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!
I love how this came out! It was awesome! Next time i’ll add a few more chiptoles to add more spice!
We’re so happy you enjoyed it Kenya! :)
Shout out from Derby, KS! Interested to try this (with adaptations, as I am unfortunately allergic to garlic and onions). I don’t care what you call it as long as it tastes good. ;)
Hi Lisa! We hope you enjoy this! :)
Hi! I’ve made this before and it was delicious! I’m making a dish for my nephews party and they already have chicken and beef dishes. Do you think this recipe will still be super delish subbing in pork for the roast?? I know you have the carnita recipe, but I have all of these ingredients and know I like the sauce.
Hi Stephanie! We haven’t tried that ourselves, but we bet it would work! We would recommend trying a pork shoulder. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try! :)
Hey Haley! I just bought some grass fed beef country style ribs tonight, and after researching A Lot of recipes, I found yours and it totally “spoke” to me!! I can’t wait to make these this weekend! Thanks in advance for the recipe!
Hi Julie! This is actually Ali’s blog and recipe — I just help with comments. :) But we’re happy you’re able to give this a try, and we hope you love it as much as we do! :)
Love love LOVE this recipe! (And so does my boyfriend) I’ve made this 3 times already, once to try it, and another for a little get together at my house. After trying it the first time, my boyfriend couldn’t get enough so I decided to do it again the next day but with chicken. And of course, no leftovers after the party! Can’t wait to make it again sometime.
Thanks for sharing Suzann! We’re so happy you and your boyfriend love this! :D
I am a Texan but live in another state. This recipe is the closest thing I have had to really wonderful barbecoa, without having to go to Texas. I will be using this as a base for many dishes! Thank you for posting this!
What a wonderful compliment Teresa, thank you! We hope you enjoy this!
I’m cooking for a big gathering. Can this be made in an electric roaster oven? If so, at what temp and how long? I plan to triple the recipe.
Thank you!
Hi Mimi! We don’t have an electric roaster oven, so we aren’t familiar with them. We suspect you could try this recipe in one, but since we haven’t tried it ourselves, we can’t vouch for how it would turn out. It looks like electric roaster ovens can get much hotter than slow cookers, but we would think if you set it to 250 for 3-4 hours (or until the beef is tender and falls apart with a fork), that might work. Sorry we don’t know for sure!
Soooo easy and yummy. Great recipe.
Thanks Jennifer — we’re glad you’re a fan! :)
Has anyone ever used Venison
I love the al pastor recipe and want to try Barbacoa. What type of canned green chilies do you use? My chipotles in adobo are usually la Morena but I don’t think they sell canned green chilies. Is it the same as canned chopped jalapeños? Thanks!
Hi David! The canned green chiles are different from the canned chopped jalapeños. We usually buy Old El Paso. We hope you enjoy! :)