Barbacoa

Barbacoa de res is a Mexican beef dish that’s slow cooked til juicy, soft and tender, then coated in a savory red chile sauce that has just a tiny hint of spice and a huge hit of flavor. If you love tacos and you love beef, this is the taco filling for you. 

This is one of the greatest meat dishes to come out of a region full of delicious meat dishes. If you like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria tacos, you’re gonna love barbacoa. But even if you already know how amazing barbacoa is, keep on reading to find out just how crazy easy it is to make at home.

What is barbacoa?

Barbacoa originated in the Caribbean as an in-ground slow cooked whole animal wrapped in leaves, but these days it’s most closely associated with Mexican food. Fun fact: Barbacoa is said to be the originator word for barbeque, and it’s basically the same idea: carefully slow cooked meats imbued with a lot of intense flavors.

Mexican barbacoa as we know it today is a juicy and super flavorful soft shredded beef/lamb/goat seasoned with dried chiles and spices and slow or pressure cooked until it falls apart. It’s sweet, tangy, just a little spicy, very complex, and irresistibly good. You can serve it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, flautas, and so much more more. This version is a super easy and simplified barbacoa de res, which translates to barbacoa beef, although you could adapt this recipe to lamb or goat if you want.

How to make barbacoa

1. Soak the peppers. Soak the peppers in super hot water to rehydrate them. If you want to be extra, you can toast them over a low flame to coax out some extra flavor before soaking.
2. Season the meat. While the peppers are soaking, season your meat generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
3. Make the marinade. Grab your blender and blend together the peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, beef stock, and vinegar.
4. Marinate overnight. Marinate as long as you can, or for at least 2 hours so the beef can get super flavorful. Don’t forget to season your beef with salt and pepper first.
5. Make the stew. Sweat the onions to build up caramelization and sweetness, add the beef (you can sear it if you want, but we’re aiming for soft and tender meat) along with all the marinade, then top it off with extra beef stock, bay leaves, and cloves. Done.

Barbacoa ingredients

Barbacoa is made of beef, dried chile, garlic, onions, spices, vinegar, and beef broth. It’s amazing how such simple ingredients combine together to create a deeply flavorful, out of this world taste.

• Dried guajillo chiles. These sun dried peppers add an authentic touch of mexican flavor to any stew and you can usually find them in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store (if you live in America). They are like a mild-medium pepper and don’t add any heat, so you don’t have to worry at all. If you can’t find them, sub any dried mexican/southwestern peppers you can find, such as ancho, new mexico, california, or pasilla. If you really can’t find them, you can sub a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, but is barbacoa without dried chiles really barbacoa at all?
• Mexican oregano. Mexican oregano is actually a bit different than the usual stuff you find in the spice aisle; it’s actually a different plant altogether! Mexican oregano is indigenous to Mexico and has a more woodsy, citrus-lime earthy flavor compared to your typical oregano, which is Mediterranean oregano. You can find it in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store and if you can’t, you can sub regular oregano, but try and find some, it makes a difference.
• Cumin. Cumin adds a huge amount of flavor to barbacoa. It give the barbacoa a nutty, earthy, spicy, almost lemon-y aroma.
• Vinegar. Vinegar tenderizes the beef as well as adds brightness and balances out the richness of the meat. You can use whatever vinegar you have on hand.

Barbacoa tacos

The number one reason to make barbacoa is for the best homemade tacos that aren’t birria. Once you have your barbacoa made, it’s easy:

• Shred the meat. When the beef is done cooking, take the beef out of the consomé and use a couple of forks to shred it up. It’ll be so tender that it’ll basically fall apart instantly. Spoon some extra consomé back on so it’s extra juicy.
• Warm the tortillas. You need warm tortillas for the best taco experience. Soft and pliable tacos are where it’s at. We like using a tortilla warmer but you can just wrap your tortillas up in slightly damp paper towels and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds. You can also char them on the stove for some crispy edges or lightly frying them on a nonstick skillet.
• Fill the tacos. Be generous and top up your tacos with beef and a little drizzle of the consomé that the beef cooked in.
• Top it up. Finish off your tacos with some toppings. Classic is chopped cilantro and onions, but you can go with anything you like. We added some pickled onions and sliced jalapeños. Don’t forget the hot sauce!

Beef barbacoa

For barbacoa de res, the meat is beef. It’s traditionally beef brisket, aka the best cut of beef ever, but you can choose any kind you like. Because it’s a stew, you want a cheaper cut that has some connective tissue and a little fat. It’s probably best not to use beef tenderloin here. The best cuts of beef that are ideal for stewing are: chuck, brisket, shank, cheek, and short ribs. For simplicity’s sake, the recipe specifies just one cut, but you can do a combination too!

Instant Pot Barbacoa

This recipe is primarily aimed at the Instant Pot because it’s the best way to make shredded beef. It’s easy, fast, and it locks in flavor like nothing else. Those yummy smells you get when you slow cook in a crockpot or on the stove? That’s lost flavor. But, you don’t just need to go out and buy an instant pot. You can also make this on the stovetop or in the oven too.

Crockpot barbacoa

Saute the onions first on high heat, then add the rest of the ingredients and set to low heat for 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable.

Stovetop barbacoa

Saute the onions over med-high in a deep stockpot, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover slightly ajar and turn down to a bare simmer for 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable. Keep an eye on the liquid level by checking back every hour or so, adding more beef broth as necessary.

Oven-braised barbacoa

This is the same as stovetop with the bonus advantage that you don’t need to worry about it ever burning. Saute the onions over med-high in an oven proof pot such as a dutch oven, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and place in a 300ºF 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable.

What to serve with barbacoa

• Keep things pure and have a taco party with some other taco fillings like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria
• Since you’ll have tortillas on hand, nothing beats homemade fresh fried tortilla chips
• Finish off with some mexican rice
• And of course, pairing anything guacamole is always the answer.

Barbacoa Recipe

Tacos filled with juicy, soft and tender beef coated in a savory red chile sauce that has just a tiny hint of spice and a huge hit of flavor.

Serves 4

4.8 from 5 votes

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 1 hr

Marinating Time 2 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef cheek, brisket, short ribs, shank, chuck roast, or mix
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Marinade

• 3 dried guajillo peppers
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp dried oregano Mexican preferred
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 cup beef stock low sodium preferred
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Consomé

• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 cup beef stock low sodium preferred

To serve

• 12-16 4" corn or flour tortillas or more as needed
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 2-4 jalapeños sliced

Special Equipment

• blender

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and then remove from heat. Soak your dried guajillo peppers for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cube the beef and season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  
• Add marinade ingredients to the blender. When the peppers are done soaking, hold them by the tip over the sink and use scissors to cut the stem off and allow the seeds to fall out, then add to blender. Blend into a smooth paste and rub all over the beef. Marinate for a minimum of two hours or up to overnight.
  
• Set your Instant Pot on saute high. Add 1-2 tbsp oil, then saute the onions until golden and translucent (6-8 minutes). See notes for stovetop or crockpot instructions.
  
• Add the meat with the marinade, bay leaves, and cloves to the pot. Barely cover with beef broth, then set to high pressure for 45 minutes.
  
• When the Instant Pot is done, allow a natural release, then remove the meat from the consomé and shred. Spoon some of the consomé onto the beef after you’ve shredded it.
  
• Make the tacos: warm the tortillas and build the tacos: a generous amount of barbacoa beef, and toppings. Enjoy immediately.
  

Notes

If using a slow cooker or stovetop, saute the onions first on slow-cooker-high or stovetop-med-high, then add the rest of the ingredients and set to low heat for 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable. Check back every hour or so to make sure you have enough liquid, and add beef broth as necessary.

Estimated nutrition doesn't include tortillas, toppings, or consomé.

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Barbacoa Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 507 Calories from Fat 173

% Daily Value*

Fat 19.2g30%

Saturated Fat 6.9g43%

Cholesterol 229mg76%

Sodium 162mg7%

Potassium 716mg20%

Carbohydrates 2.6g1%

Fiber 0.5g2%

Sugar 0.2g0%

Protein 75.6g151%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.