Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa is full of flavor and so tender and juicy! The perfect simple recipe for an amazing dinner, a party or game day! This recipe is delicious on its own, in tacos, burritos, salad, quesadillas and so much more!

This recipe is the perfect one to make to feed a crowd! It takes very little effort to prepare. It’s a set-it then forget-it type of dish. And the smell that fills your house while it cooks is amazing! I love recipes that are easy to prepare and have incredible flavor!

My brother who lives in Ohio came to visit last weekend. I invited him and my family over for lunch to see our new house and of course to see each other. I wanted to make something that would be amazing and I am so glad I made this recipe! It was a HUGE hit! Everyone was raving over how good it was and getting seconds and thirds. I had ingredients set out to make your own tacos, burritos or salad. It was perfect! This would also be a great dish for quesadillas, enchiladas, burrito bowls and so much more! (Side note- I also made my Fudgy Chunky Brownies and everyone loved those too! They are the best homemade brownie recipe I’ve ever had!)

The ingredients are simple but together in the slow cooker magic happens! You can find the chipotles in adobe sauce in the Hispanic section in your grocery store. These can be a little spicy so in the recipe I list to add 2-4. I added 2 and it was perfect but if you like more heat go ahead and add more! I’ve seen some recipes that call for adding a tablespoon or two of the adobe sauce. I want to try that next time.

To the slow cooker I added the beef chuck roast (cut in pieces) and the rest of the ingredients. Some recipes I’ve seen have you blend together all the ingredients, minus the roast, and then adding it. I didn’t try it so I can’t tell you the difference but I absolutely loved it the way I made it.

My favorite way to enjoy the Beef Barbacoa was street taco style. The leftovers were fantastic and I am so excited to be sharing this recipe with you all today! This recipe is a keeper and I will be making it very often in the future! I think it will become my go-to recipe when feeding a crowd.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

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Ingredients

• 3 lbs. chuck roast (fat trimmed), cut into 2-inch chunks
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-4 chipotles in adobo sauce, minced(depending on how much heat you like, I used 2)
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped (~1 cup)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup beef broth or water

Instructions

1. Add the chuck roast to the bowl of a slow cooker then top with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 5-7 hours, or until the beef is tender and falls apart easily when shredded with a fork.
2. Shred the beef using two forks inside of the slow cooker. Toss the beef with the juices, then cover and let the barbacoa beef soak up the juices for an extra 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
3. Serve as desired. (Tacos, burritos, salad, enchiladas, tostadas, burrito bowls etc.)
4. If not using immediately, refrigerate the barbacoa beef with its juices in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Notes

Optional: Sear the meat in 1 tablespoon of oil in a hot skillet before adding to the slow cooker. (Sear half the meat at a time.)

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven