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
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 250 minutes
- Total Time: 260 minutes
- Yield: 0 About 8-12 servings 1x
Description
This barbacoa recipe is simple to make in your slow cooker, and makes the most tender, flavorful, delicious barbacoa beef.
Ingredients
Scale
- 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.
This looks amazing but coming from New Haven County in CT, the land of apizza, I have to think your taste buds are permanently tainted by all that …ugh… Pizza Hut….I can’t even say it’s pizza. But I will pin this and forgive your youth. Lol kidding people…mostly.
I have the summer off, I”m gonna make this in the oven, low n slow. Tomorrow! ! I hope the kids like it, they Love chipotle, maybe I’ll get close. ? Thank you!
Oh how nice, we hope you and your kiddos enjoy it! :)
I made this today and we absolutely LOVED it!!! We really like Chipotle’s barbacoa, and this was hands-down way better. I love your recipes and get a ton of them from PInterest. Guess it’s time to subscribe, eh? :)
Thank you Nancy, we’re glad to hear that — what an awesome compliment (especially considering we love Chipotle!) Thanks for being a fan! :)
I made this the other night, and was a little too liberal with the chipotles in adobo. And by too liberal, I mean I put like 6 of them in there. Other than my mouth being on fire, these were super delicious and next time I will only use the 2 suggested chipotles in adobo.
Oh no, that is pretty liberal — our mouths would be on fire too! We’re happy you were still able to enjoy this though. :)
I was reading through the comments and noticed that there was some confusion about what a clove of garlic is. Its 1 piece. A whole piece of garlic is called a “head” or “knob.” I’ve been looking for a good homemade barbacoa recipe, and this is by far the most authentic interpretation that I have seen, I hope it comes to as good as looks
Thanks for sharing, Aaron! :)
Making barbacoa this Friday for weekend guests, this is my third time making it. Love it love it, best leftover topped with fried eggs and pepper jack cheese with sliced campari tomatoes on the side for breakfast. Did I mention that I love it. Thanks will send pics if I can figure out how to do it.
Those toppings sound amazing!!! So glad you love it!
I am a 54 male who has always found cooking intimidating. My wife does a fine job in the kitchen, so I always let her take care of things. I started tail gating at concerts five years ago and decided to get the nerve to prepare food for a group of people. I also thought it would be good if I gave my wife some relief in the kitchen. I now enjoy working in the kitchen or at the grill. When I saw this barbacoa recipe, I thought “what a good idea for the Fourth of July party!” I received nothing but positive comments and the guests came back for second and thirds. This delicious recipe s going to be part of my repertoire for future events and guests. Thanks Ali for sharing this great recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing, Ken, we’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed the barbacoa! And good for you for giving it a go! : )
I don’t have any apple cider vinegar, is there anything I can substitute it with? I have white vinegar, red wine, rice, and balsamic.
Hey Lucinda! You could use red wine or white vinegar. We hope that helps!
I’ve made this 3 times now! Who cares if it’s authentic or not.(let’s not get petty) this was and is delicious. Perfect for a crowd or just two. You can freeze the leftovers. I make burritos, nachos,tacos, and breakfast with this. Just heat meat then add eggs scramble it up then melt some cheddar on top.
Thank you, Teresa, we appreciate that, and we’re so happy you liked it! : )
Does the clove give it a weird taste? My husband doesn’t like anything with cinnamon, clove, or any spices like that. If it’s not noticeable in the recipe I would like to know, if he can’t taste it he won’t know! Or would it change it too much if I left it out?
Hi, Jen! We don’t find the clove to be very noticeable, but if your husband has a strong aversion to it, we’d suggest leaving it out, just to be on the safe side. We hope you guys enjoy!