Slow Cooker Barbacoa Recipe

A bowl of beef barbacoa garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

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This beef barbacoa isn’t just tender - it’s melt-in-your-mouth, flavor-bomb, can’t-stop-won’t-stop delicious! With tender shredded beef infused with smoky chipotle, garlic, lime, and warm spices, it’s perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, and more. ust toss the ingredients in your slow cooker, cook, shred, top, and enjoy!

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time8 10

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: beef barbacoa

Servings: servings

Calories: 332kcal

Author: Jessica Haggard

Ingredients

3 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 2-inch pieces
4 whole chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup beef bone broth
¼ cup lime juice fresh and extra wedges for garnish
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 individual bay leaves
¼ cup cilantro fresh and chopped for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the beef pieces to the slow cooker then cover with all ingredients, reserving the bay leaf. Mix with a few stirs of a spoon until the meat is mixed into the seasonings. Top with bay leaf.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
Remove and discard the bay leaves. Shred the beef using two forks, mixing it back into the sauce for extra flavor.
Let the beef rest for about 10 minutes to absorb the sauce before serving with optional lime wedges and fresh chopped cilantro.

Notes

This is optional, but searing the beef quickly before it goes in the slow cooker can make a big difference in flavor.
For the best care of your slow cooker pot, remove the beef to a cutting board with a slotted spoon and shred it. Then add it back to the pot to mix with the sauce.

Serve: Serve it with warm corn or flour tortillas, Mexican rice, and black or pinto beans. For something lighter or low-carb, pile beef barbacoa onto cauliflower rice, in cauliflower tortillas, lettuce wraps, or over a fresh cabbage slaw. It’s also fantastic in burrito bowls!

Store: Cool completely, transfer into an airtight container, and store in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stove with a splash of broth to keep it juicy. Thaw frozen beef in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Nutrition

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