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!
Hi. Would I be able to slow cook this in a Dutch oven? If so with temp and how long?
Have been making this recipe for years with no modifications. My family loves it!!
This is a great recipe! My husband is a picky eater… but requests this every week now. Thankyou for helping this mom of two in finding a great meal solution we all love!
The directions are confusing, is it 2 chipotle peppers or two cans of chipotle peppers?
I came to the website to say this recipe is foolproof! Amazing flavor, so tender and not spicy so good option for those that can’t handle the heat and kids. I made it for a party yesterday and it was a hit. One thing I didn’t do is trim fat, and it definitely came out so so juicy and flavorful. Thank you!
I want to make this recipe soon. Can I substitute 1 Tablespoon Adobo Sauce for the chopped chipotles in adobo sauce? Neither of us like hot spicy food.
Is it best served with tortillas or over rice?
This was FAB!
Can you make this with Chicken??
My crockpot broke. I’ve made this before, but can I do it on the stovetop? Please help
This was a delicious and easy recipe! I’ve been looking for diverse ways of making beef roasts. This was definitely an answer. I made it in a Dutch oven at 350 for 3 hours and lowered the temp to 300 for the last hour. My husband wants it in our food rotation! I highly reccomend that you try it.
Second time making this recipe which is fine as is, but like others we found it didn’t have enough heat for us the first time (personal preference). This time I used a full 3.5 oz can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (which is about 4 small chiles) and also throw all of the adobo sauce into the pot. It was perfect for us that way. I was also successful this time in prepping all of it in advance to put in the slow cooker the next day. I put all of the ingredients, (minus the bay leaf, lime juice, ACV, and water) into a gallon size zip top bag to help marinate the meat a bit and stored overnight in the fridge. I put the water, ACV, and lime juice into a small jar to dump into the pot the next day. I do recommend waiting to put the bay leaf into the pot until your’e ready to cook so it doesn’t break down too much and you can find them to fish out before shredding. I’ve already bought 2 more chuck roasts to make a double batch again soon and freeze the leftovers. This is going on our regular rotation. Thanks!