Crock Pot Beef Barbacoa makes for amazing beef tacos, burritos and burrito bowls. This simple, easy beef barbacoa recipe results in amazing flavor and texture for a perfect result every time!
While beef barbacoa may sound like it’s one of those dishes that requires an enormous amount of effort to make, I have great news for you!
This super simple Crock Pot Beef Barbacoa requires less than 15 minutes of prep and results in the best barbacoa every single time.
It’s one of those no-brainer recipes for any time you’re craving Mexican food! Make it as a meal prep recipe to enjoy it throughout the week, or whip it up for any special occasion to share with loved ones.
How do you serve barbacoa beef? Historically, I’ve always used barbacoa for Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef Tacos and my Barbacoa Beef Burrito Bowls, but regular burritos with all sorts of fillings like rice, black beans, cheese, and guacamole are amazing too.
The best part is you can turn otherwise tough meat into tender, shredded dream meat using this easy barbacoa recipe.
So for those of you who hunt and have elk, deer, or antelope roasts, slow cooking tougher cuts of meat for a long period of time (I’d recommend 12 hours) to make game barbacoa is a great option.
Let’s back up and discuss the origin of Beef Barbacoa.
What is Beef Barbacoa?:
The word, “barbacoa” is Spanish for “barbecue.” Barbacoa is a type of process used to cook various types of meat like beef, lamb, or goat. There are reports that barbacoa originated in Mexico or Barbados, so it is unsure which country developed the cooking process first.
Traditional barbacoa consists of a large roast slow cooked (sometimes in large pits like an underground oven or over an open fire) in seasonings and dried chilies or chipotle peppers until it’s tender enough to shred.
As a modern day approach, barbacoa is often prepared in the slow cooker, pressure cooker or Dutch oven.
In order to preserve the slow cooking method, we’re going with the path of least resistance and using the crock pot.
If you prefer cooking using your Instant Pot, make my Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef recipe.
What does barbacoa beef taste like?
Barbacoa has a rich, beefy flavor with a hint of smokiness and spice from the chipotle peppers. It is also slightly tangy, as lime juice or cider vinegar is often used as well.
Is Barbacoa Beef Spicy?
Yes. Barbacoa is inherently spicy, as it is made with spicy chilies. That said, the spice level can easily be adjusted based on spice level preference. For mild barbacoa, use only 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
For very spicy barbacoa, use 4 to 6 chipotle chilies, or even more.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients needed to cook beef barbacoa.
Ingredients for Beef Barbacoa:
Beef Chuck Roast: What kind of meat is barbacoa? Beef, lamb, goat, or any large cuts of meat is traditionally used to make barbacoa meat.
You can use any type of beef roast, beef cheeks, lamb roast, or goat roast to make barbacoa, but I find a boneless chuck roast works best. I have also made barbacoa using bone-in beef roast and it turns out great as well.
Beef Broth: Used as the liquid to slow cook the meat, we use beef broth to enhance that beef flavor. If you have chicken broth or any stock that you like using in cooking, feel free to make the swap.
Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: Pick up a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from the grocery store and use 1 to 6 of them for this recipe, depending on your intended spice level. You can use the rest of the chipotle chilies for other endeavors, such as chipotle crema or chipotle yogurt sauce (which I often use on tacos).
Onion & Garlic: While onion and garlic are not mandatory in beef barbacoa, I like adding them for robust flavor. I use fresh yellow onion and garlic powder, although fresh garlic cloves can be used as well.
Fresh Lime Juice: Some traditional recipes for barbacoa do not include lime juice or vinegar, but I’ve found I prefer the flavor with a little lime juice for a little tanginess. Use apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar instead if you’d like.
Sea Salt & Black Pepper: Season the barbacoa to your personal taste using kosher salt and pepper.
Bay Leaf: If you love cooking with bay leaves, add one to two to the crock pot and discard them when the beef has finished cooking.
Optional Additions:
- Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder if you love the flavor of traditional beef tacos.
- Stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato paste for added acidic flavor.
- You can replace the sauce ingredients in this recipe with 2 to 3 cups of store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce to make beef enchilada meat.
- If you have dried ancho peppers or guajillo chiles on hand, feel free to ad 1-2 of each.
Now that we know the ingredients for Mexican barbacoa, let’s make it!
How to Make Crock Pot Beef Barbacoa:
Cut the chuck roast into large chunks and season them liberally with sea salt.
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of avocado oil (or high temperature cooking oil of choice) in a large cast iron skillet over high heat.
Wait for a few minutes for the skillet to become sizzling hot, then carefully place the chunks of meat on the hot surface in a single layer (this may take two batches depending on the amount of meat and the size of the skillet). Brown the beef for 2-3 minutes per side on two sides.
While the beef is searing, finely chop the chipotle peppers on a cutting board.
Transfer the chopped onion to the slow cooker.
Add in the seared beef. Pour in the remaining ingredients (beef broth, chopped chipotle peppers, fresh lime juice, garlic powder, and bay leaves) and give everything a stir. Note: if you’d like to, you can blend the ingredients for the chipotle sauce in a blender to make a smooth sauce, but this isn’t mandatory).
Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook for 5 hours on High heat or 7-9 hours on Low Heat. While the beef slow cooks, you can prepare any side dishes or toppings that you will be using to serve with barbacoa beef.
Once the beef has finished slow cooking, use tongs to transfer the chunks of beef to a cutting board.
Use two forks to shred the meat to your desired consistency (I leave my shredded beef slightly chunky).
Transfer the shredded beef back into the crock pot and allow it to sit in the juices for at least 10 minutes (ideally longer) to soak up more flavor.
Use barbacoa beef for tacos, burritos, or burrito bowls with your favorite toppings. Make beef barbacoa tacos in warm corn tortillas with fresh cilantro, red onions, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Or make a rice bowl or taco salad with your favorite toppings and lime wedges.
To make crispy barbacoa beef, use tongs to transfer some of the meat (without much juice) to a sizzling hot cast iron skillet. Stir and sear the shredded beef until it’s nice and crispy. This is best done in small batches to achieve the optimal crisp.
Store leftover shredded meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
That’s it! An easy recipe for delicious barbacoa beef that will certainly wow the whole family. Make it for Taco Tuesday every week on repeat!
If you love Mexican food and slow cooker recipes, also try my 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken recipe and my Crock Pot Birria Tacos.
Enjoy this amazing shredded beef!
Crock Pot Beef Barbacoa
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pound boneless beef chuck roast
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 to 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 to 3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Cut the chuck roast into large chunks and season them liberally with sea salt.
- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of avocado oil (or high temperature cooking oil of choice) in a large cast iron skillet over high heat. Wait for a few minutes for the skillet to become sizzling hot, then carefully place the chunks of meat on the hot surface in a single layer (this may take two batches depending on the amount of meat and the size of the skillet). Brown the beef for 2-3 minutes per side on two sides.
- Transfer the chopped onion to the slow cooker along with the seared beef. Pour in the remaining ingredients (beef broth, chopped chipotle peppers, fresh lime juice, garlic powder, and bay leaves) and give everything a stir. Note: if you’d like to, you can blend the ingredients for the chipotle sauce in a blender to make a smooth sauce, but this isn’t mandatory).
- Secure the lid on the crock pot and cook for 5 hours on High heat or 7-9 hours on Low Heat. While the beef slow cooks, you can prepare any side dishes or toppings that you will be using to serve with barbacoa beef.
- Once the beef has finished slow cooking, use tongs to transfer the chunks of beef to a cutting board.
- Use two forks to shred the meat to your desired consistency (I leave my shredded beef slightly chunky).
- Transfer the shredded beef back into the crock pot and allow it to sit in the juices for at least 10 minutes (ideally longer) to soak up more flavor.
- Use barbacoa beef for tacos, burritos, or burrito bowls with your favorite toppings. Make beef barbacoa tacos in warm corn tortillas with fresh cilantro, red onions, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Or make a rice bowl or taco salad with your favorite toppings and lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
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