Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Recipe

5 from 1 vote

My slow cooker beef barbacoa recipe features tender chunks of beef slowly simmered in a bland of spices, chilies and aromatics, infusing the meat with smoky flavors and irresistible aroma.

Prep Time15

Cook Time6

Total Time6 15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Latin, Mexican

Keyword: barcacoa recipe, beef barbacoa in slow cooker, crockpot barbacoa recipe, slow cooker beef barbacoa recipe

Servings: people

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Ingredients

5 lbs chuck roast cut into chunks
2 cups beef or bone broth
1 large onion chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
7 oz chipotle in adobo sauce
1 lime juiced
1 fresno pepper sliced in half
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cloves
3 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

PREP THE MEAT. Cut the chuck roast into chunks, pat them dry and season generously with salt and pepper. You get better depth of flavor from browning the meat in chunks versus the entire piece.
SEAR THE MEAT. Heat oil in slow cooker on sauté mode. If your slow cooker or crockpot doesn't not include this feature, use a heavy pot and do this step on the stovetop. Once the oil is super hot, add the seasoned meat and brown on all sides until the meat has a nice sear and a crust begins to form. Work in batches. Do not overcrowd the pot and do not cover the pot. Is your meat not searing or retaining too much moisture? See notes below 👇🏻
ADD THE FLAVORFUL BASE. Add the seared meat to the slow cooker, if you worked in batches add them all back in, and if you browned the meat on stovetop add to the slow cooker now along with the remaining ingredients. All of them! I like to start with the dry seasoning to make sure the meat is generously covered by all the flavorful spices. Finish with the liquid of choice, that's beef or bone broth, or bouillon dissolved in water. Give everything a good stir. Place the cover.
COOK LOW AND SLOW. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Some recipes might suggest 4-6 hours but I do not. From my experience the best results come from cooking on high heat for 6 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
SHRED THE MEAT. Once that's done cooking, remove the bay leaves and any chunks of whole pepper if you used any. You can shred the beef right in the slow cooker or transfer to a large bowl or baking dish with raised sides. Use two large forks to shred it. What to do with all that extra liquid from the cooking? See notes below 👇🏻
GARNISH AND SERVE. I like to finish my barbacoa beef with a handful of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Notes

Notes:

Do not cover the slow cooker / pot while you are browning the meat. Covering the pot will retain moisture and the meat will not sear.
If the pot is overcrowded and the meat is not searing, instead it's releasing too much moisture, don't worry. Simply remove the extra meat, make sure all the chunks of meat is freely touching the bottom of the slow cooker/ pot, crank up the heat and wait a few minutes for the liquid to evaporate.
You'll likely end up with a lot of liquid in the pot. You'll know this because the meat looks like it's swimming in brown juice (and that's a good thing!). Once you remove the meat to shred, transfer some of the liquid to a mason jar. Remove as much as you like to use later (see ideas on how to use the extra beef broth, below the recipe card). However, leave some liquid left in the slow cooker. Barbacoa is a moist dish, served with some of the liquid it was cooked in.

Nutrition