Tender Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef Recipe
This Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef recipe offers a flavorful, tender, and juicy shredded beef dish, perfect for tacos, burritos, or bowls. The beef is slow-cooked with a blend of spices and broth to infuse rich, savory flavors and achieve a melt-in-your-mouth texture with minimal effort.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
Beef
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large chunks
Spices
- 3 dried guajillo chilies, seeded and torn into pieces
- 2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
Broth
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce: Soak dried guajillo chilies in hot water for 10 minutes to soften. Then blend soaked chilies, chipotle chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, garlic, onion, apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup of beef broth until smooth.
- Add to slow cooker: Place beef chunks in the slow cooker. Pour the blended sauce over the beef, ensuring all pieces are coated. Add bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the beef: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours until the beef is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred the beef: Remove the bay leaves. Using two forks, shred the beef directly in the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce to absorb all the flavors.
- Serve: Use the barbacoa beef for tacos, burritos, or bowls, garnished with your favorite toppings such as fresh cilantro, lime wedges, diced onions, or avocado.
Notes
- For a spicier dish, add more chipotle chilies or a dash of cayenne pepper.
- If you don’t have guajillo chilies, use a combination of other dried chilies like ancho or pasilla.
- Cooking times may vary depending on your slow cooker model; check tenderness after minimum time.
- Leftover barbacoa beef can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Serve with warm corn or flour tortillas for authentic Mexican flavor.
Keywords: Slow Cooker Barbacoa, Barbacoa Beef, Slow Cooker Mexican Beef, Shredded Beef, Slow Cooker Recipes, Beef Tacos
