Tacos de Barbacoa might sound like one of the more intimidating taco recipes out there, but rest assured -- this version is extremely easy to make. Your slow cooker does all the work for you and the end results are beefy perfection.
Picture this: Juicy, flavor-packed shredded beef on a warm corn tortilla, topped with chopped onion and cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime. If that doesn't make your mouth water, I don't know what will.
Table of contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I've tested a lot of Tex-Mex recipes over the years, and with well over 100 Tex-Mex + Mexican-Inspired recipes published on TAK, this barbacoa is still one both my readers and I come back to. I tweaked it until it delivered low-fuss tacos de barbacoa with bold spice, tender beef, and authentic-tasting flavor.
Feeds a Crowd | This is my go-to recipe for barbacoa tacos when I'm feeding a crowd.
Quick + Easy Prep | Everything takes only about 10 minutes to prep, and thanks to a killer combo of spices, this thing is bursting with bright and bold flavors.
Versatile Filling | Consider this beef a meal prep hero. Perfect for filling tacos, enchiladas, and burritos, or topping off taco bowls and nachos!
You'll also love our Bistec Ranchero, Mexican shredded beef, and shredded beef tacos!
What Is Barbacoa?
Barbacoa is slow-cooked beef seasoned with spices and chipotle peppers until fall-apart tender and easy to shred. This easy slow cooker version gives you juicy, authentic beef barbacoa with minimal prep.
What Cut of Beef Is Used for Barbacoa?
The cut of beef most often used to make traditional barbacoa is chuck roast. Chuck roast is the best cut for slow cooker barbacoa because it has enough fat to stay juicy and shred beautifully.
This roast comes from the shoulder of a cow, which, as you can imagine, is an area that undergoes a lot of movement. Because of all this action, chuck roast isn't considered a tender cut of beef. However, when you slow cook it, it becomes incredibly tender.
If you can, plan ahead. You'll need to cook that chuck roast low and slow for the best possible barbacoa tacos. And when I say slow cook it, I mean like 8-10 hours on the LOW setting.
Speaking of roast, our slow cooker rump roast recipe is up there with the greats!
Shortcut | You can cook a chuck roast on the HIGH heat setting for 5 hours. Just know it won't be nearly as tender as it could be.
What You'll Need for Barbacoa Tacos
Tacos de barbacoa begins with major aromatics — chopped onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Then, it's on to the beef!
As mentioned above, you will need a chuck roast for tacos de barbacoa. But, not just any chuck roast -- a heavily seasoned one.
For your barbacoa seasoning, you will need:
- Chipotles in adobo
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Mexican oregano
- Salt and pepper
The chipotles in adobo are what give this barbacoa that deep, smoky, restaurant-style flavor. Don't skip them.
In addition to chipotles in adobo and dry seasoning, you will also need fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro. These two ingredients are meant to add brightness and liven up an otherwise entirely savory dish. Therefore, they go in at the end to retain their brightness.
Last, but not least, if you want to serve your barbacoa in taco form, you will also need corn tortillas.
And, if you'd like to garnish them in the most traditional way possible, you'll need some onion, cilantro, and lime on reserve. But, we'll get a bit more in-depth on that below!
About Chipotle Peppers
Chipotle peppers from chipotles in adobo are incredibly flavorful and will do amazing things to your barbacoa tacos. So, no skimping out on this ingredient!
Here's why: Adobo sauce is a smoky, tangy sauce made of vinegar, tomatoes, garlic, and lots of different seasonings. Chipotle peppers are dried and smoked jalapeños.
When you buy a can of chipotles in adobo, you're really getting a double whammy of flavor.
On one hand, you have this crazy delicious, souped-up, smoky jalapeño, and on the other, you're getting tons of flavor from the adobo sauce as well. Bring the two together, and you've got a killer ingredient that will take your tacos de barbacoa to the next level!
Spice Note | For mild barbacoa, use 1 tablespoon of chipotle + 1 tablespoon adobo sauce instead of the full amount of peppers.
How to Make Barbacoa Tacos
Quick Overview
- Add aromatics to slow cooker
- Rub chuck roast with chipotle spice paste
- Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours
- Shred + stir in lime + cilantro
- Assemble barbacoa tacos + serve
Add Aromatics to Slow Cooker
Add chopped onion, garlic, and bay leaves to the slow cooker and set it aside. Next, you'll make the rub for your chuck roast.
Rub Chuck Roast with Chipotle Spice Paste
Combine chopped chipotle peppers, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, and oregano to make the rub in a small bowl, and use a fork to mix up the spices until they look like a paste.
Rub the paste all over your chuck roast, getting it into every nook and cranny. Then, transfer the chuck roast to your slow cooker and wash up! Make sure you get all of that spice off of your fingers and hands and take care not to touch your eyes.
Cook on LOW for 8 Hours
Cover the crockpot and cook for 8 to 10 hours on the LOW setting. Once the beef is cooked through and can easily be pulled with a fork, remove it from the slow cooker and place it on a large work surface.
No slow cooker? You can make barbacoa in a Dutch oven too. Add the seasoned beef plus 1 cup of low-sodium beef broth, cover, and bake at 300°F for 3-3 ½ hours, until fork tender.
Shred and Add Cilantro + Lime
Use two forks to pull the beef into big shreds. Then, return the shredded beef to the crockpot, add in the juice of two limes plus fresh chopped cilantro, and stir!
Assemble Tacos + Serve
Stack two warmed corn tortillas (or one flour tortilla) on a plate. Add a spoonful of shredded barbacoa with the juices and top with diced onion, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
How to Serve Tacos de Barbacoa
There's certainly more than one way to serve tacos de barbacoa. However, if you want to serve them up in the most traditional form all you need is corn tortillas, chopped white onion, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges on the side.
Serve with:
If you'd like to spruce up your tacos a bit more, feel free to add any of the following toppings: Cotija or queso fresco, diced avocado, and/or sliced radishes.
Want to turn this into a full spread? Here are more Mexican side dishes and Tex-Mex favorites that pair perfectly with barbacoa tacos.
Tacos de Barbacoa FAQs
barbacoa is slow cooked meat (often beef) cooked with spices and chiles until tender enough to shred.
Chuck roast is the best cut of beef for Barbacoa because it stays juicy and becomes fall-apart tender after slow-cooking.
It has a smoky heat from chipotle peppers, but it is easy to adjust by using fewer peppers and more adobo sauce.
Shred the beef and return to the cooking juices. Be sure to store with the juices to keep it moist.
Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days.
Yes. Freeze with the cooking liquid for best results when reheated.
Traditional barbacoa taco toppings are onion, cilantro, and lime. You can also serve with salsa, queso fresco, avocado, and radishes.
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Easy Beef Barbacoa (Tacos de Barbacoa)
Ingredients
FOR THE BARBACOA:
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle peppers (from chipotles in adobo sauce)
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 2 pound chuck roast
- Juice of 2 limes
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
FOR THE TACOS:
- 12 warmed corn tortillas
- Chopped white onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges for squeezing
Instructions
MAKE THE BARBACOA:
- Add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves to the slow cooker and set aside.
- In a small bowl, use a fork to mix chopped chipotle peppers, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, and oregano until paste-like. Rub the mixture all over your chuck roast and transfer to the slow cooker. Wash your hands well, and do not touch your eyes.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Once the beef is fork-tender, remove it from the slow cooker, place it on a large work surface, and use two forks to shred it.
- Discard the bay leaves and return the shredded beef back to the slow cooker, along with the lime juice and chopped cilantro, and stir.
ASSEMBLE THE TACOS:
- Add ⅓ cup of the shredded beef to a warm corn tortilla and garnish with diced white onion and cilantro to serve. Squeeze a lime wedge over the filling, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Philip Anthony says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!