Shredded Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Recipe

Slow cooker beef barbacoa is an easy way to make shredded beef tacos! Tender and full of flavor, your family is sure to ask for seconds. With fresh beef is best but you could use a frozen roast in slow cooker this way as well for bold flavors, pulled and moist.

Crockpot Barbacoa

I have had this stuffed into an enchilada at our favorite Mexican food place. I asked once what type of meat was inside and this was it! With all the smothered cheese and rice I just couldn’t make it out. First I experimented and made it in my pressure cooker (will share that recipe below). This time my other pot wanted a try.

Which cut of beef is best for barbacoa?

There isn’t necessarily a specific cut that is used but slow cooker beef chuck roast works well to soak up flavors for sure, and that is really inexpensive. I’ve not tried this with a frozen roast but imagine it would work the same with the same sauce. You do want a cut with fat though. Fat = flavor and tenderness.

Let’s talk a little bit about slow cooking shall we?? First off I have a few different varieties and I love them all. Each one has an occasion to be used like….

1. This is my favorite 6 quart programmable one with a locking lid so it’s great for bringing to a potluck too.
2. I prefer not to use liners, but rather just spray olive oil inside before adding my food for easier cleanups.

Let me give you a peek of my pretty thang I bought recently. It goes with my kitchen so I can just leave it out on the countertop all the time. 😉

What is traditional barbacoa made from?

It started with lamb or goat but these days people typically use pork or beef. It’s a bit cheaper that way but any of the 4 would work great. You can make it this way, on the stove, or over an open fire even. Low and slow is always best if you ask me when it comes to large chunks of meat.

this hunk of meat is used a lot in my house because it tends to be less expensive with tons of flavor. Shredded is the best way to make it. Like this, or our Crockpot roast beef and gravy which is great too.

Slow Cooker Mexican Beef Barbacoa

Of course when it comes to the rub, or if you add one, that part is up to you. You could use a bottled steak seasoning that is a bit peppery, an amped up taco seasoning type with chipotle peppers like we have here, or use our tri tip rub.

Heat is another add in that you can adjust to your taste buds. Smoked green chiles, diced hot chipotles in adobo sauce or canned are another choice to use.

Ingredients

1. Defrosted chuck roast is what we used this time cut into chunks
2. Taco seasoning is a great way to add a ton of different seasonings all together in one shake.
3. Garlic powder is nice
4. Cumin is a must for this dish
5. Salt and pepper before and when served if desired
6. Chipotle peppers come canned with adobo sauce, that’s the handiest form. They can be mild all the way to quite spicy.
7. Apple cider vinegar gives it that tang
8. Beef broth or stock, if you make homemade stock out of the bones from your slow cooker oxtail it’s amazing
9. Fresh cilantro and limes
10. Bay leaves are optional
11. You’ll need a Crock pot too of course to get it super tender

Can you make barbacoa with a frozen roast?

If all you have is frozen chuck roast you could use that and the timing wouldn’t change much, maybe 1 hour. The biggest difference is that the meat won’t soak in the flavors as much because it takes quite a while to defrost and become tender enough to shred and soak, soak, soak.

You will want to cut your piece into smaller chunks. This will make it become as tender as possible and get more and more of the flavors really soaked in. You can trim a little of the fat off at that point but leave some on, that will give it moisture.

Barbacoa Style Shredded Beef Recipe

That is really it, once you toss everything together so it is nicely coated you just cover and cook it. Let it slow cook and do all the work for you beyond that. Start it in the morning and just let it go, no need to stir the contents during the day. Leave it on low so it will fall apart easily at the end, high isn’t recommended.

Since it is cut into chunks initially there is no wait after the cooking time is over to let it rest either. Typically you’d want to remove beef and account for an extra 30 minutes or so to keep it tender and juicy before slicing. This way is much faster and easy to eat as it’s already in bite size pieces.

You can leave as is or shred at the end, we like doing that. Serve with some black beans inside tortillas with cheese or over a bed of Jasmine rice.

Remember this timing is for when you have time (and the memory) to put the food into your low and slow cooker in the morning. If you forgot I have instructions to use your pressure cooker below instead. Both come out incredibly well and I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. It just comes down to remembering. 😉

How to Cook Slow Cooker Barbacoa with Chuck Roast

• Cut meat into large bite size chunks. Spray slow cooker with non stick spray. Add meat into pot and sprinkle with all the seasonings listed. Add chipotle peppers and toss everything together.
• In a bowl mix vinegar, lime juice and beef stock together. Pour this mix over the meat.
  • alternatively you can add all ingredients other than meat into a food processor to blend and smooth, then pour
• Cover and cook this mixture on low for 6-7 hours or until meat is fork tender and can easily shred with 2 forks.

How to serve

It’s fun to buy those little Hawaiian rolls and pile this on top to serve as sliders for dinner. If you need football party food ideas this is a great one too. You can leave it on warm for a few hours after it is done and people can enjoy it all evening long.

Can you cook this on high?

If you want to make this faster, try our Instant Pot barbacoa beef instead. This one cuts down the 7ish hours to closer to 60 minutes total including prep so there is a big difference for sure. I would not cook on high as you need time to soak up the juices properly in this case.

How do they make barbacoa?

Depends on whom they is in your opinion but traditionally this dish is cooked in an underground oven of all things. If you live in 2021 like me that is probably a no go and you’re looking for another modern method like this one. Lamb, sheep, goat or beef is used with tons of spices and seasonings.

You could use any of these other type of meats as well but this easy beef recipe is the cheapest of the 4 by far. Add to the heat or tone it down to your liking and enjoy it how you remember as a child. It may not be the prettiest served dish but boy does it make up for it in a ton of flavor my friends.

How to save leftovers

If you have leftovers make sure you add the liquid into your container too so it stays really moist. Allow it to completely cool to room temperature before storing it into the fridge. Rewarm in a bowl in the microwave with juices for about 1 1/2 minutes stirring intermittently.