Smoked Shredded Beef Tacos are a mouthful, all by themselves, but throw in a braising liquid spiked with tequila and the whole thing goes in a freshly fried puffy taco shell? Forget about it. 

Tequila Lime Smoked Shredded Beef Puffy Tacos

I am, like many of you, obsessed with tacos. Back when traveling was a thing, I ate tacos almost as much as I ate ramen. That’s to say – EVERY CHANCE I GOT.

While I’m at home, tacos can kind of get a bad rap. Not that I don’t LOVE a good ground beef taco, but just that it is a thing I default to when I “don’t feel like cooking”. The same with a good spaghetti and meat sauce. 

When it is time to change things up and make something a little different, these smoked beef tacos are easy AND delicious.

In this version, I utilized both my Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill for the smoked portion of things, and then we threw things into the Instant Pot to speed up the process. 

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Puffy Tacos Shopping List

If you don’t have something that this calls for, the recipe itself is pretty forgiving. Find your closest dupe and go to town. 

• Chuck roast
• Spiceology Chile Lime seasoning
• SPG
• Beef broth
• Tequila (use code “DRIZLYDEAL” for $5 off!)
• El Pato Jalapeno tomato sauce
• Limes
• Maseca (instant corn masa flour)
• Vegetable oil

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How to make shredded beef puffy tacos

The process is easy, even though it takes a while, and you have a lot of options too.

1. Rub
2. Smoke
3. Braise
4. Shred

Rub it

First, rub the meat. I used a combination of SPG (salt, pepper, garlic) and Spiceology’s Chile lime blend. If you don’t have those around, use your favorite Mexican rub. This Tajin blend is one I see at a lot of grocery stores. 

Smoke it

Next, smoke it! We used our pellet grill, but you could use a stick burner or an electric smoker if that’s what you have around. You can even use a smoke tube in a charcoal or gas grill if that’s what you have. 

Braise it

Once the meat has a chance to smoke for a few hours, it is time to braise the meat. In this recipe, I used my Instant Pot. In the electric pressure cooker under high pressure, it took 60 minutes with a 15-minute natural pressure release to get it there. I always start with a 30-minute high-pressure cook and then test it to see how close it is. Different cuts of meat cook at different rates, and it also depends on how far along the meat got during the smoke portion.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can also use the oven, a crockpot, or even continue things on your smoker. You’ll want to run it at around 300-325°, tightly covered, until the roast reaches 204-205° and is fork-tender.

Shred it

Once the roast is done braising, it’ll be fork tender. That’s how you know it is done. Shred the beef in your braising liquid, and simmer to reduce the liquid a bit. 

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How to make puffy taco shells

Puffy tacos are a San Antonio staple, but you can make them at home even if you’ve NEVER made tortillas before, ever.

They are corn tortillas made with masa harina corn flour, water, and some salt. 

They take about 5 minutes to mix up, and 2-3 minutes a shell to fry. If you’re making these for a big crowd you might want to throw things at the end, but for 3-5 people at 2-3 tacos each, it is a manageable amount. Find a friend and fire up two pots of oil if you need some extra hands.

Puffy taco recipe from KCET. 

The frying big is the trickiest to get the hang of. You NEED at least 3 inches of oil in your pan. Don’t try and skimp and think it’ll be okay – it won’t. 

You also need an accurate oil temp. Between 350-375° is ideal. 

A good tortilla press is also a great investment, even if you’ll only make tortillas a couple of times a year. It makes the job SO MUCH easier!

Then you press it and lightly drop it into the oil and let it cook until it puffs up. Once that happens, you flip over the tortilla in the oil, fold it in half and submerge it, and use the second set of tongs to hold the top of the taco shell open while it finishes cooking so you have some room for stuffing.

Remove to paper towels, and repeat until all 12 of your shells are cooked. 30 minutes well-spent!

What if you don’t have a pellet grill?

If you don’t have a pellet grill, you can use any other sort of smoker or grill that you have around. Run it at around 200-225°, keep that smoke rolling, and cook the roast for about 3 hours. 

• Smoker tube for pellets
• Smoker box for wood chips

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Do you have to use an Instant Pot?

Nope! An Instant pot will definitely speed up the process significantly, but it isn’t necessary. You can crank the heat up a little to 300-325° and cook it in any vessel that’ll maintain that temp for the next 3-6 hours for you. 

That could be your oven, a slow cooker, or even back out on your grill. 

Just make sure you tightly cover your braising container because you want all of that moisture and liquid staying WITH the roast and not evaporating out of it. 

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Can you omit the tequila from this recipe?

Yup! It adds a nice mellow flavor to the dish, but if you don’t have any tequila or don’t cook with alcohol for whatever reason, you can still make this and it’ll still be delicious. 

Have a Cocktail with dinner!

What should you serve with Puffy Tacos?

I like serving tacos with Bean Dip, Smoked Salsa Verde, and Mexican Rice. 

I would never turn down a piece of Elote or a Mexican Shrimp Cocktail either.

For a little sweet heat, try these pickled sweet and spicy jalapenos from Forgone Itinerary.

Need a great vegetarian option? These Chickpea Tacos from Kelly Neil look fabulous!

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What else can you serve with Puffy Tacos?

If you get ambitious or your people aren’t that hungry and you end up with more leftovers than you can eat in a reasonable amount of time, you have options!

Blackstone Quesadillas are a perfect match for any kind of leftover meat you have hanging around, whether it is beef, pork, chicken, or shrimp. 

Enchiladas are another good option. Use my Smoked Pork Enchiladas recipe and just sub in the already-cooked beef instead. 

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How do you store the leftovers?

Leftovers of your shredded beef tacos should be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. You can keep them for 3-4 days after cooking safely, but if you plan on holding over any longer than that you should freeze instead.

Your leftovers will keep in the freezer best in a freezer bag with as much of the air removed as possible. If you have a vacuum sealer, even better.

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What’s the best way to reheat leftovers?

These leftovers are simple to reheat. Just put into the microwave and cover with a damp paper towel, or reheat in a tightly-sealed baggie in a pot of hot water. Other options include pan-frying in a bit of oil or bacon grease for a “carnitas” style experience. 

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