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Home » Slow Cooker » Barbacoa Beef (Slow Cooker)

February 19, 2019 By Sara 38 Comments

Barbacoa Beef (Slow Cooker)

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This slow cooker barbacoa recipe is so easy to make and is the perfect filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more! Cubes of beef are simmered in the crock pot with chiles, garlic and spices until they become ultra tender. This recipe is great for feeding a crowd!

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I make tacos almost every week, and we alternate between slow cooker chicken tacos, tilapia fish tacos, and this super easy barbacoa.

Slow cooker barbacoa tacos topped with avocado.

Taco night is always a big hit at my house, and my kids love to make their own Mexican food creations! I get tired of the same old ground beef tacos sometimes, and decided to add this easy and delicious slow cooker barbacoa beef to our dinner rotation. It’s super tender and flavorful meat that’s perfect for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, you name it! Best of all, the prep time is only 10 minutes. Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker, go about your day, and dinner will be waiting for you when you get home! How can you go wrong with that?

Cubes of beef, garlic, spices and chiles in a slow cooker.

What kind of meat is barbacoa?

Typically in America, you’ll find that barbacoa is made with beef, although sometimes you’ll also see it made with lamb. In Mexico where this dish originated, it’s often made with goat meat!

How Do You Make Barbacoa Beef?

This recipe starts with fresh cubed beef. I use cubes of chuck roast, but you could also use brisket if you prefer, or even beef stew meat. The meat is seasoned with garlic, canned chipotle peppers and a variety of spices. The beef simmers in a slow cooker until it’s tender enough to be cut with a fork. When you’re ready to eat, simply shred the meat and serve.

Chunks of beef tossed with beef broth, spices and a bay leaf in a crock pot.

Tips for barbacoa

  • Chipotle peppers come in a can and are actually smoked jalapenos in adobo sauce. While the peppers are spicy, the sauce is not, but packs all of that great flavor. Since I’m feeding kids who are sensitive to spice, I use one chipotle pepper plus a tablespoon of adobo sauce in this recipe to keep the heat in my beef barbacoa to a manageable level. If you prefer spicy, go ahead and use 2 chipotle peppers.
  • You can freeze any remaining chipotle peppers for another use.
  • This recipe can be frozen for up to 2 months. Simply place your cooked meat in a freezer safe container, then thaw in the fridge and warm in a pan over medium heat.
  • This recipe makes a lot of meat – you can easily cut the recipe in half for a smaller group.
  • If you want to add an extra layer of flavor, you can brown your beef in a little oil before you place it in the crock pot. This is an optional step.

Cooked barbacoa cubes in a slow cooker.

My favorite way to serve barbacoa beef is in tacos, in these photos we’ve got flour tortillas, plenty of beef, and fresh avocado tossed with a little lime juice, cilantro and red onion. This barbacoa is similar to what you’d get at the Chipotle restaurant, except you can make it at home yourself and without a ton of effort!

Shredded barbacoa beef in a slow cooker, topped with cilantro.

Other Mexican food Recipes You’ll Love

  • Shrimp Fajitas
  • Ground Beef Tacos
  • Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
  • White Queso Dip
  • Chile Colorado

Barbacoa Beef Video

Slow cooker barbacoa tacos topped with avocado.
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5 from 10 votes

Barbacoa Beef (Slow Cooker)

This slow cooker barbacoa beef recipe is so easy to make and is the perfect filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more!
Course Main
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword barbacoa, barbacoa beef, mexican beef, slow cooker barbacoa beef
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 413kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs chuck roast or brisket cut into large cubes
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano use Mexican oregano if possible
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 canned chipotle pepper
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle pepper can
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  • Place the meat in a slow cooker. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, bay leaf, chipotle, adobo sauce and beef broth. Stir to combine.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours. Shred the meat with two forks and remove bay leaf. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 413kcal | Protein: 43g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 879mg | Potassium: 782mg | Vitamin A: 40IU | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 5.3mg

This post was originally published on October 4, 2017 and was updated on February 29, 2019 with new content.

Filed Under: Dinner, Slow Cooker Tagged With: Beef, Mexican Food, Tacos

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Comments

  1. Mel says

    August 29, 2020 at 12:13 am

    How much adobo sauce should I add if I am omitting the chipotle pepper?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 29, 2020 at 8:10 am

      2-3 teaspoons!

      Reply
  2. Dee says

    August 23, 2020 at 3:44 am

    5 stars
    I am making this amazing dish a second time. Is vegetable broth a good alternative if you can’t get beef broth??

    Reply
    • Sara says

      August 23, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      Yes that’s fine!

      Reply
  3. Martha says

    January 19, 2020 at 2:41 pm

    Do you only use one pepper from the adobo can?? I used the whole can and it was spicy.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 19, 2020 at 8:05 pm

      Yes the recipe calls for just one pepper!

      Reply
  4. Stefanie says

    November 10, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    5 stars
    This is honestly one of the most tasty and flavourful meals ever! Made this twice now and it’s amazing, I did sear the cubed Chuck first and I added 3 peppers for more heat… so good, a keeper recipe for sure

    Reply
  5. Kari says

    November 9, 2019 at 12:21 pm

    Is there a version for the instapot? This looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      November 9, 2019 at 2:12 pm

      Cook on high manual pressure for 45 minutes, then quick release the pressure!

      Reply
  6. Delia says

    October 17, 2019 at 11:46 am

    Trying this for dinner tonight

    Reply
    • Stella says

      January 19, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      I tried it last night and it was one of the best dishes I’ve made. Tons of leftovers for the freezer the dish has so many delicious flavors!

      Reply
  7. Tricia says

    September 20, 2019 at 8:52 pm

    I don’t see the pepper being added in the video. When should it be added? Does it go in whole or get cut up first? Remove it before serving? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      September 22, 2019 at 10:01 pm

      It’s in with the adobo sauce in the video, I mince it up and I don’t remove it before serving.

      Reply
  8. Beverly says

    September 4, 2019 at 9:01 am

    Looks amazing. Will have to try soon

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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