Batch and prep · Mexican

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa

Name: Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
Total time: 8 h 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 lb top round, cut into 3 pieces; 1 lb boneless chuck roast, cut into 2 pieces; 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce; 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 4 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth; 2 bay leaves; 1 cup long-grain white rice; 1 1/2 cups water; 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed; 1/2 white onion, finely diced; 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 2 oz queso fresco, crumbled; 2 limes, cut into wedges

Chile-braised shredded beef for bowls and tacos.

8 h 20 min total20 min activeMakes 6 bowls

High-proteinMethod in ProFreezes well

Barbacoa is beef braised with chilies, lime, garlic and cumin until it falls apart into juicy shreds. A mix of lean top round and richer chuck keeps it tender without being greasy. The slow cooker does eight hours of work while you're out, and it freezes perfectly.

Ingredients

For 6 bowls.

Barbacoa

2 lb top round, cut into 3 pieces
1 lb boneless chuck roast, cut into 2 pieces
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves

Rice and beans

1 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups water
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

To serve

1/2 white onion, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 oz queso fresco, crumbled
2 limes, cut into wedges

Method

Blend the chipotles and adobo, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, salt and broth until smooth. Put the beef in the slow cooker, pour the sauce over and add the bay leaves.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the beef falls apart and is well past 145°F.
145°F inside

The rest of the method is in Short Order Pro

2 more steps, with cook mode and timers, in the app. Ingredients, nutrition and cost stay free on every dish, and 20 dishes include the full method for free.

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Tips

Shred the beef back into its juices and let it sit 10 minutes to reabsorb them.
Add a third chipotle pepper for real heat.

Food photo is AI-generated to show the finished dish. Recipe written with AI and checked by our QA process; nutrition computed from USDA data.

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Cook it with timers

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