Barbacoa Beef
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The finest recipe for barbacoa beef! This delectable beef is expertly seasoned and slow-cooked to the ideal level of tenderness.

For a supper that will have you craving more, layer it in tortillas with all of your favorite toppings!

Describe Barbacoa

A traditional Mexican dish called barbacoa is often cooked with beef, goat, or lamb. Traditionally, it is slow-cooked until perfectly soft and seasoned with dried chiles and other spices.

Since then, Barbacoa Beef is utilized as a delectable taco, burrito, and other fillings.

My preferred barbacoa beef recipe is this one. I previously published the recipe in April 2015, but I later determined that the pictures needed to be updated.

It is a simple recipe to prepare and doesn’t require any difficult-to-find ingredients. It has a ton of flavor, and you’ll adore the lime’s vibrancy.

A meal that is most definitely deserving of your supper rotation!

Beef Barbacoa Ingredients

  • Due to its fat marbling, the chuck roast is the greatest roast to eat in this region. It produces incredibly delicate effects.
  • Oil from vegetables is used to brown the roast.
  • If you don’t have beef broth, you can use chicken broth.
  • Chilis from Chipotle – these give food a wonderful spicy boost. Any leftover food in the can should be frozen for later use.
  • Garlic: As usual, I only advise using fresh garlic.
  • These herbs and spices—cumin, cloves, oregano, and bay leaves—add a delectable depth of flavor.
  • Use a good amount of salt and pepper to season the food so it doesn’t taste bland.
  • Some barbacoa recipes call for vinegar, but I prefer the fresh lime juice in this case much more

Barbacoa Beef

How is Barbacoa Beef Prepared?

  • Cut the roast into six parts, taking care to remove any particularly large bits of fat.
  • Cook chunks to the desired doneness by heating oil in a skillet and searing half of the beef at a time until evenly browned.
  • Barbacoa meat is made using chunks of browned chuck roast beef.
  • To make chili paste, blend chipotle chilies, garlic, and 1/4 cup beef broth in a food processor until smooth.
  • To make barbacoa sauce, combine the remaining beef stock, chipotle mixture, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and cloves in a bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Pour the mixture over the steak in the slow cooker, then add the bay leaves.
  • After cooking, slices of barbecued beef are displayed in a slow cooker.
  • Cook in a crockpot for eight to nine hours on low heat with the lid on.
  • Shred beef by removing it from the slow cooker while keeping the broth in place.
  • After adding the lime juice to the broth in the slow cooker, add the beef back in and simmer for an additional 20 to 30 minutes on low or warm. This allows the flavors to meld.

Can I cook in the slow cooker at high heat?

Here, cooking at high heat is not advised because it would result in less soft beef.

How Can You Make It Milder?

Use 4 tsp of chili powder in place of the chipotle peppers if you don’t want the heat. Additionally, omit the food processor step and simply mince the garlic.

What should I use to serve Barbecue Beef?

This adaptable beef recipe is ideal for:

  • Tacos
  • Burritos (wraps or bowls)
  • Salads
  • Nachos
  • Quesadillas
  • Enchiladas

Barbacoa beef toppings that are advised:

  • Lettuce (iceberg, romaine)
  • Cheese (monterey jack, cotija, queso fresco)
  • Tomatoes
  • Cilantro
  • Radishes
  • Onion
  • Guacamole
  • Salsa

Side dishes to go with Barbequed Beef?

  • Spanish Rice
  • Lime Cilantro Rice
  • Beans in adobo

More Delicious Mexican Recipes:

  • Carnitas
  • Chicken polo
  • Chili with Carne
  • Tostadas
  • Chicken tacos street

Barbacoa Beef

Ingredients

  • 3 lb chuck roast
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 cups beef broth, divided
  • 3 – 4 chipotle chilies in adobo*
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Instructions

  1. Remove any substantial bits of fat before slicing the roast into six pieces. In a skillet, warm 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil.
  2. Use paper towels to pat the roast dry before adding salt and pepper (approximately 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper). 3 pieces should be added to the skillet and seared until browned all over. Put in a slow cooker.
  3. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 roast pieces, adding the last 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet. Place the beef chunks in the slow cooker in a layer, side by side.
  4. Chipotle chiles, garlic, and 1/4 cup beef broth are pulsed in a food processor until well pureed. At intervals, pause the machine and clean the sides.
  5. Whisk together the remaining beef broth, the chipotle combination, cumin, oregano, and cloves in a bowl or a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Place bay leaves between the chunks of meat after pouring the mixture over the steak in the slow cooker.
    8 to 9 hours** of cooking on low heat with a cover.
  6. Shred the beef after removing it from the crockpot, but keep the broth. Return the meat to the slow cooker and simmer for an additional 20 to 30 minutes on low or warm after stirring the lime juice into the broth.
  7. The beef broth should be drained before being served with chosen toppings in tortillas.

Notes

  • *Substitute 4 teaspoons of mild chili powder for the chipotle chilies if you don’t like spicy meals.
  • ** For this dish, low cooking will produce the most tender results; I do not advise using high heat.
  • The recipe was first published on April 24, 2015; since then, photographs have been changed, and the amount of cloves has been reduced from 1/2 tsp to 1/4 tsp.