Crockpot Barbacoa Beef is filled with flavor! If you’ve ever had authentic Mexican street tacos, you’ve likely tasted this delicious beef. This recipe makes it easy to prepare it right at home in your slow cooker.
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Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
This Crockpot Barbacoa Beef recipe is about to be your new favorite taco filling!
Barbacoa beef has a distinct taste best known for its slight tanginess. It’s delicious and tastes amazing when added to barbacoa tacos and barbacoa burrito bowls. Pile it up with other ingredients, like pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, cheese, and avocado or guacamole.
This super easy recipe means you can make it at home any time you like, to create the most delicious meals!
Why You’ll Love this Barbacoa Beef Recipe:
- FLAVORFUL: This beef comes out so rich, spicy, and full of flavor. So delicious, you’ll be eating it on everything.
- VERSATILE: Use it to prepare all kinds of meals, ranging from tacos and burritos, to sandwiches and more.
- EASY: Making barbacoa beef in a Crockpot is super easy. It’s a hands-off recipe that requires very little work.
Preparing slow cooker beef barbacoa is super simple. It’s all about adding the right blend of seasonings to give it that excellent flavor!
How to Make Crockpot Barbacoa Beef
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Juice the limes and combine with ingredients to make the marinade.
- Prep beef and season it, then slice it into small chunks.
- Add vegetable oil to the skillet, sear beef on both sides, and then place it into the slow cooker.
- Pour the marinade on top, cover the cooker with the lid, then set it to cook for six hours on LOW.
- Shred cooked beef with two forks or meat claws, serve, and enjoy!
Homemade Barbacoa Tips
- For the most tender beef, cook on low for 6 hours. For a quicker meal, cook on high for 3 ½ hours.
- To maximize the juice yield of limes, before slicing, roll each lime on a clean work surface using the palm of your hand and firm pressure for around 10 seconds.
- The easiest way to shred the beef is to use meat claws, and shred directly in the crockpot.
You can use a blender instead of a food processor to combine the marinade ingredients.
Yes! Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are very spicy, but the amount used in this recipe does not make the overall dish too spicy. Increase or decrease the quantity based on personal preference.
Some of my favorite alternatives to chuck roast are tri-tip roast, top round roast, or bottom round roast (sometimes called rump roast).
To cook this beef in a dutch oven, preheat oven to 325°F. Follow the recipe as written through step 4, searing the beef pieces in a dutch oven instead of a cast iron pan. Leave the beef pieces in the dutch oven and follow step 5. Cover and roast in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender and registers 205°F internally.
Serving Suggestions
Serve barbacoa beef over rice, as tacos, or as burritos. Top with any combination of beans, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, guacamole, salsa, or sour cream.
Storage Instructions
Store barbacoa beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
Portion leftover beef into zip-top freezer bags and press into a flat layer. Freeze for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
DIY Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are commonly found in the Mexican or international aisle of grocery stores. If your local grocery store does not carry them, make your own replacement by mixing 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of salt together. Use this mixture in place of the 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
More Crockpot Dinner Recipes we Love
- Crockpot Chili
- Mississippi Roast
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Crock Pot Potato Soup
- Crockpot Chicken Burritos
This crockpot barbacoa beef is so easy and so delicious. It makes amazing tacos, but you can use this beef in lots of ways. Anyone who enjoys a bit of spice is going to love this!
More Easy Mexican Recipes to Try:
- Oven Baked Chicken Tacos
- Quesabirria Tacos
- Taco Casserole
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
- Stovetop Chicken Tinga
- Mexican Corn on the Cob
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
- Mexican Pizza
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Crockpot Barbacoa Beef Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch Oven (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 limes
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from a 7-ounce can
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Juice the limes into a small bowl. Set the juiced limes aside to use in step 5.3 limes
- Prepare the marinade. Add the lime juice, rice vinegar, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and shallot to the bowl of a food processor. Blend for 30 seconds. Set aside.¼ cup rice vinegar, 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 shallot
- Remove the fat from the chuck roast and cut into 3-inch chunks. Season all sides with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.3 pounds beef chuck roast, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Heat the vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet set over high heat. Working in batches, sear all sides of the meat, about 45 seconds per side.1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Place the meat into the crockpot insert. Pour the marinade and broth over the beef. Place the bay leaves and juiced limes on top.1 cup low sodium beef broth, 2 bay leaves
- Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Carefully remove the limes and bay leaves. Use two forks or meat claws to shred the meat and enjoy!
Video
Becky’s Tips
- Storage: Store barbacoa beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Timing: If you’re pressed for time, cook on high for 3 ½ hours instead.
- Dutch Oven: To cook barbacoa beef in a dutch oven, preheat oven to 325°F. Follow the recipe as written through step 4, searing the beef pieces in a dutch oven instead of a cast iron pan. Leave the beef pieces in the dutch oven and follow step 5. Cover and roast in the oven for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fall-apart tender and registers 205°F internally.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
I made this tonight. Followed the directions almost exactly, omitted shallots and used onion powder instead, it came out great! Both my boys really liked it. I served it in tortillas with lettuce and made coconut rice to go with it. I will definitely make it again.
Sounds delicious!
Barbacoa is goat.
It depends where you live. In Texas traditional barbacoa comes the the cow’s cheek meat, but for convenience chuck roast is a great alternative.