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
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.
Sounds awesome can’t wait to try this! Your story really hit a nostalgic nerve for me. I grew up in MA/NH in the same era(born in ’80) and Pizza Hut really was the thing back then. I remember the large booth-like benches in the entrance to house the waiting patrons, it really was much busier than today. Our local Hut was across from a theater so we usually had dinner there and then went for a movie.
Great recipe! I also add in some cinnamon & orange zest.
Brandi – freeze your leftover chipotle peppers in adobo this way: Whizz it all in a nutribullet or blender, pour into a zipper freezer bag. Squeeze all air out and freeze flat. When you need some, just break off a piece and return bag to freezer. Be sure to label it! =) This has worked wonderfully for me. HTH.
I made it in the oven with a few changes due to not having cloves/apple vinegar. Browned big chunks of chuck roast in oil on stove, seasoned then roasted in a baking pan covered with foil at 325 for two hours in a bit of broth.
Added the peppers, chilis, onions, more seasoning etc…, then roasted for another hour til fork tender. Rough shredded and then back in the oven for 20 mins at 375. Covered in cheese; served on tortillas with adobe sauce rice.
Will follow as written next time…
Delicious! Brandy, you were asking how to use the leftover chipotles in adobo and my favorite is to make fish tacos. Just mix together mayo, a little milk, and some diced chipotle and adobo (taste as you go along because it adds a real punch- you probably only need 1/2 a pepper) and you’ll have an amazing sauce that’s better than most restaurants! Drizzle on top of either grilled fish or baked fish sticks, thinly sliced cabbage and some fresh lime in a flour tortilla… So easy and SO good!
I’m making this in a couple days, but i wondered if you had suggestions on how to use the rest of the peppers in adobe sauce. I don’t know what to do with the rest of the can and they are so good, i hate to let them go bad sitting in my fridge.
Thanks For the recipe!
Tried this recipe and it is very good, but not the barbacoa I am used to. I like my authentic traditional barbacoa, but for at home this is a good alternative since I don’t really want to see the meat from traditional barbacoa before it’s cooked. Great recipe.
I made it (sort of, only had lean meat and I was missing the peppers…but I improvised – fried the finished meat in some bacon grease to add moisture at the end, threw in some chipotle seasoning for flavor)! Interesting combo of flavors (cloves?), tasted really good with sour cream on top.
just put this in the crock and can’t wait till 6-8 hours are up!
I made this today. I served it with the corn salsa recipe, also on Pinterest, black beans, jasmine rice and made a burrito bowl. I was in heaven! Seriously a great recipe! Tastes just like, if not better, than Chipotle’s. I was going to make the guacamole but my avocados weren’t ripe :/ highly recommend!
One of my co-workers turned this barbacoa into breakfast burritos and treated our office to a great meal. I immediately pinned the recipe and I can’t wait to make it myself.