Brisket Tacos
Brisket tacos are the perfect way to use up your leftover brisket. Learn about making these tacos so that your brisket stays nice and moist.
🍽️ Recipe Name: Brisket Tacos
⏰ Ready In: 2 hours 2 minutes
⏳ Prep Time: 2 minutes
🔥 Cook Time: 2 hours
👥 Serves: 8
🥕 Main Ingredients: Beef brisket, onion, orange, cumin, cayenne pepper, beef broth, corn tortillas
🍳 Special Equipment: 4-quart slow cooker, chef’s knife
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: A simple, flavorful way to turn leftover brisket into juicy, tender tacos packed with smoky, savory flavor.
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
Tacos will never be the same after trying these brisket tacos. Spicy, flavorful, and delicious.
We use our leftover smoked beef brisket or venison brisket for this yummy addition to your dinner arsenal. They couldn’t be easier because you just throw the ingredients in your crockpot and let ‘er rip.
Why You’ll Love These Tacos
- Big flavor with little effort. Slow-cooked brisket turns into juicy, tender tacos packed with rich, beefy flavor.
- A smart way to use leftovers. Transform leftover brisket into a meal that tastes just as exciting as the first time around.
- Quick to put together. Once the brisket is ready, the tacos come together in minutes, making them perfect for busy weeknights.
- Easy to customize. Pile on your favorite toppings, swap cheeses, or add extra heat to make them your own.
- Budget-friendly. Stretch leftover brisket into several satisfying meals without sacrificing flavor.
- Perfect for feeding a crowd. Set up a taco bar with different toppings so everyone can build their own tacos.
- Family-approved. These tacos are a fun, hands-on meal that both kids and adults will happily dig into.
What You Need
You don’t need a ton of ingredients because the brisket is already seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic. I don’t even add salt or pepper until my final tasting before serving.
- Leftover brisket – beef or venison are both good.
- Onion
- Orange
- Ground cumin
- Ground cayenne pepper, ground chipotle, or chili powder
Optional Spices
If you didn’t put a flavorful rub on the brisket, you may want some more flavor in your tacos.
- Mexican oregano
- Coriander
- Paprika
- Bay leaves
- Adobo seasoning
How To Make Brisket Tacos
Add meat to slow cooker. Halve the onion. Quarter half of it and add it to the meat.
Halve the orange. Squeeze half of the orange over the meat. Add the rind too. Add spices.
Pour about a cup of beef broth or water into the crock pot.
Cook on low for a couple of hours until the meat is tender enough to pull with two forks. The time will depend on how large the pieces of brisket are and how much you cooked the brisket the first time.
Place the meat on a cutting board. Let it cool a bit. Pull with two forks. If you are doing beef brisket tacos, then remove some of the larger pieces of fat.
Mix the meat with the juices in the crock pot to keep it moist.
Serve with warm flour tortillas or corn tortillas.
Tips for Success
- Start with high-quality beef for the most flavorful, tender brisket tacos. Good marbling makes a noticeable difference after slow cooking.
- Let the brisket rest before slicing or shredding so the juices stay in the meat instead of on the cutting board.
- Warm your tortillas before serving to make them soft, flexible, and less likely to crack.
- Taste your toppings before assembling the tacos. A squeeze of fresh lime or a pinch of salt can brighten all the flavors.
- Save any leftover cooking juices and mix them back into the brisket when reheating to keep the meat moist and flavorful.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. For longer storage, vacuum pack servings and store in the freezer for about 6 months.
To reheat, warm the brisket gently in a covered skillet with a splash of broth or water, or microwave it in short intervals until heated through. This helps keep the meat moist and tender.
Use it to make enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas, sandwiches, and more.
The Best Toppings for Tacos
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Grated cheddar cheese or Jack cheese
- Cotija cheese
- Pickled or fresh sliced jalapeno
- Mexican creme or sour cream
- Chopped cilantro
- Pickled or fresh onion
- Pickled or fresh radish
- sliced avocado
- Black olives
- Your favorite salsa
- Hot sauce
- Spicy slaw
- Lime wedges
Tools That Make This Recipe Work
If you don’t already have these, this is where most people struggle.
- 7 Qt Crockpot – Cooks the brisket low and slow until it’s tender enough to shred. Without one, it takes much more attention to keep the meat juicy and prevent it from drying out.
- Tortilla Press – Makes evenly shaped tortillas that cook consistently. Skip it, and you’ll spend more time rolling dough with less uniform results.
- Reamer – Extracts every bit of juice from fresh limes without seeds. Without it, you’ll waste juice and miss out on the bright flavor that brings the tacos together.
- Chef’s Knife – Slices or chops the brisket cleanly for the best texture. A poor-quality knife can tear the meat instead of giving you neat, bite-sized pieces.
- Food Storage Containers – Keep leftover brisket fresh and make meal prep easy. Without airtight containers, the meat dries out faster and loses its flavor.
Use this press to make fresh corn or flour tortillas for taco night. Even pressure creates tortillas that cook evenly and hold fillings well.
This cooker makes it easy to prepare enough shredded beef for a crowd. The warm setting keeps the meat ready to serve until taco time.
Sides to Serve with Tacos
- Refried beans
- Guacamole
- Mexican rice
More Taco Recipes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Both corn and flour tortillas work well. Warm them before serving so they’re soft, pliable, and less likely to tear.
Yes. Prepare the brisket up to a few days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. Reheat it just before serving and assemble the tacos with fresh tortillas and toppings for the best flavor and texture.
Reheat the brisket gently with a splash of beef broth, water, or some of the reserved cooking juices. Cover the pan while reheating to help lock in moisture and keep the meat tender.
These easy brisket tacos are without a doubt one of our favorite meals.
Brisket tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef brisket
- ½ large onion
- ½ large orange
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder
- 1 cup beef broth
- 8 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Place leftover brisket in the crock pot.1 pound beef brisket
- Quarter the onion half. Add to crock pot.½ large onion
- Squeeze the juice of the orange onto meat and onion. Add the rind.½ large orange
- Add spices. Add about 1 cup of beef broth or water.1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder, 1 cup beef broth
- Cook on low for a couple hours, until meat is fork tender and can be pulled. (Timing is determined by how large your pieces are and how much you cooked the meat the first day.)
- Place meat on cutting board. Let it cool for a few minutes so that it is easier to handle. Pull with two forks.
- Add meat back to slow cooker and mix it with the juices.
- Heat tortillas on gas stove grate, in the microwave between sheet of damp paper towel or in a small frying pan with oil.8 corn tortillas
- Build taco with your preferred toppings.
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