Description
This Slow Cooker Barbacoa recipe transforms tender beef chuck roast into flavorful, shredded Mexican-style barbacoa. Infused with smoky chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, and fresh lime juice, this dish cooks low and slow to create juicy, melt-in-your-mouth beef perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls, or salads.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
Barbacoa Sauce
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the beef: Place the beef chunks in the slow cooker to form the base of your barbacoa.
- Make the sauce: In a blender or bowl, combine the minced chipotle peppers, garlic, ground cumin, dried oregano, ground cloves, fresh lime juice, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, salt, and black pepper. Blend or whisk until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine and cook: Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the beef in the slow cooker, then add the bay leaves. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours, until the beef is very tender and shreds easily.
- Shred the beef: Remove the bay leaves from the slow cooker. Using two forks, shred the beef directly in the slow cooker, mixing it well to coat the meat in the flavorful sauce.
- Rest and serve: Let the shredded beef sit in the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes to absorb the juices completely before serving.
Notes
- For extra flavor, sear the beef chunks in a hot skillet before adding them to the slow cooker to develop a deeper meat flavor.
- This barbacoa is perfect for tacos, burritos, rice bowls, or salads, making it a versatile and crowd-pleasing meal.
- For a spicier barbacoa, add an extra chipotle pepper to increase the heat level.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
