MexicanMainGluten-FreeDairy-Free

Slow Cooker Barbacoa

Name: Slow Cooker Barbacoa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 8 h 10 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks; 1 yellow onion, diced; 3 to 4 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely diced; 5 garlic cloves, minced; 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1/2 tbsp dried oregano; 2 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 3/4 cup beef stock; 3 bay leaves

Smoky chipotle and bright lime juice transform tender beef chuck into a deeply savory, fall-apart barbacoa that practically melts in your mouth. Low and slow cooking melds the warm spices with garlic and vinegar into a complex, addictive sauce perfect for tacos, nachos, or rice bowls. Make this when you want serious Mexican flavors with minimal effort—ideal for weeknight dinners or feeding a crowd.

Prep

10 minutes

Cook

8 hours

Total

8 hours 10 minutes

Serves

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Ingredients

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Instructions

1
Add all of the ingredients, except the bay leaves, to the bowl of a slow cooker.
2
Use tongs to gently toss and mix everything together. Add the bay leaves and cover.
3
Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. The beef should be tender and fall apart easily when shredded with a fork. If it doesn't shred easily, cook it a bit longer.
4
Remove the beef to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.
5
Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, give it a stir, and let it absorb the juices.
6
Serve the barbacoa straight from the slow cooker, or add it to a plate and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

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