Barbacoa
277 Comments
Updated Apr 11, 2024
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Beef barbacoa (barbacoa de res) that’s juicy, meltingly tender, and seasoned with flavorful chilies and spices. The key to this Mexican staple is cooking it low and slow for meat that falls right apart. And once it does, it makes for the ultimate barbacoa tacos, bowls, and so much more!
What Is Barbacoa?
If you live in the US, you might know barbacoa from eating at your local Chipotle restaurant. It’s that juicy, tender beef that sits in that tub of spicy liquid. And I’ll be the first to admit it’s delicious, but it’s not quite as authentic as traditional Mexican barbacoa.
Similar to Mexican birria, barbacoa is more traditionally made from beef cheeks, but it can also be made from various cuts of beef, or even lamb, or goat. It really varies among the different regions of Mexico. But here’s the gist of it – it’s heavily seasoned meat with spices and chipotle peppers, then slow-cooked in a pit with coals or over an open flame until you’ve got beautifully juicy, fall-apart tender meat.
I’ve been lucky to enjoy many of those tasty variations on my travels through Mexico. But today, I’m sharing an easy, slow-cooker version that you can make at home, using beef chuck roast along with all those delicious Mexican flavors!
Beef Barbacoa Ingredients
With the help of a flavorful spice blend, chilies, and other aromatics, this recipe is a flavor sensation!
- Beef Chuck Roast: Make sure to cut this into 3-inch chunks before adding into the slow cooker.
- Chipotles In Adobo Sauce: These peppers add the most delicious smoky flavor and just the right amount of heat. If you’ve got leftovers, blend them up into a chipotle sauce!
- Onion and Garlic: Essential aromatics that make any recipe better.
- Lime Juice: Fresh is always best, don’t use jarred lime juice. Trust me.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: For a big of tang and acidity.
- Spices: Just a little cumin, oregano, ground cloves, salt and pepper take this meat to the next level.
- Bay Leaves: A few bay leaves simmer in the juices to help round out the flavor.
- Beef Stock: Helps to keep the beef moist and tender as it cooks.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
What Cut Of Beef To Use
When it comes to cooking meat low and slow, it’s best to use tough and lean cuts of beef with minimal fat. You might be thinking the opposite, but as it cooks, their high amount of collagen will break down into gelatin and tenderize the meat. In other words, it’ll taste just as luscious as meat with fat on it!
How To Make Slow Cooker Barbacoa
Combine and cook. Add everything except for the bay leaves to the bowl of a slow cooker, and toss it all together with tongs. Then add in the bay leaves and cook on low for 8-9 hours. By then, the beef should be extremely tender and fall apart easily.
Shred it up! Transfer the beef to a cutting board and shred it with two forks.
Make it extra juicy. Move the shredded beef back into the slow cooker and give it a stir to absorb all the delicious juices.
Serve immediately. Use the barbacoa straight from the slow cooker or add it to a plate for serving it up family style!
How To Serve Barbacoa
Now that you’ve got an entire slow cooker filled with juicy, shredded beef – make the most of it! Sure, you can add it to a plate with a side of Mexican rice and beans. But it doesn’t stop there.
- Tacos: Make barbacoa tacos with diced onions, chopped cilantro, red salsa, and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.
- Burrito Bowls: Build a barbacoa burrito bowl to replicate your favorite Chipotle version! Start with a base of cilantro lime rice, then pile on barbacoa, black beans, pico de gallo, corn, sour cream, and avocado slices.
- Salads: For a lighter meal, swap your base for chopped lettuce! Then pack on the same ingredients as the bowl.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- To store: Let the meat come to room temperature before placing it in an airtight container. It’ll stay good for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.
- To Freeze: In a freezer-safe container, the barbacoa will keep for 1 to 3 months in the freezer.
- For Reheating: Microwave the barbacoa for 1 to 2 minutes until it’s warmed through.
Want to prep barbacoa in advance for a party? You can make it up to 3 days in advance, let it cool, then store it in a covered bowl (with the juices) in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, transfer the barbacoa (with juices) into a baking dish and reheat in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350°F.
Spruce Up Mexican Night!
Whether you’re prepping for Taco Tuesday or Cinco De Mayo, you can’t go wrong with any of these delicious options.
- Carnitas + Carnitas Tacos
- Chicken Fajitas
- Shrimp Tacos
- Carne Asada + Carne Asada Tacos
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Birria Tacos
And you can wash down all that spicy meat with a classic margarita, strawberry margarita, or mango margarita!
If you make this barbacoa, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Barbacoa (Slow Cooker)
Description
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 to 4 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup beef stock
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the bay leaves, to the bowl of a slow cooker.
- Use tongs to gently toss and mix it all together. Then add the bay leaves, and cover. Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be tender and fall apart easily when shredded with a fork. If it doesn't shred easily, cook it a bit longer.
- Remove the beef to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.
- Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, give it a stir, and let it absorb the juices.
- Serve the barbacoa straight from the slow cooker, or add it to a plate and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
Nutrition
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Recipe originally published February 2021, but updated to include new information for your benefit!
My family’s favorite dish! It’s super tasty and I usually double the recipe to freeze meals for later.
I’m so glad the whole family loves this barbacoa recipe, Bonnie!
I made this last night. It was awesome. I minced all the ingredients except the bay leaves in my nutribullet and poured it over the beef. I cooked about 8 hours and it just fell apart. Served with Zataran’s cilantro and lime rice. Definitely will make again!
Amazing! I’m glad your barbacoa turned out perfectly, James.
I’ve made this many times and about to make it again this recipe is the bomb for making barbacoa!!
Amazing! Happy to hear you’re loving this barbacoa recipe, Hannah!
How can I do this in the oven bc I don’t own a slow cooker
You can use an oven safe pot with lid. Like a Dutch oven.
I would run it at 350 for an hour then down to 275 for the rest of the time
Amazing Barbacoa recipe! Delicious, smoky, mild heat.
Hi Jill – Happy to hear you love this barbacoa recipe!
I love making this barbacoa! I make it and pair it with a Chipotle style meal – white rice, black beans, pico, sour cream and cheese. Tastes just like Chipotle and I have leftovers for days!
Hi Becca – Can’t beat this recipe for the ultimate Chipotle copycat!
Soooo delicious and so easy, thank you for the great recipe
Hi Zoe – Happy to hear you enjoyed this barbacoa recipe!
This is a good recipe. It’s flavorful and I would make it again. But be advised that, as good as it is, it’s not authentic barbacoa. I will keep looking for a recipe from an actual Texas latina.
AMAZING!
Hi Gretta – Glad you enjoyed this barbacoa recipe!
I tried this recipe for meal prep. It’s so flavorful and delicious.
Hi Luciana – Happy to hear this barbacoa worked out great for meal prep!
Hey Lisa, this recipe is awesome and is very close to my clone Barbacoa recipe from Chipotle Mexican Grill. The adobo sauce has vinegar in it so, I left this ingredient out as I use adobo sauce from the can along with the chipotle peppers. My cilantro lime rice has quite a bit of lime juice in it so, l left this ingredient out as well.
I have made my recipe with beef broth and without it and I now prefer to use just water as the beef broth dilutes the flavor of the chipotle peppers (smoke flavor) and seasonings. I find that the beef roast has enough beef flavor for the recipe.
I have also made the recipe with and without bay leaves and I cannot tell the difference. Therefore, I no longer use them in my recipe. I am not a chef and my palate may not be sensitive enough to taste this ingredient in the finished product. It may also have something to do with the capsicum or heat from the chipotle peppers.
You must have read Chiptle’s ingredients online as your recipe is one of very few that includes ground cloves. I believe this is one of the necessary ingredients as juniper berries are to Chipotle’s carnitas.
Hi Rick – so happy you enjoy this recipe and have tweaked it to your preferences. Thanks for your review and feedback!
This is not barbacoa simply because too call it barbacoa would mean you used cheek meat NOT chuck roast all you made here was beef stew not barbacoa ….. do some research
Hey Frank. Lighten up, bro. You are correct in the true sense of Barbacoa from Mexicao or Barbados but if you step into a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant you will find this version of Barbacoa which is far more popular in the U.S.
hummmm, i have heard different versions of barbacoa from native Mexicans, some with cheek, Tongue, chuck or brisket. I think it depends on what part of Mexico you come from. Either way, this recipe is awesome and probably just as flavorful as the native recipies. But Frank, you should cook it your own way if you think it will taste better. Me, I am dying to try this version.
This recipe is one of our family favourites.. Its so easy and versatile.. I poured the whole can of adobes in with the sauce.. I thought there would be too little sauce but the meat lets out so much juice.. I cooked it for the recommended time of 8 hours and it just melts in your mouth.. I threw in a sliced jalapeno for some heat..
Put leftovers into tacos and froze the rest.. Honestly good, healthy recipe..
Hi Lisa – I’m so glad you love this barbacoa recipe!
This recipe was easy and very flaverful my family gave me two thumbs up. Thank u. Helen
Wonderful! Happy to hear about the two thumbs up. Thanks, Mary!
I had some tough steak I wanted to use up, and this recipe made it tender and flavorful. Will make it again. Thanks.
The slow cooker has a magical way of tenderizing tough meat. Glad it all turned out for you!
I made this dish last Sunday for
my family! They loved it! So, tasty! I will definitely be making this again soon.
Wonderful! I’m happy to hear that!
This is a favourite in our house. The flavours are amazing. I made a batch and froze and still so good weeks later.
It’s one of my favorite recipes to store and then reheat as well. Hope you enjoy it even more in the future!
I made this today, and it was delicious! Super easy, and used ingredients I already had. I used 3 chilis in adobo sauce, and it was a little spicy, but not too bad. It made the house smell wonderful! I’ll definitely be making this a lot! Thanks so much for the recipe!
So happy you loved the barbacoa, Shelly!
It says 8 servings. How many ounces is each serving???
Is this 3-4 cans of chilis in adobo sauce, or 3-4 chilis total from 1 can?
Hi Skylar – it’s 3-4 chilies from one can. Make sure to watch my video above as well! Enjoy!
If doing half the amount in this recipe, do I keep the same cook time? Thanks!
Hi Shauna – it will likely cook faster. I’d check on it an hour sooner, and see if the meat falls apart. If it does, you know it’s done. :)
Have you ever made this with a beef brisket?
Hi Beth – I haven’t tried this recipe with beef brisket, as it’s typically made with chuck roast.
This dish is AMAZING. This is my third time making it. I actually put the entire roast in whole, I put all of the onions, peppers, garlic, herbs and spices in our Vitamix and blend until smooth, pour it over the beef, and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours (we have 3 kids and sometimes I start cooking it late, lol). Everyone loves it! It’s my oldest daughter’s FAVORITE dish now, and she is hard to please when it comes to eating real food.
Hi Syleste – I’m so glad everyone loves this barbacoa recipe!
This was excellent! We loved the barbacoa bowls and tacos! I made the cilantro rice to go with it all. I made the recipe exactly as written and it turned out wonderfully.
Hi Dana – Thrilled to hear your barbacoa turned out perfectly!
Is nutritional value per serving, or per dish? I have to watch my potassium intake.
Thank you
Ava
Hi Ava – The nutritional information will always be per serving.
Turned out just like it looks. Delicious flavor juicy tender. Mine was just under 4 pounds so it only took seven hours. I made it in advance as Tuesday is a very busy day for me and will come in handy to just throw it together in a bowl. Thank you for this delicious meal.
Hi Tamara – Happy to hear your barbacoa turned out perfectly!!
Can I replace the beef with Chicken?
You could, but then it wouldn’t be barbacoa. ;)
Could this be halved and done in a dutch oven?
Hi Laura – You can halve the recipe if you’d like and make this in a dutch oven! I haven’t tested this in a dutch oven though, so you might want to reference a different recipe for the proper cooking time.
Love this recipe! Wondering if it would freeze well as a postpartum meal potentially?
Yes, you can freeze this!
This barbacoa was easier than I thought to prep , slow cooker on high for four hours, fork tender, adding into my go-to recipes.
Spice level: zero 🌶️ spicy
I did not use the peppers just the adobo sauce from the can
Thanks Lisa
Hi Pam – Happy to hear this barbacoa was a hit!
Could this be prepare in an instant pot as written? If so, how long would you suggest and would 3/4 c broth be enough liquid? Thank you. ☺️
Hi Linda – I haven’t made this in an Instant Pot before, so I would look up a recipe using that appliance for the proper cooking temp and time. Otherwise, you can use these ingredients!
Hello, Please tell me how many people would this serve? I need to feed a crowd
Hi Marie – You can always find the serving amount in the recipe card. But, this recipe has 8 servings :)
Could this be used on good crusty rolls or would the rolls get soggy? How would I thicken the sauce to use on the sandwiches?
Hi Linda – You can use this as a sandwich filler! The rolls will soften over time from the meat juice, so I wouldn’t add extra sauce.
This recipe is delicious, I prepared it exactly as written. It’s very easy to make, and will make your house smell amazing! Thank you, Lisa!
Thanks, Jennifer! I’m happy you loved it!
My husband & I agreed if there was a barbacoa cookoff contest, we could win with this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing. It was my first recipe of yours to try and now I’m ready to find another.
Thanks so much for that compliment, Penny! I’m glad you both enjoyed the barbacoa, and I hope you enjoy many more recipes on my website as well. :)
My family just loves this recipe!! It’s in our regular rotation and it is always a hit. Even my fussy teen asks for it!!
Yay, sounds like a winner to me!
So good and so simple to make! I don’t know if it made a difference, but I seeded the chipotles because I am not one for a lot of spice. It turned out just perfect for me – just a little tingle on the tongue, nothing more. We’ve used it on tacos, burritos, and loaded nachos – all turned out great!
So happy you loved the barbacoa, Carissa! And yes, you can remove the seeds to reduce the spice to your liking. Enjoy!
Lisa,
This recipe is nothing short of perfection. Our family loves the Barbacoa and would not change a thing. Thanks for sharing!!
Wonderful! Thanks so much, Charlie!
Tastes just like the meat I would get from the Taco Street restaurant at our local mall! I was so disappointed when they left the mall. I’m so grateful I found this recipe.
Yay, I’m thrilled you love my recipe. Enjoy!
Absolutely amazing!!!!!
Thanks, Eva! Happy you loved it.
Tasty and easy to prepare! Froze the leftovers.
Happy you loved it!