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    Margarita Beef

    April 22, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    This margarita beef recipe takes its inspiration from one of our favorite classic cocktails!! Juicy beef simmered in citrus juice and tequila is so much better than you can even imagine!

    Margarita Beef tacos served in warm corn tortillas, topped with vibrant avocado salsa.
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    This citrus-y, juicy cousin of Carnitas and Barbacoa Beef is one of our new favorite Sunday dinners. Sure, it takes a few hours to cook (unless you opt for them Instant Pot method, that is) but this fall-apart delicious margarita beef recipe is worth every minute. Inspired by our favorite Mexican cocktail, our recipe includes tequila (though you can skip if you don’t do alcohol), and lots of fresh orange and lime juice. Did you know that citrus juice can enhance flavor in a similar way to salt? Well, this recipe harnesses citrus’s flavor-boosting power as well as it’s unique ability to tenderize meat to make the best darn beef dinner ever. With the Mexican flavors, we like to make it into little tacos, but you might want to just eat it straight out of the pan (or slow cooker, or Instant Pot!). 

    ingredients laid out for Margarita Beef: raw beef, lime and orange juices, olive oil, tequila, salt and pepper

    Main Ingredients

    Scroll down for the full recipe with measurements below.

    • The Beef. You want a chuck roast. Chuck roast is marbled with fat, and turns gorgeously fall-apart tender with a long braise. If you’ve made pot roast, you’ve basically made this recipe! So you know what to do, right? Get the chuck roast, trim the fat, and cube it! Or, ask the butcher nicely to do it for you (they often will if they aren’t busy).
    • Tequila. Just like with a Margarita cocktail, you want to use blanco tequila. We’re not saying you have to make margaritas to enjoy with the Margarita beef, but you sure could! If you don’t want tequila in the house, it’s fine to substitute beef stock for the tequila.
    • Citrus: You’ll need 2 oranges and 3 limes. You can already taste how good this beef will be, right?
    raw chuck roast on a sheet pan, cut into 3 inch pieces being seasoned with salt and pepper
    3 inch pieces of chuck roast seasoned with salt and pepper being browned in a pan
    orange juice, lime juice and tequila being poured in a baking dish with browned beef
    margarita beef being shred with two forks

    How To Make Margarita Beef, Step-By-Step

    1. Brown the beef.
    2. Place beef in your cooking vessel of choice (slow-cooker, Instant Pot or Dutch Oven) and pour in the juices and tequila.
    3. Let it braise! It’ll take about 2½ hours on the stove top, 4-8 hours in a slow cooker (depending on your heat setting), and 40 minutes in the Instant Pot.
    4. Shred the meat and broil it so that it gets gorgeously crispy! Think Carnitas-level crisp-juicy beef.
    5. Eat up! (See the full recipe below for detailed instructions.)
    shredded Margarita Beef, browned and slightly crispy from the broiler.
    Avocado salsa being prepared with fresh ingredients in a bowl—avocado, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, salt & lime juice

    Avocado Salsa Topping

    Our favorite way to eat this margarita beef is in tacos! We load the beef into corn tortillas, and top it off with tons of fresh avocado salsa! To make avocado salsa, all you do is toss cilantro, onion, and jalapeños with diced avocados. Spoon that over your margarita beef tacos and dig in! 

    shredded Margarita Beef, browned and slightly crispy from the broiler.

    How To Store + Freeze

    A roast like this is so handy for Sunday meal prepping. It takes time but you’ll probably have leftovers, and they keep really well. The flavors even get a little better as it sits. Store any leftover beef refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days. Or, if you want to, you can pop them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months.

    Margarita Beef tacos served in warm corn tortillas, topped with vibrant avocado salsa.

    Even More Show-Stopping Taco Ideas

    Need Sunday Supper Ideas? May We Suggest….

    For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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    Margarita Beef Recipe

    Published April 22, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  8
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  3 hrs
    • Calories:  437
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    Ingredients

    • 1 (3-pound) chuck roast, fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch pieces
    • 2 tablespoons plus ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • ½ cup tequila blanco
    • ½ cup fresh orange juice, (from 2 oranges)
    • ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, (from 3 limes)
    • 2 large avocados, diced
    • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
    • ⅓ red onion, finely chopped
    • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
    • 16 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position.

      ingredients laid out for Margarita Beef: raw beef, lime and orange juices, olive oil, tequila, salt and pepper

    2. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all over with 2 tablespoons of the salt and pepper. 

      raw chuck roast on a sheet pan, cut into 3 inch pieces being seasoned with salt and pepper

    3. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil just begins to smoke, working in batches, add the meat and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to a 9x13-inch baking dish, then pour over the tequila, orange juice, and ¼ cup of the lime juice. Cover with foil and bake for 2½ hours, or until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork. 

      3 inch pieces of chuck roast seasoned with salt and pepper being browned in a pan

    4. Use two forks, shred the beef into 1-inch pieces in the baking dish. Toss with the collected juices. Turn on the broiler. Broil the shredded meat until the edges are crispy and caramelized, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and toss the meat. Broil for 5 more minutes, or until crispy on top.

      margarita beef being shred with two forks

    5. In a medium bowl, toss the avocado with remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. 

      Avocado salsa being prepared with fresh ingredients in a bowl—avocado, cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, salt & lime juice

    6. To serve, divide the beef evenly among the tortillas and top with the avocado salsa. 

      Margarita Beef tacos served in warm corn tortillas, topped with vibrant avocado salsa.

    7. Store any leftover beef refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

      shredded Margarita Beef, browned and slightly crispy from the broiler.

    Notes

    To Make in a Slow Cooker: 

    1. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all over with 2 tablespoons of the salt and pepper.
    2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil just begins to smoke, working in batches, add the meat and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a slow cooker, then pour over the tequila, orange juice, and ¼ cup of the lime juice. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
    3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a 9x13-inch baking dish or rimmed sheet pan, reserve the liquid in the slow cooker. Use two forks, shred the beef into 1-inch pieces in the baking dish. Toss with the reserved juices. 
    4. Turn on the broiler. Broil the shredded meat until the edges are crispy and caramelized, about 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and toss the meat. Broil for 5 more minutes, or until crispy on top.
    5. In a medium bowl, toss the avocado with remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. 
    6. To serve, divide the beef evenly among the tortillas and top with the avocado salsa. 
    7. Store any leftover beef refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

     

    To Make in an Instant Pot:  

    1. Pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season all over with 2 tablespoons of the salt and pepper.
    2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil just begins to smoke, working in batches, add the meat and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer to an Instant Pot, then pour over the tequila, orange juice, and ¼ cup of the lime juice.
    3. Lock the lid in place, be sure to close the vent valve, and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure if needed.
    4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a 9x13-inch baking dish or rimmed sheet pan, reserve the liquid in the instant pot. Discard any large pieces of fat, then use two forks to shred the beef into 1-inch pieces. Generously brush the meat with the reserved liquid.
    5. Turn on the broiler. Broil the shredded meat until the edges are crispy and caramelized, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the baking dish from the oven and toss the meat. Broil for 5 more minutes, or until crispy on top.
    6. In a medium bowl, toss the avocado with remaining 3 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro, onion, jalapeño, and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. 
    7. To serve, divide the beef evenly among the tortillas and top with the avocado salsa. 
    8. Store any leftover beef refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 437
    • Protein 38 g
    • Carbohydrates 26 g
    • Total Fat 21 g
    • Dietary Fiber 6 g
    • Cholesterol 117 mg
    • Sodium 1082 mg
    • Total Sugars 4 g

    Margarita Beef

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