How to make slow cooker chipotle beef (video)

Kate Elliott

Contributing Writer

Chipotle peppers are one of my favorite ingredients to put a little heat on the table, and flank steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat to throw in the slow cooker. When they come together as in the recipe below, it makes for one spicy meal. And the beef is so fall-apart tender you won't be able to take it out of the cooker all in one piece. But that's okay. It helps the beef soak up all that great sauce.

Speaking of that sauce: Many simply cook the meat and peppers together and shred it into tacos when all's said and done. That's a good way to go, but you can also add a bit of cornstarch to the sauce and serve it on its own with your favorite rice or potato dish.

Cooktop Cove

Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef

5 minutes

7 hours, 5 minutes

7 hours, 10 minutes

1 3-pound flank steak, scored

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 canned chipotle peppers, with 1 tablespoon of extra adobo sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Generously season the flank steak on both sides with salt and place in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add chipotle peppers with adobo sauce and beef broth.

Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and whisk into the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 7 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

Remove the flank steak from the cooker. Return the lid to keep the sauce warm.

Using two forks, shred the flank steak and return pieces to the slow cooker. Mix to combine meat with the sauce that has formed. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Note: All slow cookers are a little bit different in temperature and calibration. This recipe was tested in Cooktop Cove's Test Kitchen using this slow cooker, which is available for purchase here.

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