by Diana Rattray
This barbacoa beef is prepared in the slow cooker with a simple combination of ingredients. If you like plenty of heat, add an extra one or two chipotle peppers. This is a delicious shredded beef to serve in corn or flour tortillas, or serve the shredded meat with rice or beans. The meat is low in carbs, so it’s an excellent choice for a keto diet.
Barbacoa is a way of cooking that originated in the Caribbean. Mexican barbacoa is typically made with tougher cuts of meat that benefits from long, slow cooking. While the Mexican dish is usually associated with beef, it is often made with goat, lamb, or mutton.
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You might also like this slow cooker shredded beef with a beer barbecue sauce or this recipe for recipe for slow cooker shredded beef.
Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
This slow cooker barbacoa is a delicious main dish to enjoy any day of the week. Shred the beef and serve it in tortillas, over rice, or with low-carb cauliflower rice.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Beef
- Method: Slow Cook
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck (roast or stewing beef)
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3 chile peppers in adobo sauce
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 limes, juiced
- 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
- If using a whole chuck roast, cut it into 6 to 8 pieces and sprinkle the pieces lightly with kosher salt and pepper.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef when the oil is hot and shimmering (not smoking). Cook, turning, for about 10 minutes or until it is well browned.
- Place the beef in the slow cooker.
- In a blender or with an emulsion blender, combine about half of the beef broth with the chile peppers in adobo, the cumin, oregano, and coriander. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture over the beef, bay leaves, and remaining beef broth.
- Cover and cook the barbacoa beef on high for about 4 hours or on low for 7 to 9 hours. The beef should be very tender and easy to shred.
- Pour off the excess liquids and stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro.
- Serve in tortillas or with rice.
Browning the beef adds color and flavor to barbacoa.
The beef is slow-cooked to perfection until tender and shreddable.
