Brisket Tacos

Storing and Planning Ahead

Keeps in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat gently in the juices.

Making Brisket Tacos

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Heat the oven to 160°C / 320°F. Rub the brisket with the chilli powder, cumin, oregano and salt and sear in the oil for 8 minutes.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

2. Set the brisket on the sliced onion and garlic in a heavy pot. Add the stock and lime juice, cover tightly and braise for 3 hours.

   Mark done

3. Shred the meat with two forks and return it to the juices for 10 minutes.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

4. Warm the tortillas and fill with the beef, chopped onion, coriander and lime wedges.

   Mark done

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

Worth Knowing

• Sear the meat well.
• Cover the pot tightly.
• If your oven runs hot, check at 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Soak the shredded meat in the juices.

Behind the Recipe

Autumn is the season for it, with the oven on and the house smelling of chilli and cumin. Brisket is a tough cut, and tacos are the best way to eat it: shredded, juicy, and piled into soft tortillas.

Rub the meat with the chilli powder, cumin, oregano and salt and sear it in a hot pan for 8 minutes. The crust that forms adds a roasted flavour that is hard to get in any other way. Set the brisket on the onion and garlic in a heavy pot and add the stock and lime juice. Cover tightly with foil under the lid. The steam must stay in the pot, or the meat dries out.

Braise at 160°C / 320°F for 3 hours, until a fork pulls the meat apart. Shred with two forks and return the meat to the juices for 10 minutes so that it soaks them up.

Warm the tortillas in a dry pan until pliable and pile the beef onto them with chopped onion, coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve with salsa and sliced radishes.

What to Put Next to It

Salsa · Sliced radishes · Refried beans · Cold lager

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Instant Pot Black Beans, One Pan Mexican Rice, Pan de Muerto.

Changing the Recipe

• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.