Recipe Difficulty: Medium
- Prep Time: approx 45 minutes
- Cooking Time: 8 hours (in a slow cooker, on low)
Get ready to take your tastebuds on a trip to Mexico with this month’s mouthwatering recipe – Pulled Mexican Beef made using 800g of our beautifully marbled Flat Iron Steak.
Slow-cooked until meltingly tender, the beef is infused with a rich, spiced sauce that delivers the bold, smoky-sweet flavours of Mexico. Think earthy cumin, warming paprika, tangy cider vinegar and a hint of brown sugar – all working together to create incredible depth.
We’ve served it up in tortilla boats, perfect for piling high with vibrant toppings: crisp salad, crushed nachos for crunch, melted Mexicana cheese for a spicy kick, and a generous sprinkle of coriander and zesty lime.
It’s a seriously flavour-packed meal that’s just as good stuffed in soft tacos, spooned over fluffy rice bowls, or loaded onto nachos for the ultimate sharing dish.
It’s Mexican-inspired comfort food at its finest — and it all starts with high-quality British beef.
Ingredients (To serve 4)
For the beef:
- 800g Flat Iron Steak
- 1 large brown sliced onion
- Butter (to butter the bottom of the slow cooker)
- 35g of Mexican seasoning (We used a mix of tasty taco seasoning & fajita seasoning which both work as well)
- 80ml apple cider vinegar (raw)
- 3tbs tomato purée
- 120g brown sugar
- 300ml beef stock
To sprinkle:
- 60g coriander chopped
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1 clove of grated garlic
- ⅛ tsp sea salt
To serve:
- Tortilla boats
- Mixed Salad
- Coriander sprinkle
- Mexicana Cheese / Cheddar Cheese ( Personal preference)
- Nachos, crushed if you want to use them to sprinkle
Method:
Step 1: Prepare the sauce
Add the tomato puree, Mexican seasoning, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar together in a bowl and mix well together.
Step 2: Slow cooker
Butter the base of the slow cooker, add your sliced onions to the bottom and add your 1kg of meat on top. Carefully cover the meat with the sauce you have just prepared and then add the beef stock around the edges of the beef (and NOT over the top of it). Set the slow cooker to low, and cook the meat for 8 hours. (If you do not have a slow cooker, you could cook the meat on low in the oven in a covered pot for 4 hours at around 160oC)
Once the meat is cooked remove from the slow cooker and pull apart with 2 forks. You can always add back to the sauce if you want, or use the sauce to spoon over the meat if you want to.
Before cooking…
After cooking…
Gently pull the steak with two forks…
And it’s done…
Step 3: Make the Fresh Coriander Sprinkle Topping
In a small bowl, combine 60g chopped coriander, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 1 finely grated garlic clove, and ⅛ teaspoon sea salt. This bright, fresh topping lifts the dish and balances the richness of the beef.
To serve:
We chose to serve ours as a family meal, using tortilla boats which we warmed for 30 seconds in the microwave. We then filled them with chopped mix salad and the warm, soft meat. We sprinkled with our coriander & lime mix, some grated Mexicana cheese and a big handful of extra coriander (because we love it). Some of us also added Jalapenos for an extra kick of spice too.
We went for some real authentic Mexico vibes and the adults enjoyed theirs with a crisp, cool, Corona & lime!
You can also use tacos, simple tortilla wraps or serve on top of a spicy rice bowl. There are lots of way to serve this meat (you could even make a pie from the leftovers)
We hope you enjoy this simple, but flavour packed family dish!
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