Authentic Mexican shredded beef in green salsa (carne deshebrada en salsa verde) cooked until tender then bathed in tomatillo salsa. Serve as burrito or taco, or as a main dish. Always a crowd pleaser!

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What type of meat should I use for this shredded beef?
Flank is the preferred choice but really any meat like brisket or chuck roast will work fine. I’ve used all and flank is the most tender.
Can this be made in the slow cooker?
You can make it in a slow cooker. Cook the meat with water about ¾ of the way up the meat for 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 on low. Once your meat is fully cooked through, remove it from the liquid, shred it, remove the cooking liquid from your slow cooker pot and return the shredded beef to your pot and add your green salsa. Slow cook for about half an hour so all the flavors come together.
How to serve
These are best served as a burrito with mayo and avocado or tacos with onion and cilantro. You can also serve it as is with rice and beans.
Step by Step Process
- In a pot add your beef, onion, 2 cloves garlic, and salt to taste. Fill with water until just covered. Cook until tender approx 1.5-2 hours on the stove, 4-5 in a slow cooker on high and 7-8 on low.
- While the meat is cooking, to a pot add the jalapeños, tomatillos, ¼ of an onion, 1 clove of garlic and about 1 ½ cups of water.
- Boil the tomatillos until they change color from green to a greenish brown. Do not let them burst open or overcook because they won’t taste the same. They might be a bit more sour. remove them from the boiling water.
- Let the jalapeños, onions, and garlic cook for another 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- To your blender add the jalapeños (stems removed), garlic, onion, tomatillos, a handful of cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt and ¾ cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth about 30-45 seconds.
- Set your salsa aside until we’re ready to use it.
- When your meat is ready and tender pull it out of the hot cooking liquid and shred it with a fork or by hand if you can handle the heat.
- Using a deep frying pan add 1 tablespoon of oil and your shredded beef. Stir the beef in the oil for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Go ahead and add approx 1.5 cups of salsa to your shredded beef and stir to combine.
- Cook for approx 10 minutes so that all the flavors combine.
- You can now enjoy as a taco, burrito or with some beans and rice.
Other Recipes you might enjoy that pair well with the Shredded Beef
PrintShredded Beef in Green Salsa Recipe
Description
Authentic Mexican shredded beef in green salsa (carne deshebrada en salsa verde) cooked until tender then bathed in tomatillo salsa. Serve as burrito or taco, or as a main dish. Always a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
For the Shredded Beef:
- 1–1.5 lbs flank steak
- ½ tablespoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon regular salt
- ¼ of a medium sized onion
- 2–3 garlic cloves
- Water to cover
Green Salsa
- 4 tomatillos
- 3 jalapenos
- 1–2 garlic cloves
- ¼ medium onion
- 1 tsp kosher salt or ½ a teaspoon regular salt
- Handful of cilantro
- ¾ cup reserved boiled water
Other:
- 1 tbsp oil
Instructions
- To a pot add your beef, onion, 2 cloves garlic, and salt to taste. Fill with water until just covered. Cook until tender approx 1.5-2 hours on the stove, 4-5 in a slow cooker on high or 7-8 on low.
- While the meat is cooking, to a pot add the jalapeños, tomatillos, ¼ of an onion, 1 clove of garlic and about 1 ½ cups of water.
- Once the tomatillos change color from green to a greenish-brown, remove them from the cooking process. Set them aside on a plate or dish. Do not let them overcook, they will turn bitter. You can remove the onion and garlic at this time too.
- Let the jalapeños cook for another 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
- Blend jalapeños (stems removed), garlic, onion, tomatillos, handful of cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt and ¾ cup of the cooking liquid. Blend until smooth about 30-45 seconds.
- Set your salsa aside until we’re ready to use.
- When your meat is ready and tender pull it out of the hot cooking liquid and shred it with a fork.
- To a frying pan add 1 tablespoon of oil and your shredded beef. Stir the beef in the oil for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Add approx 1.5 cups of the green salsa to your shredded beef and stir to combine. Add more as needed or desired.
- Cook for approx 10 minutes so that all the flavors combine.
- You can now enjoy as a taco, burrito, or with some beans and rice.
Notes
- Flank is the preferred choice but really any meat like brisket or chuck roast will work fine. I’ve used all and flank is the most tender.
- You can make the process easier by cooking your meat in a slow cooker. Once your meat is fully cooked through, remove it from the liquid, shred it, remove the cooking liquid from your slow cooker pot and return the shredded beef to your pot and add your green salsa. Slow cook for about an hour so all the flavors come together.
- These are best served as a burrito with mayo and avocado or tacos with onion and cilantro. Also as is with rice and beans.
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