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!
Made this recipe for the first time and I received the coveted “You can make this AGAIN” seal of approval from my husband. It is so flavorful which is what I find most appealing because I’m just done with flavorless food. The fact that it’s extremely fast and easy to make means this is going to happen a lot. We love it for our keto diet and ate it over lettuce with avocado, onions, cilantro, and squeeze of lime and took it to work for lunch.
I made this for soft tacos and it was delicious!!! Will def make it again!
Great recipe! I modified it just a little bit. I added about 4 tomatillos that I roasted in the oven with the onion. I put all of the ingredients in the blender except for the onions and meat. We used it in burrito bowls. Thanks for sharing!
i can’t believe im 51 and never had barbacoa before. this is like when i found out about bulgogi. made tacos w/ pickled onions, chopped onions, cilantro, and a lil mexican cheese. wow.
Delicious! I used eye round bc my store didn’t have chuck in stock and still came out really tasty. I followed the recipe using water instead of beef stock and it was plenty flavorful. My slow cooker has a searing function so I seared the meat before slow cooking, but I didn’t notice the sear once the meat was cooked and pulled apart. Next time I’ll skip that step and see how it turns out. We ate all of it in 2 days :)
Family favorite! Love all the layers of flavor, and the leftovers for lunch!
I’ve made this several times and it is ALWAYS delicious! I just eyeball most the ingredients and I also poke holes in the beef so everything really soaks in while it cooks. I’ve made this for several pitch-ins and get together. Even the Mexicans who have tried it think it’s amazing (my ex called his mom in Mexico to tell her how good it was lol) thanks for sharing this recipe!
Does any ody know what type or brand of the caned green chillies.
old el paso or ortega work just fine. they also call them “chopped” and look exactly as the “diced” do!
Can this recipe be adapted to be made in an Instant Pot?
Absolutely delicious! It did take a lot longer than predicted to get to a shreddable state, but I’ll chalk that up to doubling the recipe. I made it for a massive crowd and they loved it. Will make again very soon!
Hi Anna,
I was thinking of making this recipe for a large crowd as well. When you doubled the recipe, how many people would you say this fed? And about how much longer did you need to cook for?