We aren’t talking about the fast-casual food chain, but true chipotle shredded beef tacos, slow-smoked and braised until fork-tender and falling apart. Simple ingredients and a homemade smoky chipotle rub create the base flavor for this amazing shredded beef taco recipe, but topped with a hearty pineapple pico de gallo, these tacos rise to a level of savory deliciousness that’ll have you breaking out the smoker on a weekly basis! Follow the tips below for the best possible tender shredded beef and get ready to get your Taco Tuesday dinner on!

Break Out That Smoker

For years, I never thought I needed a smoker. I broke out my regular ol’ charcoal grill, threw in some mesquite chips, and smoked meats that way.

Sure, most of the time the meat turned out great. But in truth, it never really brought the level of flavor and tenderness that I would find in my favorite meals from my favorite smokehouses.

Once I finally got a pellet grill and learned how to use it (hit up my Instagram Stories Highlights to see it in action), I will never go back to charcoal grill smoking.

For this recipe, I truly implore you to use a smoker, to get that deep smoky flavor, and to infuse the meat with a slow-cooked goodness you’ll never replicate on a standard grill.

How To Make Chipotle Shredded Beef

The majority of ingredients belong to the rub itself, which lends the meat a deep, smoky spice. We start by coating the beef chuck roast with adobo sauce, and then add the spice mixture:

ancho chili powder
cumin
smoked paprika
chili powder
cinnamon
salt
pepper

From there, the meat gets smoked at 180 degrees for roughly 3 hours for 2.5 lbs. of chuck roast.

How To Braise In A Smoker

A common misconception is that the only thing you can do on a grill or smoker is cook food directly on the grates.

Not true!

Since you can braise meat on the stove or in the oven, you can absolutely do it within a smoker. Make sure you are using a Dutch oven with an oven-proof lid, because even in a smoker, it needs to be able to handle the heat.

I used my Le Creuset 5.5qt Dutch oven, which fit the roast and all the remaining ingredients easily:

garlic cloves
yellow onion
chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
canned crushed tomatoes

In general, braising involves searing large portions of meat at high heat before placing in a container partially covered in liquid and slow-cooking for several hours. Since we’re looking for a deep smoky flavor, we aren’t searing the meat at all, but letting it develop a dark, rich crust from smoking at a low temperature for several hours first. Then, we turn the heat up to 275 degrees and pop our pot right inside the smoker and treating it like the perfect outdoor oven.

Hallelujah for not heating up the house in summer, right?!

How To Make Pineapple Pico De Gallo

The number one rule to making a perfect pico of any variety is simple:

all things in equal parts

Suuuuuuuper easy.

So for this particular pico, you need equal parts:

pineapple
tomato
white onion
cilantro

Once you’ve combined those, you give the whole mix a splash of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt and voila! Perfect pineapple pico!