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Beef Tinga is a traditional Mexican dish made with chipotle chiles and tomatoes for amazing flavor. Serve in tacos or by itself.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Beef Tinga is a recipe I love to make when I haven’t been to the grocery store in a while. It uses some staples that I always have on hand. I always keep a pot roast in the freezer for dinner emergencies and canned tomatoes and peppers are a pantry staple at our house.
Tinga is traditionally made with chicken, but works great with beef. It is a combination of shredded meat in a sauce of tomatoes, chipotle peppers and onion. It can be served in tacos, burritos, enchiladas or by itself with rice and beans.
Ingredients
- Meat. I used a boneless beef chuck roast. You will also need some Mexican chorizo sausage without the casing.
- Oil. Canola or vegetable oil
- Onion. Chopped or diced
- Garlic. Fresh is best but you could also use garlic powder
- Diced Tomatoes. I used canned but you could dice up some fresh tomatoes.
- Chipotle Chile Peppers in Adobo Sauce. These come in a can and can be found in the Mexican aisle.
- Seasoning. Salt, pepper, oregano and cumin
How to Make Beef Tinga
- Salt and pepper beef.
- Pour oil into a heavy pan or a large dutch oven. Heat over medium high heat.
- Add meat and sear or brown on each side.
- Add in enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and then simmer, partially covered for about 1 hour or until meat is tender.
- Remove meat from liquid and reserve 1 1/2 cups of liquid. C
- Slice or shred meat into small pieces.
- In the same pan, cook the sausage, onion and garlic until browned.
- Drain sausage on paper towel or place in colander and run water over it to remove the grease.
- Add drained sausage and beef back into pan.
- Pour in reserved liquid, tomatoes, chipotle chiles, oregano and cumin.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Salt and pepper meat to taste.
Pair Beef Tinga with:
- Garnish with sliced jalapenos, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, sliced radishes, queso fresco or sliced red onion.
- Corn Tortilla
- Mexican Rice
- Mexican Coleslaw
- Lime Cilantro Rice
- Cafe Rio Black Beans
- Mexican Caesar Salad
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Refried Beans
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make beef tinga less spicy?
You can control the heat by the amount of chipotle pepper you put in. I used 1 1/2 peppers and scraped as many seeds as I could out of the inside of the pepper as that is what adds the heat. Just use a teaspoon or so of the sauce to get the smoky flavor, without the heat.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
To make beef tinga in a slow cooker, sear or brown the meat first in a frying pan using the directions below. Cook the sausage. Then add all ingredients into the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.
What other meat can I use for beef tinga?
A top round roast, bottom round roast or a tri tip roast can be used in place of the chuck roast.
Try these other delicious Mexican inspired dishes:
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Beef Tinga
Ingredients
- 2 lb. chuck roast
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
- 8 oz. chorizo sausage no casings
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tsp fresh garlic minced
- 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (canned) Seed and dice pepper (you will have leftover peppers)
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
Instructions
- Salt and pepper beef and add oil to a heavy pan or dutch oven. Heat over medium high heat.
- Add meat and sear or brown on each side.
- Add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil and then simmer, partially covered for about 1 hour or until meat is tender.
- Remove from liquid but reserve 1 1/2 cups. Cool meat until you are able to slice it into small, thin pieces.
- In the same pan cook the sausage, onion and garlic until browned.
- Drain sausage on paper towel or place in collander and run water over it to remove the grease.
- Add drained sausage and beef back into pan.
- Add reserved liquid, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, oregano and cumin.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Serve on tortillas with sliced jalapenos and red onion. Can also be served with rice.
Tips & Notes:
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Nutrition Facts:
Amy Anderson says
Oh my – my family would love this. This looks delicious!
Leigh Anne says
Thanks Amy – it’s a family favorite at our house.