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 just wanted to comment. I made this dozens of times now. It’s awesome. My brother in law who is Mexican said it’s so good I could sell it. Thanks for posting.
Yay, so glad to hear it!!
Usually when I freeze crockpot recipes, I freeze it BEFORE cooking but in the instructions and the comments I see most froze the leftovers after cooking.
When it’s time to use them, do you recommend just thawing then microwaving?
How long can it last after the leftovers have been thawed?
Yep, I would recommend thawing and then microwaving. And the barbacoa should last for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge after it has been thawed.
OMG! This may just be one of our Monthly Must Meals! Delicious!
Thanks, Angela — we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
AMAZING! Can’t wait to make this again! Definitely a keeper recipe. I swapped out fresh deveined/seeded serrano chiles for the canned chiles and it still tasted great. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Chad — we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
Really great recipe! I misread the cloves and used allspice – still turned out fine. Also didn’t have the green chiles in a can so I used a 10 oz can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles. . It was good with bits of tomato too! We had it on corn tortillas with lettuce, sour cream, a little shredded cheddar, cilantro, and sliced avocado. Yum!!! Thank you this is a keeper.
We’re happy you enjoyed it, Bette! :)
Will this recipe work with flank steak instead of the roast?
Hi Melissa! Hmmm, we haven’t tried this with flank steak instead, so we honestly aren’t sure how it would turn out. We have seen some other recipes online that use flank steak instead though (it’s easier to trim but will be pricier). If you give it a try, definitely let us know how it turns out!
The barbacoa ive always had was made wth cow tounge (tounge whole skin on) slow cooker 10-12 hours the ussually overnight then cut skin off and pulled apart and sauteed in a pan for brunch tacos
Yes, we know it’s traditionally made with cow tongue. We wanted to use a different part of meat that would be more accessible to most folks. We hope you enjoy the recipe! :)
Question- I’m a bit confused. Do the ingredients require 2cans or 2chiles for the (2)Adobes in adobe sauce ingredient?
Hi Laura! Just 2 chiles, not 2 cans. We hope you enjoy!
Made this for the first time today and it is seriously amazing!!! You have really nailed the Chipotle barbacoa seasonings, which our family loves! My 3 guys devoured this! I did add a couple extra Chipotle peppers and a little of the adobo sauce, because spicy is how we roll around here. Also did not cut my chuck roast in chunks, just left it whole and shredded after cooking. Cooked 8 hours in slow cooker and meat was fall-apart tender. A huge hit that we will definitely make again. Thank for sharing this great recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Rhonda — we’re so happy you loved it! :D
This was good. Husband liked it very much. 12 year old son did not like the onions [too bad ;-) ]. Only change I made was to use 1/8 cup lime juice instead of the 1/4 cup called for because I only had bottled lime juice, not fresh. I probably could have used even a tad less. Thank you for the recipe, we’ll be enjoying this again soon.
Thank for sharing with us, Jane — we appreciate you giving the recipe a try!