|

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef Recipe – Super Easy for Busy Weeknights or Parties

This super easy slow cooker barbacoa beef recipe is one of our favorite recipes , it makes the perfect meat for a taco or nacho bar for a busy weeknight or at parties.

Note: This post contains affiliate links as indicated by an asterisk. Purchases from these links provides a small commission to me at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my blog should you decide to purchase.

I had Chipotle Restaurant’s beef barbacoa tacos and thought they were fantastic. Then I found this Slow Cooker Chipotle Barbacoa recipe on Coupon Crafty’s blog a few years ago. My husband loved it and when you luck out to get chuck roast on sale, it’s an inexpensive and easy recipe. I have since revised the original recipe to suit my family’s tastes and this is how I make it.

The recipe below shows how I’ve adapted it and simplified it and I make this pretty often. This is one of our family favorites and as you can see by the serving suggestions, a very versatile and tasty meat. This is a great dish to make for company or to feed a crowd where guests can build their own soft tacos, rice bowls, nachos or salad. I even put leftover meat and loads of fresh veggies on top of my homemade pizza and it is our favorite way to eat pizza. This Slow Cooker Barbacoa beef is a definite party pleaser and so easy to make it only tastes like you slaved all day making it! 

We don’t entertain as much as we used to but I still make this recipe for busy weeknights with kids sports when we are all eating dinner at different times. The meat stays hot and tender in the slow cooker and the fresh toppings and tortilla chips are easy to pull out when you’re ready to eat it.

Slow cooker barbacoa beef in the slow cooker, all done!
Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef shredded and ready for tacos or nachos!

Recommended Tools to Make Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis and badly damaged hands, I look for tools that are dishwasher safe (whenever possible) and easy to use. Because we have so many mouths to feed, I normally hand wash big pots and pans and everything else that can go in the dishwasher does.

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes

This slow cooker barbacoa beef recipe will give you fall apart tender beef for your next taco or nacho bar. Perfect for a warm meal on busy weeknights or parties.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, canned (for mild flavor. Add more peppers if you like it spicy)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 lbs chuck roast
  • 1 10-ounce can chicken broth
  • 3 bay leaves

Instructions

  1. Make adobo sauce by combining vinegar, lime juice, adobo peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and clove in a measuring cup or small mixing bowl.
  2. Trim the fat from the meat, and then slice the roast into 6 smaller pieces.
  3. Preheat a skillet on medium high to high heat. Add a couple teaspoons of olive oil to skillet.
  4. Sear all sides of the chunks of meat in olive oil until nicely browned. Turn off heat.
  5. Put meat chunks in the slow cooker.
  6. Add the adobo sauce on top of the meat, pour in the chicken broth in the open spaces (I try not to let the adobo sauce get off the meat). and add the bay leaves.
  7. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. May need up to 2 more hours depending on how hot your slow cooker runs.
  8. Check the meat at 8 hours: take the lid off the slow cooker and shred the beef with two forks. If the beef does not shred easily, cook longer.
  9. Switch the slow cooker to keep warm or turn it off if you are eating it right away.

    Notes

  1. Topping suggestions: pico de gallo, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, jalapeño, queso, avocado or guacamole
  2. Serving suggestions:
    • in a warmed tortilla or cauliflower wrap for a taco,
    • on top of yellow or white rice for a rice bowl,
    • or on top of tortilla chips for nachos (my kids favorite or if you want a gluten free meal),
    • or on top of lettuce with corn, tomatoes and black beans for a fantastic Tex-Mex salad!
    • even on homemade pizza! It’s a very versatile and tasty meat.
    • serve with cilantro lime rice, cauliflower rice or black beans

    © Tanya M
    Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Recipe

    Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef Serving Suggestions

    Making it how everyone likes it…Superhubby prefers low carb wraps for tacos, I like rice bowls, salad or nachos and the kids want all the nachos. Any excuse to eat with their fingers!

    Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef nachos with pico de gallo, lettuce, queso, jalapeno and cilantro lime rice
    Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef in a low carb spinach and herb tortilla, Trader Joe’s mexican cauliflower rice and tortilla chips

    Tips for Making Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

    • when chuck roast is on sale, buy an extra one for this recipe! freeze it and then thaw it the day (or two) before you want to cook it. Make sure it is fully thawed before cooking.
    • buy prechopped garlic if you don’t want to mess with crushing garlic, but this garlic press rocker looks pretty cool and easy to use
    • i’ve used bottled lime juice before and it still comes out excellent
    • use a slotted spoon or fork when taking shredded meat out of the slow cooker. If you’re putting it on nachos or tacos, drain as much of sauce as you can so your chips or tortillas don’t get soggy.
    • Store leftover meat in an air tight container and pour some of the sauce on top to keep it juicy.
    • make fresh pico de gallo (tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, salt and lime juice) ahead of time so flavors can meld together before serving.
    • you can make cilantro lime rice or cauliflower rice ahead of time and just reheat when you need it
    • if you’re making it for a crowd, you can adjust the adobo sauce ingredients accordingly but you will not need to increase the chicken broth. the meat releases liquid as it cooks so you don’t want it to overflow. it will be juicy enough.

    This slow cooker barbacoa beef recipe is so easy I just had to share it with you. It’s definitely made cooking easier for me and is our go to meal for taco tuesday or when we are feeding a crowd. I don’t share recipes often but this is a must because it’s so delicious and tried and true!

    More Cooking Posts and Recipes Your Family Will Love


    Want More Easy Meal Ideas, a Grocery Restock List and Meal Planning Freebies?!?

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is simple-cooking-and-meal-plans-newsletter.png

    Subscribe to my Simple Cooking with Tanya newsletter where I send you our menu plans weeklyish, cooking tips and a link to my grocery restock list for you to copy and save to your Google Drive. I print them up and hang it on the side of the fridge so whenever we run out of anything, we can highlight/write in what we need. This really helps me not forget anything that I or my hungry crew needs. 

    You can rearrange the restock list in the order of your favorite grocery store’s aisles. It’s a huge timesaver if your list is in the right order so you aren’t running all over the store and backtracking.  

    Well, there you have it…one of my family’s favorite slow cooker meals, slow cooker barbacoa beef. Perfect for Taco Tuesday, a busy weeknight with kids activities or even a big party!

    What are your favorite recipes to serve a crowd? What are your favorite slow cooker recipes? I always like to try new things, so please share your recipes with me! 

    48 Comments

    1. I have this in my crockpot right now!!! But I don’t see a recipe or link to make the cilantro lime rice. Am I blind? lol

      Reply

      1. Lol, no you’re not blind. I reformatted the recipe but forgot I was going to put the cilantro lime rice in a new recipe box. It’s super easy. I cook long grain white rice like the package says on the stovetop (1 cup rice + 2 cups water + a tsp of olive oil, bring to a boil, once boiling reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. turn off heat and let sit for 10 more minutes. Stir in a couple teaspoons lime juice, chopped cilantro when done. Adjust the lime juice and add salt to taste.) Hope that helps and that you enjoyed the barbacoa!!

        Reply

    2. What a great recipe I can’t wait to try it! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday,456. We look forward to seeing you again very soon!
      Miz Helen

      Reply

    3. I need to remember to do more slow cooker recipes! This one looks really delicious and different from what I usually make! I’m saving this recipe!

      Reply
    5. Pingback: My Top 8 Must Have Kitchen Gadgets for Cooking with Rheumatoid Arthritis
    6. Pingback: Tostones with Mojo Sauce-Fried Plantains & Cilantro-Garlic Sauce

    8. That looks amazing! Wonderful idea of making one meat then using it for both my favorite foods…tacos and pizza! Love co-hosting with ya’ #SmallVictories

      Reply
    16. Pingback: Menu Plan Monday - Jan 5, 2015 - Mom's Small VictoriesMom's Small Victories
    17. Pingback: Pintastic Pinteresting Party # 13 | At The Lake
    18. Pingback: Pintastic Pinteresting Party #11 | At The Lake

    19. Hi Tanya. Thanks for linking at Pintastic Pinteresting Party!

      This looks fantastic. I too have RA so I really appreciate the tips on how easy or difficult it is with RA. I was a little scared when you said it was Barbacoa because I really don’t care for Barbacoa, at least not the way it was prepared when I tried it. I think using the chuck roast, though, it would be wonderful. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

      1. Thanks Regina. I was so happy that you featured my post on the party this week, thanks so much! I am glad you find my RA ease of prep rating useful. It always takes me longer to make recipes and then factoring in clean up time. It feels like I am in the kitchen most of the time I am awake. The Chuck roast comes out really tender and just falls apart (really I can shred it with a spoon). My husband’s family is from Mexico. When they’ve bought barbacoa at restaurants it comes with a lot of fat. Trimming the fat and cooking in chicken broth really helps, even my in laws love it when I make this for them. Score!

        Reply

      1. Oh I could write an ode to my slow cooker like I did for my kindle. I highly recommend the Hamilton beach stow n go. I think its either $40 or $60 so not overly expensive but fantastic!! I use mine at least once or twice per week.

        Reply

    23. Tanya,
      This recipe looks tasty! I’ll definitely have to give it a try.

      After reading your recipe, I was drawn to the about me section of your site. I too am a young arthritis sufferer. I have psoriatic arthritis and appreciate your comment about celebrating small victories 🙂

      Reply

    24. My husband would love this recipe, I’m pinning this!!
      Stopping by to show an old post some new love, thanks for hosting.

      Ps. Thanks for stopping by A Chicago Mom

      Reply

    25. Oh, how I love barbacoa! What a great recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
      Visiting from Throwback Thursday! Great party too!

      Reply

      1. My husband’s family is from Mexico too. The biggest complement is my in-laws love when I make it too (and my hubby likes it more than the one his mom buys premade from the meat market). Its leaner too since I trim the fat from it and it cooks in chicken broth. I hope you try it out!

        Reply
    30. Pingback: Small Victories Sunday Linky {9} - The One Where We Partied Like Superheroes | Mom's Small Victories
    31. Pingback: Small Victories Sunday Linky {8} - The One Where We Bust The Good Mother Myth | Mom's Small Victories

      1. Hi Becca, it’s pretty good. I’ve only eaten at Chipotle once and I gotta admit this recipe is even better. I used a whole can of chicken broth so it stays tender and the leftovers with the flavors all melded together are even better. Still my hubby’s favorite dish I make. Whenever chuck roast is on sale at Food Lion I stock up and make one roast fresh and freeze the other.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *