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!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Had it for dinner tonight and my whole family LOVED it. Even my pickiest eater! :)
Thanks Robin, we’re so happy to hear that! :D
This looks amazing and im so anxious to try it, problem is i have no beef cucurrently. Would it be crazy to use chicken or should i jjust wait until i can get to the store?
Hi Carrie, we don’t think that’s crazy at all! We haven’t tried that ourselves, so we can’t say for sure how much chicken you should use in this recipe, but we think you could follow this recipe and add just add some of the spices/ingredients in the barbacoa, to sort of combine the two recipes. We hope that helps!
Being a softball dad I’m always looking for something different and simple to make. I came across this recipe and decided to try it out…WOOOOOOW….turned out great and my daughter absolutely loved it! She requested I make it again! I used 3 chipotles peppers instead of 2 and a being lime lovers that we are added a little extra! Came out delicious! So, I have a quick question. I want to get up in the morning, throw everything in and “set it and forget it” until I get home later in the evening for dinner. Do you recommend we throw everything in at once in the morning or can can I mix it in now and let all the spices marinate overnight? Not sure if that’s a good idea or not!
Awww we’re so glad to hear you and your daughter enjoyed this Michael! And we would just throw everything in there all at once in the morning :)
Where can I find Chipotle Peppers?
Hi Ramella! You should be able to find small cans of chipotle peppers in the Hispanic section of your grocery’s International aisle.
Can I forego the apple cider vinegar?
Sure, we think that would be okay — we hope you enjoy!
this recipe alone has me excited to make barbacoa ADD in the fact that your’re as big as a pizza hut “book-it” fan as i am And i’m sold!
We hope you love it Markie! :D
Trying this recipe for a group today! I think we’re going to have lots of leftovers – does it freeze well?
Yes, you can freeze it! We hope you enjoy! :)
Cooked this tonight, LOVED the flavor. I think I may try to put the shredded meat under a blazing hot broiler for just enough time to dry up some of the liquid and give it a bit of a mailliard crunch.
Thanks Woody, we’re so glad to hear that! :)
I grew up eating barbacoa and lengua. Traditionally Barbacoa is the cheek meat from the cow. My dad gets a whole fresh cow head and cooks it in the oven for about 10-12 hrs on low. He then would shred the cheeks ( Barbacoa & lengua) and tongue. Add some of the juices and Mexican spices. Put into a double corn tortilla, slightly warmed or grilled. We would add chopped onion and fresh cilantro. So good!! You can also buy the cheeks and a tongue at a Mexican store and put in the pressure cooker for approx 6-8 hrs. It’s always amazing!!
We think that sounds incredible Teresa, thank you for taking the time to share with us – we bet it’s truly out of this world! :)
Hello! I’m not a big cook so sorry for the following question… The recipe calls for ( chipotles in adobo sauce) , is this sold in a jar?
Thank you!
Syl
Hey Sylvia, no worries at all! Chipotles in adobo can be found in the Hispanic foods section of your grocery’s international aisle, and they come in a small can (with several peppers). We hope you enjoy the barbacoa! :)