Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa (Printer-Friendly)
Slow-cooked beef barbacoa with chipotle, cumin and lime - tender, shreddable meat for tacos, burritos or bowls. Serves 6.
# What You'll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 3.3 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large chunks
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 large white onion, chopped
03 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
05 - 1 lime, juiced
→ Spices & Seasonings
06 - 1 tbsp ground cumin
07 - 1 tbsp dried oregano
08 - 2 tsp smoked paprika
09 - 2 tsp salt
10 - 1 tsp ground black pepper
11 - 2 bay leaves
→ Liquids
12 - 1/2 cup beef broth
13 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
# How to Make It:
01 - Scatter the chopped onion and minced garlic evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker insert.
02 - Nestle the trimmed chuck roast chunks on top of the onion and garlic bed in the slow cooker.
03 - In a small mixing bowl, combine the chopped chipotle peppers, lime juice, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, apple cider vinegar, and beef broth. Whisk until well blended.
04 - Pour the seasoning sauce evenly over the beef chunks. Tuck the bay leaves into the liquid around the meat.
05 - Secure the lid and cook on the low setting for 8 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender and shreds effortlessly with a fork.
06 - Discard the bay leaves. Using two forks, shred the beef directly in the slow cooker and stir thoroughly to absorb all the cooking juices.
07 - Serve hot with warm tortillas, over steamed rice, in burritos, or in grain bowls. Garnish with chopped cilantro, diced onions, lime wedges, and pickled red onions as desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The beef comes out so tender it practically falls apart when you look at it sideways, which makes you feel like a genius cook with almost zero effort.
- It freezes beautifully and reheats even better, so one batch can feed you for a week of tacos, bowls, and late night snacking.
02 -
- Resist the urge to lift the lid during cooking because every peek adds roughly thirty minutes to your cook time and lets precious moisture escape.
- The flavor genuinely improves overnight as the spices continue to meld, so making it a day ahead is actually the power move.
03 -
- Freeze individual portions in zip top bags laid flat so they thaw quickly and stack neatly in your freezer like delicious beef books.
- Save every drop of the cooking liquid because it is liquid gold for reheating leftovers or drizzling over your tacos.