Description
Barbacoa Beef is a rich and flavorful slow cooker recipe made with tender chuck roast, smoky chipotle peppers, warm spices, and fresh lime juice. This authentic Mexican-style beef cooks low and slow until fall-apart tender and is perfect for tacos, burritos, bowls, and meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 lb chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1¼ cups beef broth, divided
- 3–4 chipotle chilies in adobo
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1½ tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Cut chuck roast into 6 pieces, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear beef on all sides until browned.
- Transfer seared beef to slow cooker.
- Blend chipotle chilies, garlic, and 1/4 cup beef broth until smooth.
- Whisk remaining beef broth with chipotle mixture, cumin, oregano, and cloves.
- Pour mixture over beef and add bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on low for 8–9 hours until beef is fork-tender.
- Shred beef and return to slow cooker with juices.
- Stir in fresh lime juice and cook on warm for 20–30 minutes.
- Strain excess liquid if desired and serve.
Notes
Searing the beef before slow cooking adds deep flavor. Chuck roast is ideal for barbacoa because it becomes tender and juicy when cooked low and slow.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 9 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 ounces
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 720mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 44g
- Cholesterol: 135mg
Keywords: barbacoa beef, slow cooker barbacoa, beef barbacoa recipe