Barbacoa Beef

Easy and mouth-watering Barbacoa Beef that’s made in your crock pot. This beef roast is slow cooked with delicious seasonings so you get tender, fall-apart beef that’s mouthwatering. Perfect for burritos, tacos, salads, quesadillas and more!

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Taco Tuesday, anyone? This super easy barbacoa beef recipe is going to change the way you do taco night! If you are needing some recipes that you can set and forget in the crock pot, then you’re going to absolutely fall in love with this recipe. Chuck roast is diced into cubes and mixed together with the most flavor chipotle chile sauce and slow cooked for up to 10 hours. Can you say melt-in-your-mouth?

This beef comes out so tender and packed with flavor! And the best part is that you barely have to do any of the work. So you can place this in the crockpot before you go off to work and when you get home, your dinner is ready to hit the table in a matter of minutes. Finish off your dinner with easy caramel oatmeal bars as a sweet treat! The best way to do taco night.

Why You’ll Love Barbacoa Beef

• This is a great make ahead recipe that is perfect for meal prep. It stores well and reheats wonderfully. Plus, you can serve it multiple different ways so that you won’t have the exact same meal every time you eat it.
• Slow cooker barbacoa beef is a very hands-off recipe. Place the ingredients into the crock pot and you don’t have to come back to it until it is time to shred the meat!
• Barbacoa beef makes 8 hearty serving that are packed with protein. It’s an easy way to make sure everyone has full bellies!

What is Barbacoa?

Barbacoa is an authentic Mexican dish that is traditionally used with beef, goat or lamb and is used as filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, burrito bowls and more. Typically this dish is seasoned with dried chilies and spices then slowly cooked so it’s tender and falls apart into shredded beef.

Ingredients for Beef Barbacoa

• Chuck roast – Grab a 3-4 pound chuck roast, make sure to trim it well, and then cut it into 2 inch chunks.
• Beef broth – Use your favorite beef broth to provide plenty of liquid to cook the beef in and make it juicy and tender.
• Chipotle chiles in adobo – This is the make or break secret ingredient for the best barbacoa beef ever. You’ll love the incredible flavor this provides to this easy recipe.
• Minced garlic – I recommend mincing fresh garlic for the best flavor, but you can also use minced garlic from a jar.
• Apple cider vinegar – Apple cider vinegar helps keep the beef tender and also gives a little bit of zing to the recipe.
• Lime juice – For the best flavor, use fresh lime juice instead of the stuff that comes in a bottle.
• Dried oregano – Dried oregano provides a nice depth of flavor to this delicious barbacoa beef.
• Ground Cumin – The bold flavor of cumin is a really important ingredient in this flavorful recipe.
• Sea salt – Don’t forget the salt! This will help to season the beef well and bring out the flavors of all the other ingredients.
• Black pepper – A little black pepper melds well with everything else in this barbacoa beef recipe.
• Whole bay leaf – While some people wonder if bay leaf really does anything, I can tell a difference when I don’t use it in this recipe. So I don’t recommend leaving it out!

How to Make Barbacoa Beef

1. Place beef broth, chipotle chiles, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, fresh lime juice, dried oregano, sea salt and ground black pepper in a blender. Puree the mixture until smooth and well combined.
2. Add the beef chunks to a slow cooker and then pour the pureed chipotle sauce mixture over the top of the beef. Add in two whole bay leaves.
3. Cook the slow cooker barbacoa beef for 8-10 hours on low until the beef is fall-apart tender.
4. After the beef is cooked, remove the bay leaves and shred the meat with two forks. Stir the meat around in the juices, then cover and let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the beef to absorb the juice and more flavor.
5. Use a slotted spoon and serve with your favorite toppings!

How Should I serve Barbacoa?

• Burritos
• Tacos
• Enchiladas
• Salads
• Nachos
• Quesadillas
• Burrito Bowls

What Toppings Should I use for Beef Barbacoa?

• Lettuce – Romaine or Iceberg will work great.
• Cheese – We recommend Queso fresco, shredded cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend of shredded cheese.
• Tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Chopped Onion
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Diced Avocados
• Pico de Gallo

Can I Cook on High Heat in the Slow Cooker?

We do not recommend using high heat to cook this recipe. This is because the beef won’t be as tender and fall apart like you want it.

What kind of meat should I use for Barbacoa?

In the US most people use beef chuck roast, beef brisket and beef cheeks to make this beef barbacoa recipe. We recommend using a roast as it’s easy to find and inexpensive.

Any type of beef that has a lot of connective tissues and fat dispersed through the muscle fibers will work great because it will keep the meat moist while cooking.

How to Store Barbacoa Beef

FRIDGE: Place leftover beef into an airtight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.

FREEZER: Transfer leftover barbacoa to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge before reheating.

How to Reheat Leftover Barbacoa

To reheat, place in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. If it needs more liquid, just add a splash or beef broth to the mixture.

What to Serve with Barbacoa Beef

Serve this tender and flavor barbacoa beef on corn or flour tortillas with your favorite toppings, You can also serve it over rice as a taco bowl!

These deliciously flavorful tacos pair well with Spanish rice, Mexican street corn dip, 7 layer dip, and any of your other favorite Mexican-inspired side dishes. You could also go with quick and easy sides like smashed potatoes or air fryer corn on the cob.

Tacos go well with pretty much anything, so make whatever sounds best and whatever is easiest!

Toppings for Barbacoa Tacos

Choose your favorite toppings for these tacos to add extra flavor! Some of the best toppings for barbacoa tacos are:

• sliced radishes
• cilantro
• sliced avocado
• guacamole
• queso
• shredded cheese
• salsa
• salsa verde
• pico de gallo
• onions
• shredded cabbage
• sour cream

Enjoy this simple recipe that is just packed with flavor. Easy slow cooker recipes will come in handy!

More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love

• If you like ground beef tacos. then check out my recipe for Crock Pot Taco Meat!
• Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos are another way to make taco night crazy easy!
• Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs are an easy protein perfect for any meal.
• Make copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup right in the crock pot!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!

 

5 from 1 vote

Barbacoa Beef

Tender, juicy beef with seasonings that's slow cooker all day to make this the best Barbacoa Beef!

Prep:20 minutes mins

Cook:8 minutes mins

Total:28 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3-4 pounds chuck roast trimmed and cut into 2 inch chunks
• ▢ ½ cup beef broth
• ▢ 2 chipotle chiles in adobo
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons lime juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cumin
• ▢ 2 teaspoons sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoons black pepper
• ▢ 2 whole bay leaf

Instructions

• Combine the broth, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, garlic, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, dried oregano, cumin, sea salt, and black pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth.
• Place the beef chunks in the slow cooker. Pour the pureed mixture from the blender on top. Add the (whole) bay leaves.
• Cook for 8-10 hours on low, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
• Remove the bay leaves. Shred the meat using two forks and stir into the juices. Cover and rest for 10 minutes to allow the beef to absorb even more flavor. Use a slotted spoon and serve with desired toppings.

Tips

FRIDGE: Place leftover beef into an airtight container and refrigerate for 4-5 days.

FREEZER: Transfer leftover barbacoa to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the fridge before reheating.

To reheat, place in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. If it needs more liquid, just add a splash or beef broth to the mixture.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 318kcal (16%), Carbohydrates: 2g (1%), Protein: 33g (66%), Fat: 20g (31%), Saturated Fat: 9g (56%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 117mg (39%), Sodium: 777mg (34%), Potassium: 605mg (17%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 41IU (1%), Vitamin C: 2mg (2%), Calcium: 47mg (5%), Iron: 4mg (22%)

© Julie's Eats & Treats ®

We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box is calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.