Mexican Mole-Style Shredded Beef Tacos


 
Mark Barton

Mark Barton

TVWBB Super Fan
Hi Everyone!

Drove by a really good hole-in-the-wall taco shop, and it got me to thinking about shredded beef tacos! I used the instructions found at TVWB for Shredded Barbecued Beef to cook the meat.

I bought a 6 lb. package of choice beef chuck roast at Costco. Since this was for Tacos, the meat needed a spicy Mexican rub. After spending too much time researching different rub recipes and not finding anything that grabbed me, I gave up and decided to experiment. I created a Mexican Black Mole-style rub (recipe is posted here, if anyone is interested). Luckily it's easy to find all the different kinds of chiles here in Arizona.

Here are some of the dried chiles getting ready to be run through the spice grinder. From left to right: Chile Negro, Guajillo, and Ancho. I also used dried New Mexico Chiles and one brown Chipotle, but I had already ground them up before thinking about a photo.
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The chuck roasts, each cut in half and with a good amount of rub. Has an interesting ruddy look because of the cocoa powder in the rub. The pan is scrunched to fit in my 18.5.
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The meat is done! Shredding has commenced...
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All pulled and shredded.
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Mmm. Shredded beef Tacos!
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Looks really good! At what temp is the chuck roast typically smoked enough to pull? Pretty close to brisket temps? 190-203 degrees ish?
 
Just had brisket tacos Wednesday night. I cut 3/4" thick slices from the flat and then shred into into smallish chunks, heat it up with some Franklin Espresso sauce, a touch of hot sauce, then onto a fresh flour tortilla with some cheese and guacamole. Smoky Tex Mex goodness.

I've never smoked a chuck roast, but it should be good. Since it's a bit more tender than a brisket to begin with, how long -- and at what temp -- did you smoke it before it got to pulling tenderness?
 
DBWallis said:
Yummy! Looking for ideas for something like this for Sunday, so recipe please!
Click to expand...

David, I posted the complete recipe in the recipe forum.

Here are the basics:

4 parts kosher salt
3 parts paprika
3 parts cocoa powder
2 parts ground ancho chile (sometimes labeled, "pasilla')
2 parts ground guajillo chile
2 parts ground chile negro (sometimes labeled, "black chile" or "pasilla negro")
2 parts ground New Mexico chile
2 parts ground cumin
1 part white sugar
1 part garlic powder, granulated type is preferred
1 part onion powder
1 part dry oregano, crushed
1 part ground thyme
1 part cinnamon
1/2 part ground clove
 
Tommy B said:
Looks really good! At what temp is the chuck roast typically smoked enough to pull? Pretty close to brisket temps? 190-203 degrees ish?
Click to expand...

Hi Tommy. In this cook, the beef was pulled at 196 degrees F. With chuck roast, I am finding that it's really about the "fork test." If it comes apart easily with a fork, then it's done. That being said, I normally start checking when it hits about 190. The last chuck roast I did was not ready until it hit 201.
 
J Hasselberger said:
I've never smoked a chuck roast, but it should be good. Since it's a bit more tender than a brisket to begin with, how long -- and at what temp -- did you smoke it before it got to pulling tenderness?
Click to expand...

Hi J. This chuck roast was on the thinner side, so it was ready to come off at 196. I cooked it at ~250 degrees for just over 6 hours. I foiled the pan after 3 hours, and it took another 3 to get tender enough to fall apart with a fork.
 
Mark Barton said:
David, I posted the complete recipe in the recipe forum.

Here are the basics:

4 parts kosher salt
3 parts paprika
3 parts cocoa powder
2 parts ground ancho chile (sometimes labeled, "pasilla')
2 parts ground guajillo chile
2 parts ground chile negro (sometimes labeled, "black chile" or "pasilla negro")
2 parts ground New Mexico chile
2 parts ground cumin
1 part white sugar
1 part garlic powder, granulated type is preferred
1 part onion powder
1 part dry oregano, crushed
1 part ground thyme
1 part cinnamon
1/2 part ground clove
Click to expand...

Thanks Matk, that sounds amazing!
 
Mark Barton said:
Hi Tommy. In this cook, the beef was pulled at 196 degrees F. With chuck roast, I am finding that it's really about the "fork test." If it comes apart easily with a fork, then it's done. That being said, I normally start checking when it hits about 190. The last chuck roast I did was not ready until it hit 201.
Click to expand...

Regarding the Fork Test, Larry Wolfe made it click for me - he said that it was ready when you could stick a fork in it and twirl it like spaghetti.

Those tacos look great too! I think I might like a little more mole sauce on them if I made them because that's what I'm used to, but I sure wouldn't modify those if you served them to me.
 
Mark Barton said:
Hi Tommy. In this cook, the beef was pulled at 196 degrees F. With chuck roast, I am finding that it's really about the "fork test." If it comes apart easily with a fork, then it's done. That being said, I normally start checking when it hits about 190. The last chuck roast I did was not ready until it hit 201.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I think you are right, Its all about the fork test!
 
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