This barbacoa recipe cooks the beef in a flavorful barbacoa sauce in the slow cooker until it’s fall-apart tender and easy to shred. It’s similar to what you’d get at Chipotle’s and perfect for nachos, tacos, and burritos.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 35 mins
Cook Time: 8 hrs 10 mins
Total Time: 8 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, cut into 6 to 8 chunks
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 large bay leaves
Steps
- Season beef chunks with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook and stir beef until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer browned beef to a slow cooker.
- Mix broth, vinegar, lime juice, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves together in a bowl until well combined. Season mixture with salt and pepper and pour over beef in the slow cooker. Stir in bay leaves.
- Cook on Low until beef is fork-tender, 8 to 10 hours. Discard bay leaves. Remove beef from the cooker and shred using two forks.
- Return beef to the slow cooker and stir to coat with sauce. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes before serving.