Mexican Barbacoa (Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef)

Name: Mexican Barbacoa (Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 5 h
Total time: 5 h 35 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2.2 kg Beef chuck roast or neck; 4 dried Dried Ancho chiles; 3 dried Dried Guajillo chiles; 2 peppers Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; 1 tbsp Adobo sauce (from chipotle can); 1 large Yellow onion; 6 cloves Garlic; 700 ml Beef broth; 60 ml Apple cider vinegar; 30 ml Fresh lime juice; 2 tsp Ground cumin; 2 tsp Dried oregano; 0.5 tsp Ground cloves; 3 leaves Bay leaves; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

Difficulty

medium

Time

5h 35m

Price Category

average

Calories

Medium

Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish known for its slow-cooked, tender meat, typically made from beef or lamb. This recipe focuses on the beef version, delivering a spicy, smoky, and incredibly flavorful experience. It's perfect for tacos, burritos, or bowls and is guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds. Get ready for a culinary journey to the heart of Mexico!

Steps

Prepare Chiles

Remove stems and seeds from Ancho and Guajillo chiles. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Place them in a heatproof bowl, cover with hot water, and let them rehydrate for 20 minutes until softened.

Make the Sauce

Roughly chop the onion and garlic. In a blender, combine the rehydrated chiles (with a little soaking liquid), chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, onion, garlic, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, cumin, oregano, cloves, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

Sear the Beef

Cut the beef chuck roast into large chunks (about 2-3 inch cubes) and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef chunks on all sides until golden brown, then remove from the pot.

Slow Cook

Pour the blended sauce into the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Return the seared beef to the pot and add the bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook slowly for 4-5 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender. Alternatively, bake in a preheated oven at 150°C (300°F) for 4-5 hours.

Shred and Serve

Remove the beef from the pot and shred it using two forks. Discard the bay leaves. Mix the shredded beef with the cooking liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot in tacos, burritos, with rice, or in a salad.

	Per 100g	Per Serving 180g
Calories	280 kcal	504 kcal
Protein	28g	50g
Fat	18g	32g
Carbohydrate	4g	7g
Fiber	1g	2g
Sugar	1g	2g

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beef

slow-cooked

everyday

main course

tender

Mexican

all seasons

Hot

Mexican Barbacoa (Slow-Cooked Shredded Beef)

Difficulty

Time

Price Category

Calories

ingredients

Steps

Prepare Chiles

Make the Sauce

Sear the Beef

Slow Cook

Shred and Serve

Extra Tips

► Toasting and rehydrating the chiles is crucial for flavor depth, don't skip this step!

► If you have time, prepare it the day before; the flavors will meld even better overnight in the fridge.

► Leftover Barbacoa is excellent for sandwiches, quesadillas, or even on pizza.

Nutrition