Barbacoa – A Beautiful Mess

I think of barbacoa as the tender, juicy shredded beef that goes in tacos or rice bowls, but barbacoa is a traditional Mexican slow-cooked preparation of tough or large pieces of meat, such as lamb or goat. It is more accurate to refer to the law. Pit or earth oven. In my case, I make barbacoa in a slow cooker, also known as a crockpot.

This barbacoa recipe is easy, flavorful, and a great protein that’s perfect for tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, rice bowls, or on top of salads. If you’ve never had beef barbacoa before, the texture is similar to shredded or pulled beef, as you can easily pull it apart or shred it with a fork when it’s ready.

Related: If you like this recipe, try carnitas or carne asada next.

material

• chuck roast
• garlic
• white onion
• Chipotle pepper with adobo sauce
• green chili
• lime
• bay leaves
• olive oil
• cumin
• oregano
• salt
• black pepper
• beef bouillon cube

Instructions

Pat the beef trimmings on both sides and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Rub together 1 tablespoon oil, oregano, cumin, and any other spices you like. Rub it all over the meat. Add this to the slow cooker.

Roughly chop the onion. Place this on top of the meat. Finely chop the garlic and mix this too. Chop the bell peppers and add a can of green chilies as well. Next, squeeze all three limes and add this to the slow cooker. Add water, beef bouillon cube, and bay leaf.

Simmer on low heat for 10 hours. Remove meat from slow cooker liquid and remove bay leaf. Shred the meat with a fork, removing large chunks of fat if necessary.

Top the barbacoa with chopped fresh cilantro, then white onions and lime juice, and serve as desired.

Tips and notes

• Beef chuck roast is sometimes called blade roast, shoulder steak, or pot roast. If you can’t find this, rump roast or top round roast are also good options.
• You can also use beef stock or beef broth in place of water and bouillon.
• You might want to have shredded cheese, refried beans, or corn tortillas on hand to make this a meal. The recipe card below is for making beef barbacoa.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. I usually store the meat in its cooking juices. That way, you can easily reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave without it drying out.

See more Mexican and Tex-Mex recipes