This homemade beef barbacoa recipe is easy to make in the slow cooker, and it’s SO flavorful and delicious! Perfect for burritos, tacos, salads, quesadillas and more.
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Homemade Barbacoa Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Barbacoa
This barbacoa recipe is simple to make in your slow cooker, and makes the most tender, flavorful, delicious barbacoa beef.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast (fat trimmed), cut into 2-inch chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or standard dried oregano)
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup beef stock or water
Instructions
- Slow cook. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker. Toss gently to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender and falls apart easily when shredded with a fork.
- Shred and toss. Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces inside of the slow cooker. Toss the beef with the juices, then cover and let the barbacoa beef soak up the juices for an extra 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
- Serve. Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to serve the barbacoa beef and enjoy!
Notes
Storage instructions: Any leftovers can be stored (with their juices) in a food storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Delish! Used in taco bowls!
I know it won’t be the same, but is there any acceptable substitute for the chipotles on adobo? I live in ND and couldn’t find them at our grocery stores. Thanks!
Really good. My two sons ate an alarming amount of it on taco night. I did find it fairly soupy, however. Next time (and there will be a next time) I may ratchet down the added liquid. Overall, a keeper.
I made this the other night for dinner and it is the best barbacoa recipe I’ve tried yet! Soooo tasty. I couldn’t get over how flavorful it was. Definitely keeping this in the rotation and have already shared this recipe with others :)
Delicious! I halved the recipe to start because I wasn’t sure how it would come out. I made burrito bowls with it. Cilantro lime rice, guacamole, cheese, beans and sour cream.
Next time I will double the recipe as written so I can freeze portions of the meat for enchiladas, tacos and burrito bowls.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Hotter than hell! And I didn’t use the can of green chiles. Next time I would use one can of chiles with adobo and the can of green chiles. It’s great barbacoa though!
Can you you tell me if the recipe is for 2 peppers or 2 cans of chipotle peppers?
Is this spicy? Would like to make for a group but not spicy is a must. Thanks!
I have made this recipe over and over and it’s always a hit. I blend all the ingredients to make a chile sauce then dump it all on the meat in crockpot.
This recipe is a treasure.