Beef fajitas are a favorite meal in our house. This recipe cooks up all day in the slow cooker. The results are tender and flavorful, and can be served in a variety of ways. This recipe easily makes enough to feed a crowd, or you could freeze some for future easy meals.
Slow Cooker Beef Fajitas
Serves 10
4 to 4.5 pound beef roast and/or sirloin steak, preferably grassfed (it's okay if this is frozen when you start the meal)
2 medium white onions, chopped
Juice from 2 medium limes
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 Tb dried cumin
~ 5 sprigs fresh thyme
celtic sea salt and freshly ground pepper
7 cloves garlic, sliced
12 ounces white or brown mushrooms, sliced
2 medium red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (but NOT green), chopped
Additional 1/2 tsp oregano and 1 tsp cumin
Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole* or avocado chunks, salsa
Place the chopped onions over the bottom of a large slow cooker. Put the meat on top of the onions.
Season with the lime juice, 3/4 tsp oregano, 1 Tb cumin, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. My general rule of thumb is to start with 1 tsp salt for every pound of meat.
Sprinkle the sliced garlic over the top. Then put a lid on the pot and cook for 4-6 hours on LOW if your meat was fully thawed, or on HIGH if your meat was frozen.
About 2-3 hours before mealtime, flip the meat. Then add the sliced mushrooms and chopped bell peppers, and nestle them down into the pot. Sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper, and continue to cook on HIGH. (If you will be away from home all day, you could skip flipping the meat, and add in the mushrooms/bell peppers in the morning with everything else. I would leave the veggies a bit larger if they will be cooking all day.)
About 30-60 minutes before mealtime, pull the meat out onto a cutting board. Shred the meat with a fork, or slice it thinly across the grain. Remove and discard any chewy bits or gristle. Return the meat to the pot and nestle it down into the juices.
Taste the liquid in the pot and add more salt and pepper as needed. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp oregano and 1 tsp cumin, and fold it all together. Then turn the heat down to WARM (or turn the pot off entirely) and let it hang out for 30-60 minutes. This will allow the meat to become succulent and juicy.
Use a slotted spoon to serve up the fajita meat, allowing any excess liquid to drain back into the pot.
The fajita meat can be served in a variety of ways: in grain-free tortillas, in corn or flour tortillas, in a bowl, over fried potatoes, or over a bed of lettuce for a salad. Whichever way you choose, make sure to garnish it with plenty of cheese, sour cream, guacamole/avocado chunks, and salsa.
*I make a very simple guacamole by mashing together avocado with salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a dash of onion powder, a small minced clove of garlic, and a dab of sour cream. Tasty!
This post is part of Weekend Potluck!
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Here are comments from when this recipe was originally published on my old blog.