Slow-Cooker Braised Brisket (Machaca)

  3.7 – 34 reviews  • Slow-Cooker
Level: Easy
Total: 14 hr 15 min
Active: 15 min
Yield: About 10 cups

Ingredients

  1. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  2. 2 tablespoons Maggi sauce or 1 tablespoon soy sauce plus 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  3. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  4. 1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
  5. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  6. 1/2 cup olive oil
  7. One 3- to 4-pound beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 3 large pieces
  8. 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
  9. 1 1/2 cups diced onion (about 1 large)
  10. 1 cup beef broth
  11. 1 cup diced red bell pepper (about 1 large)
  12. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  13. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  14. 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced
  15. One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
  16. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  17. 1 1/2 pounds (about 3 1/2 cups) shredded Slow Cooker Braised Brisket, heated
  18. Eight 4-inch crisp corn tostada shells
  19. 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  20. 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and finely diced
  21. 1 cup fresh tomato salsa
  22. 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  23. 4 ounces crumbled queso fresco cheese (about 1 cup)
  24. Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

  1. For the marinade: Combine the Maggi sauce, lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, garlic and serranos in a medium-size bowl, season with salt and pepper. While whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil, Put the brisket pieces into a large food-safe plastic bag and pour the marinade over it, turning the meat to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
  2. Allow the meat to come to room temperature. Drain the meat and discard the marinade.
  3. For the brisket: Pour the oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the onions, broth, peppers, oregano, garlic, chiles, tomatoes and some salt and pepper. Mix well, and then nestle the meat into the liquid in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook the brisket on medium-high heat until the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork, about 5 hours.
  4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shred the meat into 2-inch-long pieces. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, stir to combine, and let stand until the meat is hot, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
  5. The warm braised meat can be used to fill burritos, tacos, tostadas or sandwiches. Leftover meat can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen in plastic freezer bags or containers for up to 1 month.
  6. For the tostadas: Spread about 1/3 cup of the warm meat over each of the crisp shells. Top each tostada with about 2 tablespoons lettuce, some diced avocado and 2 tablespoons salsa. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon crema over the top and garnish with crumbled queso fresco.
  7. Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 of 28 servings
Calories 339
Total Fat 27 g
Saturated Fat 9 g
Carbohydrates 7 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugar 2 g
Protein 17 g
Cholesterol 82 mg
Sodium 405 mg

Reviews

Jacqueline Ward
Love it
Denise Edwards
After reading some of the reviews, I was nervous about trying this recipe but so glad I did! I did use a chuck roast instead and because my slowcooker only has low and high settings I opted to put on low for 8 hours. Because I was worried about it being bland, I also used a healthy punch of salt in the mixture before I started cooking.
The meat was beautifully browned on the outside and fork tender on the inside. It is very flavorful, but that being said I really did have to add a fair amount of salt, and the recipe makes it sound optional or almost not needed. My only other note is that mine had quite a bit of liquid while hers looked a little more reduced, not sure if the high setting on a smaller time frame would give me a closer result or not. Think next time I might try the high setting or reducing the amount of liquid but this will be a dish I make again and again, absolutely love it!
Joseph Castro
I have literally re-watched the same ads 7 times and the actual video never loads. Sorry, I gave the recipe 3 stars because I couldn’t see the video.
Mary Leonard
So moist and delicious. So good.
Nicholas Chandler
Easy to follow instructions and came out perfect. Really nice for a special like Easter…or a nice weekend dinner at home. As always, thank you, Chef Marcela. The best!
Madison Ramos
Delicious! I followed recipe to the letter. Meat very tender and flavorful. It was swimming in liquid but I thought that was a bonus. Will definitely make it again.
Judy Martin
Made this for Mother’s Day dinner and it was delicious!! I cooked in my crockpot on high for 3 hours then low for 2 hours. There was still plenty of liquid so next time I will cook on high longer. The flavor was good however my family would’ve liked a little more spice so I may also add more Serrano chili’s next time.
Kevin Odonnell
I have made this recipe many times. It is always delicious. I use chuck roast, much cheaper. I do not have a slow cooker, I brown the meat in my large pot and simmer 2-3 hours. Skim the fat off before returning the meat to the cooking liquid. I use leftover to make burritos and freeze them . Yummy. Thank you Marcella.
Richard Marshall
I was a little disappointed with how underwhelming the flavor of the meat was after marinating it for 24 hours. It was also a little dry which is not what I expected for $31 worth of meat. After adding a ton of salt, Goya seasoning, and cumin I’m satisfied but will not use this recipe again.
Ana Davila
it was difficult to concentrate during church knowing the brisket was marinating from the night before; my slow cooker only has “low” and “high” settings so I did “high” for 3.5 hours and then let it sit on “warm” for about 30-45 minutes; we ate it as soft tacos that night; my teens (picky eaters) really enjoyed it!  I really like the tomato flavor; will try it with chicken next time; highly recommended

 

Leave a Comment