Barbacoa Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

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This homemade beef barbacoa recipe is easy to make in the slow cooker, and it’s SO flavorful and delicious! Perfect for burritos, tacos, salads, quesadillas and more.

What was the“cool” restaurant you begged your parents to take you to when you were a kid?

Growing up in Wichita in the 80s and 90s, I have to admit that my parents were way ahead of the whole “supporting local restaurants” trend, and we were regulars at our neighborhood Mexican and Chinese restaurants. But when we were ordering take-out on a busy evening, or going out to dinner with a bunch of family friends, or when we read enough books and earned enough stars on our purple holographic buttons….Pizza Hut was where it wasat. Or more accurately, where we were at. Yes, many a landmark occasion in my childhood was marked with a Canadian bacon personal pan pizza and an ice cold Pepsi and friends nearby to celebrate. And then a few days later my sister and I would beg our parents to take us back. Actually, just a few weeks ago, my aunt ordered Pizza Hut for a family reunion and my inner 10-yr-old came out and I inhaled three pieces of thin pizza like they were the best. food. ever. Because in my childhood, they pretty much were.

But it seems like times have changed. When I was teaching kids music lessons for years, I couldn’t help but notice that the to-go cup that most frequently accompanied students into the studio was from none other than…Chipotle. My students werecrazy about Chipotle. It seemed to be the place where their families went for a quick meal on the go, or where they would celebrate together with the team after the soccer game, and where (at age 9!) they could rattle off their preference for a chicken-burrito-bowl-with-black-beans-rice-corn-salsa-extra-cheese-no-lettuce by memory. And just like my sister and I years ago, they would beg their parents to take them there as often as possible.

Nowgranted, Chipotle will never have anything as cool as Book-It. (Sidenote: pleasetell me that you all read about this very important30th birthdayand the return ofBook-It for adults!) But I have to agree that I find myself popping in nowadays for a barbacoa salad bowl much (much) more than I order a pepperoni pizza. And I’m thrilled that — of all the fast food restaurants out there — Chipotle all the rage, and has become such a popular, affordable, fresh, generally healthy, and tasty place for a new generation of kids to eat. And, you know, all of those “kids at heart” too.

But as much as I love and always order the barbacoa salad there, I have to confess that it still doesn’t compare to the barbacoa recipe (a.k.a. shredded beef) I make homemade. It’s so flavorful, super tender, and perfect on just about anything. Also, it can be made simple in the slow cooker, and you can add as much of it to your tacos or burritos or salads or rice bowls as you’d like. Plus, the cost of making it homemade for a large family (or for leftovers) will probably only be a fraction of what you would pay eating out.

Homemade barbacoa, anyone?

Homemade Barbacoa Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Traditionally, barbacoa is cooked over an open fire, or in a pit dug in the ground that has been covered with maguey leaves. But I live in a loft building downtown where open fires and pits are, you might say, “frowned upon”. So I go for the next best thing — my slow cooker.

To keep things as easy as possible, this recipe basically just requires you to toss all of your ingredients in the pot and let the slow cooker do all of the work. It will definitely yield a shredded beef barbacoa that has a few chunks of onion and garlic and green chiles in there, which I don’t mind. But if you want to take an extra step, you can pulse all of the extra non-beef ingredients (minus the bay leaves) together in a food processor or blender beforehand so that there are no chunks. Your call.

Some people also like to sear the beef in a tablespoon or two of oil in a saute pan before adding it to a slow cooker, which will result in some crispier edges and slightly richer flavor. But I think this beef is plenty tender and flavorful cooked 100% in the slow cooker. So also, your call.

Barbacoa

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Description

This barbacoa recipe is simple to make in your slow cooker, and makes the most tender, flavorful, delicious barbacoa beef.

Ingredients

Scale

3 pounds beef chuck roast (fat trimmed), cut into 2-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or standard dried oregano)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup beef stockor water

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Instructions

Slow cook. Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker. Toss gently to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender and falls apart easily when shredded with a fork.
Shred and toss. Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces inside of the slow cooker. Toss the beef with the juices, then cover and let the barbacoa beef soak up the juices for an extra 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
Serve. Use a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon to serve the barbacoa beef and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

Storage instructions: Any leftovers can be stored (with their juices) in a food storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

posted on October 8, 2014 by Ali

Main Dishes, Mexican-Inspired

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Barbacoa Recipe | Gimme Some Oven (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to cook barbacoa in the ground? ›

Burn large chunks of wood—Vera prefers mesquite, which is plentiful in South Texas—for several hours, until they are reduced to glowing embers. Add the meat and cover the pit with maguey, or agave, leaves to retain and conduct heat. Cook for eight to ten hours, replenishing the wood as necessary.

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What is barbacoa seasoning made of? ›

Grind the toasted cumin and cloves into a powder, and place into a blender. Add the ancho chile powder, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, vinegar, and lime juice. Remove the chiles from the soaking water, and place into the blender along with 1/3 cup of the soaking liquid. Cover, and blend until a smooth paste forms.

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How many pounds of barbacoa do I need for 6 people? ›

Ingredients Needed

Chuck Roast – you'll need 3 pounds of chuck roast to serve 6-8 people. Spices – a combination of salt, pepper, cumin, chipotle chili powder, Mexican oregano, cloves, garlic, and bay leaves lend so much flavor to the beef!

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How is real barbacoa made? ›

Traditionally, barbacoa is a preparation of meat (usually sheep, goat, or beef) that is steam cooked in an underground oven until very tender and succulent. Today the term is also sometimes used for a similar preparation made on a stovetop or in a slow cooker.

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What is authentic barbacoa made from? ›

Barbacoa is a Mexican dish traditionally made from slow-cooking beef, goat, or lamb in a pit, resulting in tender and flavorful meat.

What temperature is barbacoa done? ›

Return the roast to the smoker and smoke for an additional 3 hours or until the internal temperature registers 190°F to 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove roast from smoker. Let stand for 15 minutes. Unwrap; using two forks, pull meat apart into shreds.

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What do you eat with barbacoa? ›

Serve barbacoa beef with salad and your choice of side (yellow rice, tortillas, black beans, Mexican street corn, etc). Enjoy! If meal prepping, divide beef and rice evenly between six meal prep containers.

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How to cook beef head in oven? ›

Cooking the Cow Head

Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C). Place the seasoned cow head on a large roasting pan or baking sheet. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil to trap the moisture and ensure even cooking. Let the cow head cook in the oven for approximately 6-8 hours.

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What does the word barbacoa mean in English? ›

Barbacoa (Spanish: [baɾβaˈkoa]) is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taíno people, who called it by the Arawak word barbaca, from which the term "barbacoa" derives, and ultimately, the word 'barbecue".

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What cut of meat is used for barbacoa? ›

In the US, people typically make barbacoa with chuck roast, brisket and beef cheeks. However, any cut of beef that has a lot of connective tissue and takes a long time to cook until tender works well.

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What type of meat is barbacoa? ›

Barbacoa is a method of cooking meat (historically lamb or goat, though beef or pork is often used today) that produces tender and juicy results. It's traditionally steam-cooked underground, but modern barbacoa can be prepared over an open fire, on the stove, or in a slow cooker.

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How many people does a pound of barbacoa feed? ›

You usually order barbacoa by the pound and the best way to eat it is with corn tortillas. A pound is a good amount and can probably feed four people comfortably (even as three hungry dudes we had some left overs at our table).

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How many pounds of barbacoa do I need for 10 people? ›

In general, each pound of BBQ feeds 3 to 4 people, especially if you're serving sides. You can expect most adult guests to eat ¼ to ⅓ pounds of meat each during your event.

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How much barbacoa per person? ›

This same barbacoa recipe can be used to make anywhere from 5-10 pounds of meat. Estimate approximately 1/2 pound of raw meat per person. If you can't find dry pasilla peppers, use guajillo peppers. Use leftover barbacoa meat to make barbacoa quesadillas, barbacoa sliders, burrito bowls, or add it into burritos.

How did the Aztecs cook barbacoa? ›

The word barbacoa comes from the Nahuatl word Baalbak Kaab, literally meat covered in soil. The Aztecs and many other indigenous people in Mexico cooked barbacoa in holes in the ground filled with hot stones, wood and charcoal.

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What is barbacoa tradition? ›

In contemporary Mexico, it generally refers to meats or whole sheep or whole goats slow-cooked over an open fire or, more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with agave (maguey) leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day (and in some cases) may refer to meat steamed until tender ...

Why is barbacoa cooked in the ground? ›

According to the book Pre-Hispanic Mexican Cuisine: The Food of the Ancient Mexicans, which Barbacoa Renatos has used as a source, the Mayans came up with the technique of steam-cooking meat in underground ovens, which keeps both the juices from the animal and the smoke and heat from escaping and forces them back into ...

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How is the barbacoa cooked at Chipotle? ›

Then we marinate it overnight in our smoky, spicy chipotle pepper adobo, and finish it on the grill (for steak) or add aromatic spices like oregano, cloves, and bay leaf, braise it slowly at a low temperature until it's mouthwateringly tender, then shred it by hand (for Barbacoa).