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.

featured crockpot barbacoa beef.

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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!

close up of crockpot barbacoa beef.
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close up of barbacoa beef in a cast iron serving vessel with limes.

How to Make Crockpot Barbacoa Beef

You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!

  1. Juice the limes and combine with ingredients to make the marinade.
  2. Prep beef and season it, then slice it into small chunks.
  3. Add vegetable oil to the skillet, sear beef on both sides, and then place it into the slow cooker.
  4. Pour the marinade on top, cover the cooker with the lid, then set it to cook for six hours on LOW.
  5. 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.
step by step photos for how to make crockpot barbacoa beef.
barbacoa beef in a cast iron serving vessel.
Can I make the barbacoa marinade without a food processor?

You can use a blender instead of a food processor to combine the marinade ingredients.

Are chipotle peppers spicy?

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.

What can I use instead of beef chuck roast?

Some of my favorite alternatives to chuck roast are tri-tip roast, top round roast, or bottom round roast (sometimes called rump roast).

How can I cook barbacoa beef in a dutch oven instead of a crockpot?

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.

barbacoa beef in a crockpot with limes.

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

close up of barbacoa beef with a ladle of drippings.

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:

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.

Recipe Card

Crockpot Barbacoa Beef Recipe

5 from 6 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 6 hours
Total: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Author: Becky Hardin
featured crockpot barbacoa beef.
If you’ve ever had authentic Mexican street tacos, you’ve likely tasted the flavor of delicious barbacoa beef. This Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa recipe makes it easy to prepare this delicious meat right at home.
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Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Crockpot
  • 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
    ingredients for crockpot barbacoa beef.
  • 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
    crockpot barbacoa beef ingredients in a food processor.
  • 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
    3-inch pieces of chuck roast in a crockpot.
  • 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
    chuck roast in a crockpot with marinade, limes, and 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!
    shredded crockpot barbacoa beef with meat claws.

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.
Calories: 297kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 30gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 496mgPotassium: 615mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 510IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

Meet Becky Hardin

Becky Hardin is a wife and mother living in Saint Louis Missouri. She founded The Cookie Rookie in 2012 as a creative way to share recipes. Now, she is a trusted resource for easy cooking around the world, being featured in Taste of Home, The Kitchn, ABC’s Home and Family, and more. Here at The Cookie Rookie she is the editor in chief of all recipes and continues to enjoy sharing her passion for cooking for busy families. She has since founded two additional food blogs, Easy Chicken Recipes and Easy Dessert Recipes.

5 from 6 votes (5 ratings without comment)
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4 Comments
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TMC
TMC
September 4, 2022 10:08 pm

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.5 stars

Samantha Marceau
September 6, 2022 9:11 am
Reply to  TMC

Sounds delicious!

Dee Dee
Dee Dee
August 7, 2022 8:07 pm

Barbacoa is goat.

gic
gic
August 11, 2022 12:50 pm
Reply to  Dee Dee

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.