I really enjoy a nice slow braised meat dish since the long braising time makes the meat melt in your mouth tender and really brings out it’s flavour so when I was thinking about recipes for Cinco de Mayo beef barbacoa immediately came to mind! Although the cooking style has changed from the traditional fires and pits to modern stoves, ovens and even slow cookers this dish is tasty no matter which way you make it! This dish is super easy to make, you pretty much just brown the meat add some liquid along with the seasonings and simmer, bake or slow cook until the meat is falling apart tender before shredding and enjoying in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. The primary seasonings are chipotle chilies, cumin, oregano, garlic, lime juice and a touch of cloves that adds an amazing aroma and that hint of something exotic. Despite being so simple the long slow braise makes this dish truly amazing! It’s so good that I often find it difficult to not gobble it all up by the fingersful before it even makes it into the tacos! Speaking of tacos, I always like to enjoy a fresh batch of beef barbacoa in tacos simply dressed with tangy onions and cilantro to let the barbacoa flavour shine!
Note: This recipe is perfect for the slow cooker especially in the summer when you may not want to have the oven on making your place even hotter than it already is!
I’ll take three to go!
A Chipotle copycat!
Barbacoa Tacos
Slow braised, melt in your mouth tender beef barbacoa in a tasty sauce with spicy chipotle chilies that is perfect in tacos with diced onions and cilantro!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 pounds chuck roast, fat trimmed and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1/2 cup beef broth or beer or water
- 4 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 12 small corn tortillas, warmed
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, torn
directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat in a large heavy bottomed oven safe pot, add the beef and brown on all sides, about 10-15 minutes, before setting aside.
- Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes, before adding the garlic, cumin and oregano and cooking for a further minute.
- Add the broth, chipotle chilies, lime juice, vinegar, salt, pepper, cloves and bay leaves, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered until the meat is pull apart tender, about 3-4 hours. OR Transfer the pot to a preheated 275F/140C oven and braise until the meat is pull apart tender, about 3-4 hours. OR Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard.
- Remove the beef, shred and place back in the pot.
- Assemble the tacos in the tortillas with beef barbacoa, diced onions and cilantro or your favourite taco ingredients.
Option: Add a few splashes of fish sauce!
Barbacoa Burritos
Barbacoa Quesadillas
Barbacoa and Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice Burrito Salad Bowl
Mexican Shredded Beef Tamale Pie
Mexican Shredded Beef Nachos
Mexican Shredded Beef Enchiladas
Tacos al Pastor
Slow Cooker Chicken Carnitas Tacos
Pork Tinga Tacos
Carnitas (a Lighter Version)
Slow Braised Chili Con Carne
Tagliatelle Short-rib Bolognese
Pollo Pibil Tacos with Citrus Salsa
Barbacoa Quesadillas
Barbacoa and Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice Burrito Salad Bowl
Barbacoa Burritos
Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Roast Beef
Jamaican Jerk Beef Tacos with Pineapple and Banana Salsa
Chorizo and Potato Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde
Chipotle Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
Mexican Shredded Beef
Chicken Mole Tacos
Pork Adobo Tacos
Chicken and Avocado Tacos
Beef Rendang
Carne Guisada Tacos
Korean Grilled Steak Tacos with Pineapple Gochujang Salsa
Texas Chili
Birria de Res con Consome
Perfect tacos for taco night!
What a great dinner! My kids will love these!!
Mmm I love me some tacos!!
this is seriously one of our favorite things ever! these tacos looks absolutely amazing Kevin
Hi Kevin
What brand are you using .. for Tacos ? Those in the photo look like flour, they are much "finer" than the corn tortillas that I am used to seeing. They look like I would like them better if they still have that corn taste .
Thanks ! C
NotesFromAbroad: The tortillas are corn tortillas that a local Latin American shop makes from scratch.
A fantastic recipe for Cinco de Mayo!
Mmm these look delicious. Going to try them.
A good braised meat is such a comfort food, I think you've nailed it Kevin! Looks delicious!
I could spend my entire life in these tacos.
Not only does this sound authentic ( I live in Arizona), but it is economical. You have an amazing attention to details!
Hi Kevin,
I was wondering if you've used fresh or dried oregano? Thanks!
Anne
Anonymous: I used dried oregano.
Enjoyed these tonight. I cut back on the chipotles to one as I have problems with too spicy but now I think I could have gone with two. Leftovers destined for your burrito bowls!
Thanks.
LuisaCA: I'm glad you like it and enjoy the burrito bowls!
I just made these tacos and they were incredible! The seasonings are in perfect proportion and make the meat absolutely delicious. Thanks!
I made this yesterday in my pressure cooker, it took 1-1/2 hours to cook plus 25 min prep. Turned out fantastic. This is a recipe I will be making on a regular basis. Now I just need to make more of the yummy looking recipe's I have pinned from you! Thanks!
Rene'
Rene S: I'm glad you enjoyed them!
I made this in my slow cooker yesterday and it was delicious! I had to add more beer to keep the meat moist. Also, I only used three chipotle peppers and it still had a nice kick. Thanks for another great recipe!
Stephanie: I'm glad you liked them!
Looks amazingly tasty Kevin. I wanted to pick your brain about how you heat up your corn tortillas? Also, in your opinion, does it really make a difference if you sear/brown the meat chunks if using a crockpot. I've tried both methods and can't tell if one way is better than another. If no difference then it'll save time skipping that step.
Thanks Man…keep up the good cookin'
For us, searing / browning the meat is always a good thing to do when you are using crockpot (or Instant Pot). We won’t cook the meat without doing that. It really seems like it adds some crust and some flavor. You might not notice it; but, as with cooking, each person needs to prepare how they like it. But, we always pre-sear any meat that goes into the crockpot.
So, so good. I too used a bit less than 3 chipotle chiles, but I think I could have used all four. Thanks, Kevin, for yet another winner!!
Cheesesteak: I think that browning the meat first adds flavour but you can skip it if you don't notice the difference. I usually heat up my corn tortillas in a cast iron pan over high heat but over the grill is also good.
Just made these for supper. Used 3 chipotle peppers and was decently spicy. Store was out of chuck roast so used stewing beef. Cooked for 4 hours in oven. I added a slaw and some cilantro lime sauce. Will definitely be a regular recipe.
Made these a few weeks ago, DELICIOUS!! Planning a get together for 60 people. Figuring 2 tacos each, how much chuck roast do you suggest?
I made these for dinner tonight, using a slow cooker as you suggested as an option. They were fantastic! I did steps 1 and 2 last night, mixing in the remaining ingredients through the bay leaves, and then stored the slow cooker insert in the fridge overnight. Just before leaving for work this morning, I popped the insert back into the slow cooker and set it for 8.5 hours on low. The aroma was heavenly when I arrived home later this afternoon. I used flour tortillas (my preference) and made a cilantro crema with sour cream, lime juice and cilantro. I shredded some smoked cheddar and made a nice side salad. This is definitely a keeper, and I think it should be easy to double the recipe without any complications.
This is currently in the slow cooker. The local target out here didn't have chipotle peppers, so I used a can of Rotel that had chipotle peppers in it… We'll see how it turns out. I also used beer for the liquid. It's my first time cooking with beer and I'm scared haha. Can't wait to taste it!
It would be great if there were more comments from those who ACTUALLY made/tried this meal so others can benefit from other cooks experiences.
My notes:
These were pretty good and better than what I expected. Next time I'm using just (one) chipotle chili, four of them were just to spicy. The meat wasn't complete by itself so I got a little side tract on a search for cilantro lime sauce which really topped the meal itself off. Even my picky eaters loved it and now is added to my recipe box.
~ Thanks for sharing
the flavor of this is out of this world!
My husband loved this recipe. I made it without the chipotle peppers in adobe since we didn't have any at home. Also my 14 yr old is a heat wimp. I did add some ground chipotle pepper and a smidge more water since we didn't have the adobe sauce. Amazing results. It is officially in our inner rotation.
I came across this recipe about a year ago and I have made it many, many times because it is delicious! it is great for parties because you can double the recipe and it feeds a lot of people. And the toppings you can use are endless! Great recipe!
Made this for my Dad's birthday. Everyone LOVED it! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Kevin,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I can not tell you how THANKFUL that we are. Really, thank you. This is like EATABLE GOLD; it is so good. We used it on many things this last week, and I say it's EASILY as good as Chipotle. Please, share more recipes like this. Maybe even create your "Favorite Recipes". I can't believe how easy this way and how good. Like above said, this will be a REGULAR RECIPE for our family for years to come.
Here's an idea too. Do you know how to do Chipotle's chicken chunks like in their burrito bowls. We are almost stopping eating out, because it's got too expensive. So, we are COPY-CATTING stuff, so that is one thing still on our list. I hope you can help break the code.
Here is a picture of it: I couldn't find one, but it's the charred chicken that is little spicy.
Also, maybe one day post something about a Cobb Salad. Don't know if you like them, but I'm trying to get the Vignette down.
Anyway, once again, thank you for the Barbacoa (hope spelled right). That is one of best BASE RECIPES that we have found in quite some time.
Thanks,
David Fullerton
When using beer, what type would you suggest?
Hi, I'm really excited to try this tonight for my family! I was going to use my crockpot but could you tell me how long this would convert to and high or low setting? Thank you!
Not many people actually use a comal or griddle to heat up their tortillas, I like mine like you did it here, lightly toasted which adds another layer of flavor especially if they are fresh tortillas from a mexican market.
Cooked these with venison because I had a ton in the freezer. They were delicious. Venison was so tender and the spices toned down the stronger taste of the venison. My kids are not huge fans of venison, but they had no idea. Great recipe!
I like the sound of using venison!
I am a spicy food freak, but deseeding the Chipotle peppers was left out of the directions, so I did not. 4 chipotles was WAY to overpowering with heat. The meat was AMAZING and I cannot wait to make this again, with less chipotles.
Just checking in again. Second post on this recipe. I have made it Numerous times in the last 5 years and it is one of our favorites. There’s just two of us at home now so I freeze extras then we can enjoy again later when cook time is scarce.
Thanks again for all you do!
We spent time in Oaxaca last winter. Sunday was devoted to barbacoa in all the markets. It is pretty outstanding, sharing a meal, crammed on a table with the locals. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi,
Just came across this and sounds tasty. I was wondering what beer do you use and do you deseed the chilis as one of the comments mentioned or not.
Thank You
I do not deseed the chipotle chilies in adobo sauce and I like an IPA for this. Enjoy!
Kevin,
When you make these do you prefer to use beef broth, beer or water. If its beer, what kind do you use? I’d like to make this for Super Bowl!!!
Thanks!
I usually use beef broth or an IPA. Enjoy!
Hi Kevin,
I will be making barbacoa sopes this weekend and I was looking for a great barbacoa recipe , when I came about yours. I was wondering if I could use some orange juice along with the other ingredients? I know it would help tender out the meat more and with more flavor ,but I wanted an OK before doing so.
Thank you
Adding orange juice works really well in this recipe!
I’m so tired of people posting Barbacoa recipes that use pot roast in them.That’s the WRONG meat. To make REAL Barbacoa; you need to use a shredded BEEF TONGUE.
Real barbacoa is not made with pot roast. It’s made with cow tongue.
I have made this several times throughout this year. I am not one to leave comments too much. Shy, I guess. But I just had to leave a comment. It is an amazing recipe. So flavorful. So melt-in-your-mouth good. I can’t stress enough, all the people scrolling for an excellent taco meat… look no further. I chose to use my crockpot. Who doesn’t love having supper done when you get home? Win-Win. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Hi Kevin, I started this barbacoa beef yesterday in my crockpot, let it sit in the juices overnight and then finished it off this morning. Soooooo delish! I had a hard time staying away from it while it was cooking. Just a great, great flavor! I will to use the beef for nachos tomorrow, and am prepared to be asked for the recipe. I didn’t use the chipotles, because my “bubble” doesn’t want too much heat. But it is so delicious without the heat that IMO the chipotles really aren’t necessary. Thanks once again, Kevin, for a yet another wonderful recipe.
Will this recipe for Barbacoa work with any type of beef roast as well as pork roast?
I would like to make this in my Instapot, so how would you do that?
You can make this in an instant pot; cook on high for 60 minutes (total) in step 3. Enjoy!
This is by far my favorite taco recipe!! My son in law begs me to make it!!
I sometimes use beef short ribs if they look good and meaty!!
I pray this recipe never leave’s Pinterest!!
I am not fond of onions. Can I substitute the onions for onion powder?
Yes you can! (Add it in step 3.) Enjoy!