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Our Slow Cooker Carne Picada recipe will become one of your favorite weeknight meals! It is so incredibly tasty and easy to prepare using your slow cooker.
Carne picada meat is perfect for using in easy weeknight dinners like burrito bowls, tacos, or simply served over white rice. With just 15 minutes of prep, simple ingredients, and 3 easy steps, you can have a perfect dinner.
Jump to:
- Best Carne Picada Recipe
- What is carne picada?
- Is carne picada the same as ground beef?
- What kind of meat is used for carne picada?
- How to Cook Carne Picada
- Recipe Tips
- Storing Carne Picada Leftovers
- Recipes with Carne Picada
- What to Serve with Spicy Carne Picada
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Best Carne Picada Recipe
I guarantee you are going to love this recipe for beef carne picada. It is melt-in-your-mouth delicious and as easy as can be to make. The first time I made this recipe, you should have seen the look on my family’s faces! Instant obsession. I get asked to make this beef picada recipe almost weekly.
One of my favorite times to make this carne picada slow cooker recipe is for my kids’ birthdays. They all love it, and because it’s so easy and cooks all in the crockpot, it saves me time to make the rest of their day extra special.
It’s a perfect celebration dinner because you can make it ahead of time and serve it with everything from rice to a taco bar (my favorite!).
What is carne picada?
In Spanish, carne means “meat”, and picada means “chopped”. Typically, packages of beef picada meat at the market are sold as small pieces of beef, either cut into thin slices or cubes.
Some also refer to this cut of beef as Carne Picado, which means “bitten”, Carne Molida (“ground”), or Carne Moída (“minced”). You may even hear people refer to it simply as minced meat.
There is also carne guisada, which is a beef stew.
Is carne picada the same as ground beef?
Carne Picada is different from ground beef in that it is a much thicker chopped beef. It is a cut in between ground beef and chopped beef. It is perfect for quick and easy meals because it cooks very fast while still retaining a bite to it.
What kind of meat is used for carne picada?
We use bottom round roast as it becomes perfectly tender when you cook it in the crockpot.
You can generally find cubed bottom round roast to use for this recipe, or can ask your butcher to cut it for you. You can also easily prepare your own carne picada meat at home. Simply cut a bottom round roast into ½-inch cubes.
Carne picada is a tender crockpot stew, full of slow cooker minced meat that cooks down with the most delicious natural beef gravy thanks to the fire-roasted tomatoes.
If you cook for 5 hours instead of 3, you could also use chuck roast, which is one of our favorite cuts of beef because it’s inexpensive and so tender when braised low and slow!
How to Cook Carne Picada
- Dry bottom round roast cut into ½-inch cubes by patting with paper towels. Combine all-purpose flour, paprika, salt and pepper, and garlic powder in a bowl, and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sear beef over medium-high heat in batches until all pieces are browned. Transfer the seared beef to your slow cooker.
- Stir in the flour seasoning blend and fire-roasted tomatoes, then place the lid on your slow cooker and cook for 3 hours on high.
Garnish with fresh cilantro (optional), and enjoy!
For full ingredient measurements and helpful tips, keep scrolling to the recipe card below!
Recipe Tips
My favorite part about this carne picada crockpot recipe is that it’s really so easy to make. But, I have a few tips for you that will give you the best results every time!
- Sear the beef first for the best flavor – don’t skip this step! The beef sears quickly and easily since it’s cut into chunks, and that extra sear makes a big difference.
- If you have time to spare, cook your carne picada beef for longer. Cook on low until very tender, about 5 hours. This will give you the most tender crockpot dinner.
- I always recommend using Certified Angus Beef® brand beef to maximize flavor and tenderness.
- If you’re a busy mom like me, make slow cooker carne picada beef on the weekends along with a batch of Portuguese rice or pasta. Then you can simply heat, assemble, and enjoy on those busy nights when cooking something fresh isn’t possible.
Storing Carne Picada Leftovers
Store your leftover carne picada meat, or your make ahead meals, in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I like to keep mine separate from anything I’m serving it with, like rice or pasta.
Recipes with Carne Picada
The possibilities for what you can make with crockpot carne picada are endless. Our recipe is full of delicious Mexican flavors that are perfect for making so many delicious meals.
- Mexican Pizza Beef Flatbread
- Carne Picada Tacos
- Carne Picada Fajitas
- Carne Picada Beef Rice Bowls
- Carne Picada Breakfast Tacos
The whole family will gobble these easy recipes up and ask for more! Trust me – mine does every time!
What to Serve with Spicy Carne Picada
End your meal with a delicious Mexican dessert recipe, like Caramel Apple Empanadas, Carlota de Limon, or Fresas con Crema (Mexican Strawberries and Cream).
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📋 Recipe
Slow Cooker Carne Picada
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Bottom round roast cut in ½-inch cubes
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes 14.5 oz.
Instructions
- Cube (if necessary) and dry the beef by patting with paper towels. Combine flour, paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in heavy-bottom pan. Sear beef over medium-high heat in batches until browned. Transfer seared beef to slow cooker.
- Stir in reserved flour blend and the fire roasted tomatoes.
- Cook for 3 hours on high. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- It’s important to sear the beef for best flavor, so don’t skip that step. The beef sears quickly and easily as it is already cut into small chunks.
- Want a longer cook time? Cook the beef on low until very tender, about 5 hours.
- We always recommend using Certified Angus Beef® brand beef to maximize flavor and tenderness.
- If you prefer a milder flavor, use regular canned diced tomatoes.
- If you want more sauce to top over rice or pasta, use 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes. If you want a drier beef for tacos, use 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes.
therusticfoodie says
This looks delicious – Super easy and flavorful!
Laura says
I fixed this last night for my Grandchildren, they loved it🤗 I used Ribeye Roast in the crock pot & shredded it with 2 cans of fire roasted tomatoes & the flour & spices, it turned out really good, my Hubby loved it
💙I’lldefinitelymakeit againsometime , I’ve never used Fire Roasted Tomatoes before, they’re my favorite now👍
Em Beitel says
That is awesome! Thanks so much for letting us know, Laura! We’re so glad you all loved it!
Liz says
Made this last night with some modifications. It was a big hit. I added a large onion, 5 large cloves of garlic and doubled the spices. Next time I’ll add at least one pepper because it needs some heat.
Em Beitel says
That sounds wonderful, Liz! Thank you so much for your comment!
Dorothy Divis says
I’m making this tonight. I love fire roasted tomatoes but I’m out so I won’t be using them.
Em Beitel says
We hope you enjoy it, Dorothy! This is one of our favorites. It will still be delicious without the fire roasted tomatoes. Thank you for your comment!