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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:
Nicole Hunn says
This looks awesome, Leigh Anne. Naturally gluten free, too!
Leigh Anne says
Nicole, It’s always a bonus when a recipe is naturally gluten free when you a GF family member! I can totally relate!
TidyMom says
my family will love this!! thanks for sharing the recipe
Leigh Anne says
Thanks Cheryl! Hope your family loves it too.
Desiree @THE36THAVENUE says
WOW! I can’t wait to try this recipe… It looks so good!
Leigh Anne says
Thanks Desi – hope you love it too!
Kelly Dixon says
Adding this to the crock pot list this week! Thank you for the inspiration (we were getting tired of our same old recipes).
Leigh Anne says
Kelly, It’s always nice to add something new into the rotation. Hope your family enjoys it as much as we did
Kim says
That sounds delicious Leigh Anne! I’m putting this on the menu!
Leigh Anne says
It’s a good one Kim! Enjoy!