This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Put all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and at the end of the day, you have the best beef. The beef is soft, tender, and delicious! It is the perfect companion for homemade gorditas but you can also use them with corn tacos, quesadillas, or burritos. So, are you ready to learn how to make slow cooker barbacoa? Let’s get started!
Barbacoa Beef Ingredients
To make this slow cooker barbacoa you need several ingredients so put the following on your grocery shopping list:
- Beef – choose beef to stew, e.g. chuck roast
- Onion – finely dice
- Pickled jalapeños – cut into small pieces
- Garlic – mince fresh garlic
- Beef stock – to cook the beef use stock
- Chipotles in adobo sauce – add that Mexican flavor to the dish
- Lime juice – helps tenderize the meat
- Bay leaves – to add extra flavour
- Apple cider vinegar – also helps tenderize the beef
- Ground cumin – slightly sweet, warming flavor
- Oregano – aromatic herb has a slightly bitter, pungent flavor
- Clove – strong, pungent, sweet flavor that is almost hot
- Salt – enhances the other spices
- Pepper – season to taste
You can find all the ingredient amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Slow Cooker Barbacoa
As this is a set-and-forget type of recipe that is what you are going to do. But first, dice the onion and jalapeños and mince the garlic. But the beef is in a couple of big chunks.
Then put all of the ingredients in the bowl of your slow cooker or Instant Pot. Stir it through to combine the ingredients. Cover the lid of your slow cooker and you can set it to:
- Low – for 6 to 8 hours
- High – for 3 to 4 hours
When the timer is done check the tenderness of the beef. It should easily fall apart. Remove the bay leaves.
Then take two forks and shred the beef into bite-sized pieces, stir the beef through the cooking juices, and leave it in the pot for 10 more minutes.
Your barbacoa is ready to serve. Add it to some gorditas or corn tortillas.
Slow Cooker Barbacoa
If you love Mexican food then barbacoa beef has to be on your menu. Especially when you see how easy it is to make. It is a great recipe to serve with corn gorditas that has that perfect pocket that you can stuff with all of this delicious beef.
This recipe is slow-cooked but if you have an Instant Pot, you can also pressure cook it in a fraction of the time. That is what I love about multicookers.
You can decide whether you want to cook fast or cook slow. In both cases, you get excellent beef. This barbacoa comes out so soft and even though you add chipotles in adobo sauce it is not too hot.
How To Store Barbacoa
You can make a big batch of this barbacoa recipe so you can store it when you are in a pinch for time or just want to be able to make a fast dinner.
Keeping the meat longer will give your beef even more flavor so another bonus to making a big batch.
- Refrigerator – store the shredded beef in an airtight container and store for up to 3 to 4 days
- Freezer – want to store it longer package the beef in portion-size containers or ziplock bags. Divide the cooking juices. You can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months
How To Reheat Barbacoa
When you want to use the beef in a recipe thaw it first in the fridge. You can take a Dutch oven and add the beef and cooking juices.
Add some liquid like water to the pan, start with half a cup, and warm the beef.
How To Serve Barbacoa Beef
You can serve this beef with just about anything, like:
- Tacos
- Enchiladas
- Burritos
- Quesadillas
- Fajitas
- Tostadas
- Nachos
- Mexican soup
More Slow-Cooker Recipes
If you love to slow cook, take a look at these tasty recipes:
Made a recipe please tag @thetortillachannel on INSTAGRAM, PIN on PINTEREST, and like us on FACEBOOK for more information and updates.
DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TORTILLA CHANNEL NEWSLETTER FOR FREE TO RECEIVE NEW RECIPE NOTIFICATIONS IN YOUR INBOX!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my Privacy Policy for more information.
Slow Cooker Barbacoa
This is just the softest, most juicy and tender beef you have ever tasted. Slow cooker barbacoa is a set and forget recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of green pickled jalapenos
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup beef stock or water
- 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried Oregano
- 1 ground clove
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Dice the onion, chipotles, jalapenos and mince garlic
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your slow cooker. Toss to combine. Cover the lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove bay leaves
- Beef is done when tender and easily falls apart when shredded
- Shred using two forks. Let the beef soak up the cooking juice for 10 minutes
- Serve
Shop This Recipe
Nutrition facts
Calories: 574; Fat: 36g; Carbs: 6g; Protein: 58g;
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @thetortillachannel on Instagram and hashtag it #thetortillachannel
