How to Make Barbacoa in Your Slow Cooker
Picture yourself biting into a flavorful, tender, juicy beef taco, served on a warm, soft tortilla shell with crisp white onions, fresh tomatoes, buttery avocado, and cilantro. Maybe you’re holding a Cerveza or frozen lime margarita in your other hand and hearing the soothing sound of crashing waves in the background.
If this is your happy place, here’s the good news. You can create this “Mex-perience” in your kitchen right now (minus the crashing waves and margaritas are optional). All you need is a slow cooker, a few simple ingredients, and five minutes of prep time. Best of all, once the prep is done, you can time the slow cooker and go about your day as usual. Just don’t forget to return eight hours later to assemble some tacos with the best- shredded beef you’ve ever had.
This authentic-tasting beef barbacoa (a Caribbean word, pronounced “bar-bah-ko-ah”) is slow cooked for 8 hours with spices and aromatics such as oregano, cloves, and cumin, lime juice, bone broth, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Not too spicy and oh-so-tender, this slow-cooker barbacoa beef would also make wicked tacos, burritos bowls, and sandwiches.
What Is Barbacoa?
Did you know the English word “barbecue” originated from the word “barbacoa”? It’s said that a barbacoa was a wooden structure used by the indigenous Taíno people of the Caribbean to smoke their food. Today, barbacoa is known as a method of preparing, seasoning, and slow cooking shredded beef. Here’s how to make barbacoa in the slow cooker.
Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
Learn how to make barbacoa for authentic tasting Mexican tacos in the slow cooker. Only five minutes of prep time and a few basic seasonings are required.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 cup Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 3 bay leaves
FOR SERVING:
- Tortillas
- Chopped white onion
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped avocado
Instructions
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Cut beef into large cubes and place them in a slow cooker. Add onions.
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Place chipotle peppers, bone broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, ground cloves, and lime juice in a food processor. Pulse until blended. Pour the mixture over the beef. Add bay leaves.
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Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 6 hours. Shred the beef with two forks. Use tongs to serve the barbacoa in tortillas with your desired toppings.
About the Author
Sharon Chen is the founder and creator behind StreetSmart Kitchen, a recipe website that helps busy professionals to prepare healthy meals in less time they ever thought possible. Download her Top 18 One-Dish Meals Cookbook for free here: http://bit.ly/SSK-Free-Cookbook
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