Today I made slow-cooker shredded beef tacos and nachos with home-made salsa, using a recipe that my daughter sent me.

It's incredibly tasty and easy to make. I bought 1.1kg of chuck beef and fresh ingredients included tomato, onion, avocado and jalapeno.

The beef was cooked for eight hours after marinading overnight in a Mexican spice mix, with a tin of diced tomatoes and 250ml of beef stock.

I thought it looked runny after eight hours, but I drained the juice and it was perfect, with all those flavours embedded in the shredded beef.

I bought guacamole from the supermarket and followed an AI life hack to add fresh avocado, some of the salsa and a dash of lemon juice to liven it up.

The tastes were amazing and I ate three tacos with cheese and the extras. I've put a bowl of nachos into the fridge for tomorrow because I like them soggy and need to get sour cream. One third of the beef was left over and it's gone to the freezer.

Ingredients

Spice mix and beef marinade

• 1.1kg beef chuck or brisket, cut into 3-4 large pieces

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 tbsp chipotle powder

• 1 tbsp paprika

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp allspice powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 2 tsp onion powder or garlic powder (or 1 tsp of each)

• 1 tsp salt and paprika, each

Slow cooker liquids and aromatics

• 3/4 cup (185 ml) orange juice

• 400g can crushed tomatoes

• 250ml beef stock

Fresh taco bruschetta salsa

• Two tomatoes, diced

• Red onion, finely diced

• Jalapeño, finely chopped

• Fresh lime juice (to taste)

• A pinch of dried oregano

• Salt (to taste)

Guacamole-avocado hybrid

• 1 tub store-bought guacamole

• 1 fresh avocado

• Lemon juice (to taste)

Serving essentials

• Corn tortilla chips

• Taco shells

• Shredded Mexican blend cheese

• Iceberg lettuce, shredded

Method

Overnight prep (the marinade)

• Cut the beef into 3-4 large, uniform chunks

• In a bowl, combine all the dry spice mix ingredients

• Drizzle the raw beef with olive oil and rub generously with the spice mix until fully coated

• Place in a sealed container or zip-lock bag and refrigerate overnight

Next day

• Heat a heavy-based pan over high heat with a splash of oil

• Add the marinated beef pieces and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side to build a deep crust

• Transfer the meat to the slow cooker along with the diced onion, minced garlic, crushed tomatoes, orange juice, broth and water

• Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4-5 hours) until completely tender

• Remove the beef and shred it using a fork

Fresh sides prep (last hour of cooking)

Taco bruschetta salsa: Combine the diced tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeño in a bowl. Season with fresh lime juice, a small pinch of oregano and salt. Let it rest on the counter so the flavours combine.

Guacamole-avocado hybrid: Roughly mash the fresh avocado, leaving plenty of chunky texture. Fold it into the store-bought guacamole and brighten it up with a splash of lemon juice.

Assembly

For tacos: Warm up the hard taco shells, layer in the juicy shredded beef, add the avocado hybrid, top with the fresh salsa, shredded cheese and crisp lettuce.

For nachos: Layer corn tortilla chips on a plate or bowl, top with shredded beef, generous scatterings of shredded cheese, fresh salsa and dollops of the upgraded guacamole.