Recipe

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Make these street tacos in the slow cooker with minimal effort and enjoy perfectly juicy and tender beef rib tacos any night of the week!

Using boneless beef ribs yields tender meat that pulls apart easily to fill those small street-sized tortillas we all love so much!

two street tacos next to a little bowl of pico de gallo

What are Street Tacos?

Street tacos get their name from their distinct smaller tortilla. They are most often sold in small taquerias or from a taco food truck, where these smaller tortillas are made of corn and are often handmade.

They are made out of beef or chicken and are as authentic Mexican tacos as they get. The recipe below are made of beef and cooked in the slow cooker so you can enjoy that soft, tender meat filling inside a taco.

Unlike the standard American taco, which comes in a crunchy shell with ground beef, street tacos are served in small corn tortillas filled with seasoned and grilled smoked chicken, pork, or carne asada; then they’re topped with lime and a sprinkle of cheese.

You can find these smaller, street-taco-sized tortillas in nearly all grocery stores in the US or make your own corn tortillas at home.

two street tacos next to a little bowl of pico de gallo and lime wedges

Authentic Mexican Street Taco Recipe

These street tacos are just like the ones I enjoyed when visiting Mexico City while creating recipes for the Taco Tuesday Cookbook. You’ll find these on page 111 in the cookbook called Food Truck tacos.

The key to making authentic tacos at home is using similar cuts of beef and cooking it in a very similar method. For this recipe, I chose boneless short ribs, often sold as country beef ribs in US groceries, because they’re most similar to what they use in Mexico. They aren’t eating steak if that’s what you’re seeking.

Plus, using the convenience of the slow cooker to cook the beef ribs for a long period of time on low heat yields incredibly juicy and tender beef to fill your tacos.

Street Taco Recipe Ingredients

Other than the tender beef and serving them in those smaller tortillas, the final ingredient that makes these authentic street tacos is the chipotle peppers in adobo! Here is what you’ll need:

Vegetable oil: for browning the ribs
Beef ribs: boneless and fat-trimmed.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: a must for many taco recipes! If you can’t find it, use enchilada sauce instead.
Water: for thinning the sauce a little.
Barbecue sauce: store-bought or homemade, your favorite.
Limes: for the sauce and for serving.
Apple cider vinegar: adds a tangy note to the sauce.
Garlic cloves: adds delicious taste!
Ground cumin: for a slightly smoky flavor.
Salt: to enhance all the other flavors.
White onion: both for cooking and for serving.
Corn tortillas: street tacos call for corn tortillas, whether store-bought or made at home.
Toppings: Pico de gallo, avocados, sour cream, chopped fresh cilantro, or your favorites!

You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below.

What kind of tortillas are used for Street Tacos?

That crispy taco shell and flour tortillas are an American thing; and while they are delicious, traditional street tacos are served on corn tortillas.

Street tacos corn tortillas are also smaller than standard American style tortillas, which means smaller portions and more servings…. more tacos = more happiness.

Moral of this story, you can’t go wrong with street tacos.

What is street taco meat made of?

Street tacos tend to be filled with very simple meat that has been cooked for long periods of time and are very juicy. They can be made with chicken, beef, pork, chorizo, steak, and more. This recipe uses beef ribs, an affordable cut of beef that yields incredibly flavorful and delicious taco meat filling.

How to Make Street Tacos at Home

The sauce gives these beef rib street tacos incredible flavor and it comes together in the blender in a single step. After that, it’s a matter of adding the meat in the slow cooker and letting it cook! Here is how:

Brown the ribs
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the ribs in batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the browned ribs to the slow cooker. An optional step that’s recommended.
Make the sauce
In a blender, blend the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, water, barbecue sauce, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, and salt until smooth.
Combine
Pour the thick sauce over the ribs. Reserve one-quarter of the chopped onion and put the rest in the slow cooker.
Cook
Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 10 hours, or until the meat easily separates between two forks. You should know that the longer you cook the meat on low heat, the more tender the meat will be.
Shred
In the last couple of hours, use tongs to flip the ribs and distribute the sauce on top of the ribs. When the meat is done, break it up into smaller pieces with two forks.
Assemble the tacos!
To assemble the tacos, start with a base of meat on each tortilla, top with some of the reserved chopped raw onion, pico de gallo, sliced avocados, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve with grated cheese and lime wedges on the side if you desire.

See the magic happening in this video:

What to Serve with Street Tacos

If you thought this was a taco night for the books, wait, because epic sides are joining the party! My favorite? Corn on the cob easily baked in the oven. This Mexican Cauliflower Rice and this Southwest Quinoa Salad are other terrific sides packed with veggies, flavor, and nutrition. Yummy!

Loving this Street Taco recipe?! The Taco Tuesday Cookbook has 51 taco essential dishes you and your family will rave about!

Street Tacos in the Slow Cooker

Servings: 8

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 6

Make these street tacos in the slow cooker with minimal effort and enjoy perfectly juicy and tender beef rib tacos any night of the week!

5 from 11 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

For the tacos:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless country-style beef ribs, fat trimmed
4 ounce can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
½ cup water
⅓ cup barbecue sauce
3 limes, 2 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 large white onion, finely chopped, divided

For serving:

8-12 corn or flour tortillas street taco sized or regular, warmed
Pico de Gallo
2 avocados, sliced
Sour Cream
Chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Brown the ribs:

An optional step I highly recommend. It can be done directly inside the slow cooker or multicooker if you have that function. If not, brown them in a large skillet by heating heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the ribs in batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the browned ribs to the slow cooker.

Cook:

In a blender, blend the chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, water, barbecue sauce, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, and salt until smooth. Pour the thick sauce over the ribs. Reserve one-quarter of the chopped onion and put the rest in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 10 hours, or until the meat easily separates between two forks.
In the last couple of hours, use tongs to flip the ribs and distribute the sauce on top of the ribs. When the meat is done, break it up into smaller pieces with two forks.

Assemble the tacos:

To assemble the tacos, start with a base of meat on each tortilla, top with some of the reserved chopped raw onion, pico de gallo, sliced avocados, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve with grated cheese and lime wedges on the side if you desire.