This beef barbacoa recipe is cooked low and slow with chilies and spices until juicy and fall apart tender, perfect for barbacoa tacos, burritos, sandwiches, bowls and more!
The Best Beef Barbacoa
We're making Beef Barbacoa in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends. Care to join? If you've never had beef barbacoa before, this is a recipe you'll want to print and save in your recipe box.
Beef barbacoa is tender shredded beef that has been seasoned with ancho peppers and guajillo peppers along with chipotles in adobo sauce and other seasonings. The beef is cooked low and slow for hours in a slow cooker until it becomes so juicy and tender it melts in your mouth.
It's huge on flavor for my spice loving friends, and you can easily up the heat levels by adding spicy chili flakes, powders, or even fresh chili peppers into the mix.
Never heard of barbacoa?
What is Barbacoa?
Barbacoa is a technique of cooking that originated in the Caribbean where meat is steam cooked low and slow in an underground oven until it becomes very tender.
It was adapted by Mexican and American cooks, usually to cook meat from cattle heads and other cuts of beef, goat or lamb. The technique has evolved to cooking meats with a crock pot, slow cooker or instant pot, or in a pot on the stove top.
The word "barbacoa" translates to "barbecue" in English, though the two cooking method are quite different, which barbecuing done on a hot grill.
Time to get cooking! It's the best barbacoa beef recipe around.
Let's talk about how to make barbacoa, shall we?
Beef Barbacoa Ingredients
- Beef. Use beef chuck roast or use beef brisket, sliced into 2 inch chunks.
- Peppers. Guajillo peppers, ancho peppers, and chipotles in adobo sauce (optional, for extra saucy and tangy-smoky flavor)
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Beef Stock. Or use beef broth.
- Apple Cider Vinegar.
- Lime Juice. 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
- Vegetables. Onion and Garlic.
- Seasonings. Mexican oregano, cumin, bay leaf, and salt and black pepper.
How to Make Beef Barbacoa - the Recipe Method
Rehydrate the Dried Peppers. First, remove the stems from the guajillo and ancho peppers and remove the seeds. Place the dried chiles in a large bowl and cover with very hot or boiling water. Soak them for 15 minutes, or until they become very soft and rehydrate.
Drain and discard the water. Add them to a food processor along with the chipotles in adobo sauce and a bit of salt. Process until smooth.
Rub the Beef. Add the beef chunks to a bowl. Add the ancho-guajillo paste and toss to even coat.
Brown the Meat. Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan to medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks a few minutes per side to get a nice coating. Transfer to a slow cooker or crock pot.
Deglaze the Pan. Deglaze the pan with a bit of beef broth, water or wine and scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour it into the crock pot.
Remaining Ingredients. Add the beef stock, vinegar, lime juice, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
Cook Low and Slow. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours, or until the beef is fork tender. It should easily break apart with a fork. It could take a bit longer to cook, depending on your slow cooker.
I personally recommend cooking on LOW, as the beef will be more tender this way, though HIGH will save you time. Tender barbacoa is the best.
Shred the Beef Barbacoa and Serve. Remove beef and shred with 2 forks, and serve as desired. It's ready to eat once you've shredded the meat.
Serve them up as barbacoa tacos or a burrito bowl! Add some black beans or other fixins. Garnish with fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice. So good!
Boom! Easy enough, isn't it? It is quite an easy recipe. It's really just some quick seasoning and searing, then waiting for the crock pot or slow cooker to do its job.
The only issue is smelling that wonderful slow cooked beef in the house, driving you crazy with hunger. The meat is super tender and flavorful. Perfect for my spicy foods lovers.
Serving Ideas for Barbacoa
- Beef Barbacoa Tacos. Use flour or corn tortillas.
- Easy Beef Burrito Bowls.
- Beef Sandwich. Add some cheese and your favorite fixins!
- Simple Salad.
- Nachos! Pile it onto a big plate of cheesy tortillas. Yes!
Recipe Tips and Notes
Stove Top Barbacoa. If you'd prefer to make this on the stove rather than in your slow cooker, no problem. Just use a dutch oven or large pot.
Sear the seasoned meat in the pot, then add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the beef shreds easily with a fork.
Pressure Cooker Barbacoa. You can make beef barbacoa in the pressure cooker. Simply follow the recipe, but instead of placing everything into the crock pot, place it into the pressure cooker.
Then, pressure cook on HIGH for 60 minutes, then use natural release. Shred the beef and enjoy.
The Chilies. I am using ancho peppers and guajillo peppers along with chipotles in adobo sauce for this recipe, though you can use other dried Mexican peppers.
Pasilla peppers are a nice addition, as are chile de Arbol peppers for more heat or chipotle peppers for an even smokier quality. The chipotle chiles in adobo are optional.
You can make this recipe with only the ancho-guajillo paste, though the adobo sauce is commonly used.
Best Meats for Barbacoa? Traditionally, barbacoa was made with meats from cattle head, such as the cheeks, or with lamb or goat in Mexican cooking.
Today we mostly use tougher cuts of beef that benefits from low and slow cooking to become tender and succulent.
Brisket is very popular, as is chuck roast, which is what I normally use.
Time Saver. You can make the chili paste ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator up to a week to use later. Or use my adobo sauce recipe.
The Seasonings. I used cumin, Mexican oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper here, but feel free to incorporate your own favorites.
Try it with ground clove, chili powder or other dried herbs for great, flavorful meat.
Storage
Beef barbacoa will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Simply warm it in a pot or pan to enjoy again.
You can also freeze it for 3 months or longer. It freezes nicely.
That's it, my friends! I hope you enjoy my beef barbacoa recipe. I love this recipe! Spicy shredded beef, anytime for me. They're super popular served up as barbacoa beef tacos. So good!
Cookbook Recommendations
If you love traditional Mexican cooking, I love these cookbooks with recipes from all over Mexico. Definitely recommended.
- Authentic Mexican, by Rick Bayless (affiliate link, my friends!)
- Mexico: The Cookbook (affiliate link, my friends!)
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Barbacoa Recipe (Beef Barbacoa)
Ingredients
- 3 pound beef chuck roast or use beef brisket, sliced into 2 inch chunks
- 2 guajillo peppers
- 2 ancho peppers
- 7 ounce can chipotles in adobo optional, for extra saucy and tangy-smoky flavor
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- Juice from 1 large lime about 1/4 cup
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano or use oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the guajillo and ancho peppers and remove the seeds. Place the dried chiles in a large bowl and cover with very hot or boiling water. Soak them for 15 minutes, or until they become very soft and rehydrate. Drain and discard the water. Add them to a food processor with the chipotles in adobo sauce, and a bit of salt. Process until smooth.
- Add the beef chunks to a bowl. Add the ancho-guajillo paste and toss to even coat.
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron pan to medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks a few minutes per side to get a nice coating. Transfer to a slow cooker or crock pot.
- Deglaze the pan with a bit of beef stock, water or wine and scrape all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour it into the crock pot.
- Add the beef stock, vinegar, lime juice, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
- Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours, or until the beef is fork tender. It should easily break apart with a fork. It could take a bit longer to cook, depending on your slow cooker.
- Shred the beef with 2 forks and serve as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/9/22 to include new information, photos, and video. It was originally published on 1/29/20.
John K Rutherford says
I made these barbacoa tacos last night for dinner. They were delicious! We liked it so much that I served some of the leftovers as a topping for scrambled eggs this morning for breakfast. Even better the second day! Thanks.
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed them, John! Thanks for sharing.
Lyndal Fisher says
Making it right now. My sous chef had a question about the cumin. The recipe called for cumin but didn't specify seeds or powder. We thought the powder might have been too much in the amount specified and used the seeds instead. Which did you intend to use?
Mike Hultquist says
Lyndal, I toasted and ground seeds, but wound up with 2 tsp ground cumin. You can definitely use less if you have a concern.
godric clark says
did not have any beef so i used lamb and it was delicious
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful!
Greig McKinnon says
I have had barbacoa a few times in Southern Texas. It has great flavor but the beef cheeks they use make it very greasy.
Made your recipe today and very impressed with how tasty it turned out. On a fresh corn tortilla with some fixings and it's pretty hard to beat.
Another good one, Mike. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks for sharing, Greig. So many people swear by beef cheeks, but you can absolutely make it with chuck or other cuts for GREAT barbacoa. Glad you enjoyed it!
Jim Hopfer says
This Barbacoa Recipe really intrigued me. Looked over the recipe and noticed that there is nowhere in the recipe the amount of beef broth to use. In the ingredients section it says 1.5 ounces cups. Can you tell me how much to use?
Mike Hultquist says
Jim, it's 1.5 cups beef broth. Ugh. Sorry, I missed that when I made my update. Thanks for alerting me to my error.
Dale Olstinske says
Got everything needed to make, can’t wait. Curious why you don’t toast the chili’s first, which you seem to do in other similar preparations.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Dale! Actually, I usually DO toast the peppers before rehydrating. I did that in the video portion. Definitely adds a layer of flavor.
Anton says
Nice! Not all that spicy, but tasty! That said, I've made this twice now. The second time came out a bit more tangy/sour than the first. The only difference was that I used La Costeña chipotles in adobo sauce in the latter batch, and the La Morena brand in the first one.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you enjoyed it, Anton! I appreciate the comments. Have a good one!
Scott K says
Mike, Thanks for the this - a big help. I'll let you know how it comes out.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Absolutely!
Scott K says
Hi Mike, Your recipe looks great! I bought all the ingredients and am planning to make your Adobo sauce instead of using the Adobo from the can of Chipotles. I read your comments to Jimmy C about the same thing but wanted to double check a couple things. Since both the Barbacoa recipe and Adobo sauce recipe include onion, garlic, cumin and oregano, when using your Adobo sauce (instead of sauce from the can), should I omit (or reduce) the quantity of onion, garlic, cumin and oregano listed for the Barbacoa recipe? Also, for the Barbacoa recipe how many Chipotle peppers from the can do you suggest I use (a weight would be great if you have it) and how much Adobo sauce? For the Chipotle peppers, I don't mind high heat, but for this I'm going for a medium kick and I can add more heat from toppings. Can't wait to make this! Thanks.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Scott, you don't have to use the additional onions, garlic, etc, if you don't want to, though they will add more flavor, so that is really up to you. If you're going for a medium kick, I would go for 2-3 chipotle peppers, possibly more. Not sure of your heat level tolerance. Use 7 ounces adobo sauce (about 1 cup), though you CAN use more for a saucier version. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Jimmy C says
Hey Mike, I did barbacoa recipe using your adobo: 1/2 recipe adobo+ 1t sugar for 2/3 barbacoa recipe without any other adjustments. It came out fantastic, some might say dy-no-mite! Excellent broth, which was hard not to just drink. Going to try making tacos per Claudia Zapeda in April 2020 Food and Wine, in which you dip tortillas in broth, cook on griddle with barbacoa on top, and use remaining broth for dipping. Man!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, Jimmy! I love it! Sounds like the perfect plan for it. Enjoy, and cheers!!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Jimmy. You can skip making the paste and just use the adobo recipe. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Jimmy C says
Hi Mike, thanks for this excellent-sounding barbacoa recipe! I am about to make it and am planning to use your adobo sauce recipe instead of the ancho/guajillo paste. Do I need to adjust any of the other ingredients in the barbacoa recipe if I do this?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Jimmy. You can use equal amounts of adobo instead. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Johnny Capers says
I don't know if I made a mistake in the recipe, but I do believe that is the hottest food I have ever made. Or maybe I just can't take the heat anymore.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Johnny. The only "hot" item in this recipe is the chipotles in adobo sauce. I wonder if you got a hot batch? Did you add any other spicy peppers or hot chili flakes? Otherwise, I'm not sure what could make it that hot for you. Some people do think the chipotles are hot, about jalapeno heat level. Let me know. If that is the culprit, you can either use half of the chipotles in adobo, or use only adobo sauce (which you can get from the store in the same section, or use my homemade adobo sauce recipe - https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/adobo-sauce/). Let me know how it goes.
Damien C. says
I made this step by step for the crew and got a standing ovation. Your tips for the peppers and the sauce were just what I needed. I've made beef barbacoa before and it was okay, but not nearly as good as this version. It's a keeper for me. Thank you for sharing this.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Damien! I appreciate the great comments! Super happy you enjoyed it.
Jeremie says
I fell in love with this Beef Barbacoa recipe and wanted to cook it right away (like most of your recipes, Mike!) ... But I didn't have an Instantpot! So I just ordered one, and now I plan to make a lot of those recipes for which you recommend slow cooking! I am thinking in particular of your Pressure Cooker Corned Beef Recipe...
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
That's great, Jeremie. I think you'll love your instant pot. So many wonderful things you can make with the slow cooker or pressure cooker. The pressure cooker corned beef is excellent!! Nice and tender. I hope you like it.
Jeremie says
That was an easy recipe, but full of flavors! I used my fresh new Instant Pot to make it: long slow cooking to get a very tender meat that I put in tacos with Monterey Jack, homemade hot sauce and raw onion. Thank you Mike, this was a gorgeous recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Jeremie! Thanks! I agree, it's quite easy, and HUGE on flavor. Perfect for the Instant Pot. Perfect for tacos!!