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A barbacoa on a fried tortilla on a wooden taco on a light surface.

Easy Barbacoa Tacos Recipe

Author: Jessica Haggard
Make Taco Tuesday extra fun with these barbacoa tacos! Slow-cooked with warm spices, chipotle peppers, and a splash of lime, it’s perfect for loading up soft tortillas and adding your favorite toppings. Simply throw everything together in your slow cooker, go about your day, shred, assemble, then dig in!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8 servings
Calories 332 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the barbacoa

  • 3 pounds beef chuck roast cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 4 individual chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, finely chopped
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup beef bone broth
  • ¼ cup lime juice fresh,extra wedges for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 individual bay leaves

For the tacos

  • corn tortillas
  • white onion diced
  • avocado sliced
  • sour cream
  • fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions
 

  • Add the beef pieces to the slow cooker.
  • Cover with all ingredients, reserve the bay leaf. Mix with a few stirs of a spoon until the meat is mixed into the seasonings. Top with bay leaf.
  • Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
  • Remove and discard the bay leaves. Shred the beef using two forks, mixing it back into the sauce for extra flavor.
  • Let the beef rest for about 10 minutes to absorb the sauce before serving with optional lime wedges and fresh chopped cilantro.
  • Serve in tortillas with toppings.

Notes

  • For the best care of your slow cooker pot, remove the beef to a cutting board with a slotted spoon and shred it. Then add it back to the pot to mix with the sauce.
  • Instead of microwaving tortillas dry, wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave, warm them in a steamer basket, or char over an open flame or hot pan to keep them soft.
  • Chuck roast is rich in fat. After cooking, let the sauce settle and skim off any excess fat for a cleaner-tasting dish.
  • Slow cooking can mellow out flavors. Taste the beef before assembling into tacos and adjust as needed.
Serve: Serve with chips with salsa, guacamole, or queso. Leftover barbacoa makes excellent quesadillas, burrito bowls, breakfast hash, or stuffed sweet potatoes. It’s not just for tacos.
Store: Keep cooked beef and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth. For best results, store tortillas and toppings separately and assemble tacos just before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 332kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 34gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 117mgSodium: 439mgPotassium: 615mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 4mg
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