minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds skirt steak
Instructions
- Put the onions, bell peppers, and jalapeño in the Crock-Pot.
- Put the steak on top of the vegetables.
- In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and cayenne pepper. Rub the mixture over both sides of the steak.
- Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.
- Take the steak out and transfer it to a cutting board. Let cool for 10 minutes, then shred the steak.
- Put the shredded meat back in the slow cooker. Stir everything together and serve in tortillas with avocado, cilantro, and lime slices.
Notes
What to Use in This Recipe
Meme
This post was originally published on January 17, 2013. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.
Beef Carnitas Nutrition Facts
Also, please enjoy this beautiful photo from the original 2013 post.
Carole
These look so delicious! Great photography! I'm going to give them a try - anything Mexican is a fave! Just stopping by from this week's SITS Tribe Challenge.
Meme
Thanks!! They are so so so good! I love when I have leftovers in my freezer. And you're so right; anything Mexican is my fave too! Thanks for stopping by 🙂