The word “barbacoa” is a Caribbean term that described a large wooden structure that the Taíno Indian tribes used to cook and smoke meat. This is where our word “barbecue” comes from and it is also the name of this incredibly delicious, super soft and flavorful shredded beef dish. This stuff is amazing. The beef is super tender and there are so many layers of flavor going on that it is definitely way towards the top of my list of favorite beef recipes.
Barbacoa is a fabulous taco filling, great over nachos, it makes an awesome sandwich, but also pairs well with a bed of crispy greens. It is super versatile and perfect for summertime get togethers. It doesn’t need to be hot to taste delicious and it reheats easily. You are going to love this barbacoa!
Let’s get started…
The best beef to use for barbacoa is either brisket or chuck roast and you will need 3-4 pounds for this recipe. In addition to the beef, you will need some salt and black pepper, butter and about a cup of Guinness beer, root beer or beef broth to start the beef.
For the adobo sauce that your barbacoa will be simmered in, you will need 6 dried ancho chilies, a medium yellow onion, 5 large cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and a large pinch of black pepper.
Let’s talk about the various methods that you can use to cook barbacoa….
-
-
- Stove Top – barbacoa can also be simmered in a large skillet or braiser on your stove top. This method takes the most baby sitting, but it will yield wonderful results. After you sear the beef, proceed with the recipe, cover your skillet or braiser, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
- Crock Pot – using a crock pot is perfect if you want to start your barbacoa earlier in the day and then have something magnificent waiting for your 6-8 hours later.
- Pressure Cooking – this is my preferred method, as it only takes 1 hour to cook, but tastes as if had been simmering all day long. I use my Insta-Pot to pressure cook this barbacoa set on high for 60 minutes.
- Dutch Oven – if you don’t have a crock pot or insta-pot or you just prefer to use your oven, you can absolutely do this in a dutch oven. Instead of pressure cooking or slow cooking, you would braise the beef in a covered dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees
-
To begin, cut your beef into large chunks (about 2 inch portions) and season them generously with salt and black pepper. Turn your Insta-Pot to sauté and once it is quite warm, add 2 tablespoons of butter into the pot and working in batches, sear your seasoned beef on all sides.
Once the beef is seared, transfer it onto a plate and set it aside for now. Turn off the Insta-Pot.
Add a cup of beer into the pot and use a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to work up any brown bits from the bottom. Return all of the browned beef into the pot.
To make the sauce, begin by rehydrating your dried ancho chilies. This can be done before you start the beef and is as simple as bringing a saucepan of water to a boil, adding the dried chilies and setting them aside until they are plump and tender (about 20 minutes).
Once the chilies are rehydrated, transfer them into a blender along with a medium yellow onion, 5 large cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and a large pinch of black pepper.
Blend the sauce until smooth and pour it over the beef.
At this point, put the lid on your Insta-Pot and set it to pressure cook for 60 minutes. The Insta-Pot typically takes about 10 minutes to pressurize and your cook time will begin after it is fully pressurized, so don’t worry if your timer doesn’t start right away.
Once your barbacoa is done cooking, use two stiff forks to shred the beef into small pieces and mix it well, so every piece is submerged sauce.
Now that your barbacoa is ready to go, the only thing left to do is figure out how you are going to enjoy it…
This recipe gives you a nice big batch of barbacoa, so as long as you are not sharing this luscious beef with a large group, you will have plenty of leftovers. I recommend enjoying your barbacoa as many ways as possible.
Maybe tacos today, a barbacoa salad tomorrow, a barbacoa rice bowl the next day and then some barbacoa stuffed peppers over the weekend. Now that sounds like the perfect week to me!
If you are looking for an authentic barbacoa recipe with truly tender shredded beef full of wonderful flavor then I would love for you to give this barbacoa beef a try!
Barbacoa Beef
Ingredients
The Beef...
- 3-4 pounds of beef chuck roast
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of Guinness beer, root beer or beef broth
The Adobo Sauce...
- 6 dried ancho chilies, seeds removed, rehydrated
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 5 large cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup of beef broth
- 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of cumin
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- a large pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, submerge the ancho chilies, transfer off of the heat and set aside for 20-25 minutes
- Once the ancho chilies are rehydrated, transfer them into a blender along with a medium yellow onion, 5 large cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of beef broth, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves and a large pinch of black pepper. Blend until smooth and set aside for now
- Cut the chuck roast into large chunks, pat them dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and black pepper
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter into an insta pot set to sauté or a crockpot set on high
- Once the butter has melted and the surface is hot, sear the seasoned beef cubes on all sides (work in batches to avoid crowding the pot)
- Remove all beef from the pot, add 1 cup of beer or beef broth and use a wooden spoon or stiff spatula to work up any brown bits
- Return the beef into the pot along with the adobo sauce
- Pressure cook for 1 hour or set your crockpot to high and cook for 6 hours
- Once cooked, shred the beef and mix to combine with the sauce
- Enjoy hot or at room temperature
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator
