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

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





I have made this in my crock pot and it got absolutely RAVE reviews. I’d like to try it in the Instant Pot – any suggestions on timing. Thanks!!
Can’t have garlic, will the recipe turn out good without it? Thanks
Sure, it will still be great!
Thanks
Made this Barbados beef recipe for taco night New Year’s Eve 2018-19..
Was amazing!!!
Everyone loved it, couldn’t get enough!!
One of my friends is even a chef who owns his own restaurant and he loved it!
Definitely a keeper ☺️❤️
Will definitely make this again. So easy and delicious!
This is a winner! My family (except my young son wouldn’t try it, but that’s not surprising) loved it. Said it tastes a lot like Chipotle. Thank you for sharing!
Wowee, so good! This came out amazing! Thanks for sharing your recipe, this will be going into my recipe box!
Delicious! Made this yesterday for a dinner party and everyone thought it was a keeper. I will definitely make it again!
This is my fave barbacoa recipe! It’s so tasty and you can really moderate how spicy you want it with the chipotles. We make this very often!
This is absolutely delicious! Made for a party and it was a definite hit!
Thank you so much for this recipe it’s soooooo good. I moved from south Texas where Mexican food is AMAZING to Colorado where I’m not sure if they know what it even is. My comfort food was always barbacoa, corn tortilla with avacado, dash of salt and gotta have the Big Red!! Yum yum!! This is by far the best I’ve ever had and I just want to thank you for sharing you made this Texas girl very happy, my husband is hooked to ?