Barbacoa Beef Recipe (Slow Cooker)

This barbacoa beef recipe makes fork tender Mexican shredded beef in a flavorful, chipotle-spiced sauce.

Cook it in your slow cooker and serve in tacos, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, or salads for an easy, delicious meal!

My favorite way to eat barbacoa beef is on corn tortillas and topped with cilantro, onions, and lime juice.

However, it is great on rice bowls over using jalapeno, cilantro, lime rice.

Watch how to make

It is also fantastic over nachos. If you make Mexican shredded beef nachos, try making it over homemade baked tortilla chips. They are so good!

Ingredients for barbacoa beef

You will need the following ingredients to make barbacoa beef:

• Beef chuck roast- Because this recipe is slow cooked, the beef chuck roast is the best option for tender, flavorful, fall off the fork meat. However, you can substitute with a bottom round roast if you want a leaner cut.
• cumin
• ground cloves- You can substitute with a few whole cloves. If you use whole cloves, do not process them in the blender. Instead, add them in when you add the bay leaves and remove them when you remove the bay leaves.
• beef broth-You can substitute with chicken broth or water.
• apple cider vinegar
• chipotles in adobo sauce- I like the extra spice and flavor from the chipotles. If you want it to be less spicy, use half of the recommended amount in the recipe.
• Mexican oregano- You can substitute with Italian or Greek oregano.
• ground coriander
• bay leaves
• garlic
• lime juice

NOTE: Full recipe measurements are in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Steps

Follow these simple steps to make barbacoa beef in slow cooker.

1. Sear chuck roast on each side until outside is brown. Add to crockpot.
2. In a food processor or blender, add beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, ground cloves, chipotles in adobo sauce, Mexican oregano, ground coriander, garlic, and lime juice. Process until smooth.
3. Pour sauce mixture over the chuck roast. Add the bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours until fork tender.
4. Remove and discard bay leaves. Remove meat from juices. Shred the beef.
5. Add beef back into the juices. Serve beef in tacos, burritos, rice bowls, nachos, and salads.

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Note: I found these fun, cute taco trays on Amazon. They are sturdy, dish washer proof, colorful, and do a great job holding my tacos in place.

Can you freeze barbacoa?

You can freeze barbacoa. To freeze, store in a ziplock or airtight container up to 4 months.

To serve, defrost meat, then reheat on stove top or microwave.

What sides go well with barbacoa?

Looking for some tasty sides to go with barbacoa? Try some of these:

• Mexican Corn Salad
• Cheesy Green Chile Rice Casserole
• Mexican Black Beans
• Mexican Pickled Carrots
• Homemade Restaruant Style Salsa

About the recipe

This recipe is from my dear friend and neighbor, Michelle Lakeman.

She also has shared her Apple Cider Margarita recipe with me. (It pairs perfect with barbacoa!)

She is a fantastic cook and mixologist.  Dinner is always special and fun at her house. I am always begging for her recipes. I am so lucky to live next door to enjoy her friendship and kitchen creations.

Did your barbacoa beef turn out delicious? Please leave me a comment below if you make this and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.

Also post a picture of your barbacoa on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!