Tender, garlicky Chipotle Barbacoa is a beloved copycat recipe that’s smoky, fall-apart tender, and simple to make in a slow cooker. This recipe produces richly flavored shredded beef that you can adjust for heat to suit any palate.
What is barbacoa?
Barbacoa is gently braised, garlicky shredded beef slow-cooked in a spicy, smoky sauce until it falls apart. It develops deep flavor as it simmers for hours, and the aroma while it cooks makes it hard not to snack before dinner. Cooking low and slow—whether during the day or overnight—produces the most tender results.
This slow-cooker copycat Chipotle Barbacoa is a great base for many meals, which is why the recipe calls for a large chuck roast. Six to eight pounds sounds like a lot, but it fits easily in most slow cookers and yields many servings. Since it freezes well, making a large batch is efficient and convenient.
You’ll end up with multiple entrees from one batch—perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd.
Ways to serve Chipotle Barbacoa
Serve the barbacoa in warmed corn tortillas with chopped onion, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime for classic tacos. If you prefer flour tortillas, roll the barbacoa into burritos with refried beans, cilantro-lime rice, cheese, sour cream, salsa, pickled onions, and avocado for a hearty meal.
Build taco or burrito bowls by serving the shredded beef over hot rice with your favorite toppings—an excellent option for busy weeknights. You can also spoon barbacoa over baked russet or sweet potatoes with a dollop of crema or sour cream.
For game night or parties, use the barbacoa for loaded nachos: spread hot tortilla chips, melted cheese, and barbacoa, then finish with pickled jalapeños, salsa, and other toppings. Stir shredded barbacoa into a queso dip for a richer, meat-forward dip—serving with a fork is encouraged.
Barbacoa also works well in soups, on salads, or simply served on a plate with rice and beans. It’s versatile and holds up to many different flavor pairings.
Why use chuck roast
Chuck roast is ideal for braising because its connective tissue breaks down during long, gentle cooking, creating tender meat and a silky sauce. Flank steak can be used, but it’s pricier and leaner; chuck gives better texture and value.
Trim visible exterior fat and any large internal fat veins, then cut the roast into roughly 2-inch cubes. Leave some fat to baste the meat as it cooks, but remove excess so the final dish isn’t greasy.
There’s an optional but recommended step: briefly brown the beef in a hot skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. Browning isn’t about sealing in juices—it’s about adding extra depth and complexity to the flavor. If you’re short on time, you can skip it and still have a delicious result, but browning adds an extra layer of deliciousness.
For the braising liquid you can use beef or chicken broth or a light lager beer. Each will give a slightly different but tasty result; avoid very hoppy beers, which can compete with the chipotles in adobo. Marinating the beef in the sauce overnight is recommended for best flavor, though it will still be good if cooked immediately.
After the beef has cooked until it shreds easily, you can reduce excess cooking liquid on the stovetop by transferring some to a pan and simmering until it thickens, then returning it to the slow cooker and shredding the meat. This concentrates the sauce and improves texture.
Cool any leftovers completely before freezing in airtight containers or zipper-style freezer bags in single-meal portions. Label and date them for easy use later.
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Tools you’ll need
- Slow cooker
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Liquid measuring cup
Barbacoa recipe overview
Optional flavor-building step:
Heat vegetable or canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef cubes in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Allow the browned beef to cool before assembling in the slow cooker.
To make the Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa:
Place the beef (browned or not) in the slow cooker. In a blender combine chipotles in adobo, chopped onion, garlic, broth or beer, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, kosher salt, and black pepper. Blend on high until smooth.
Place bay leaves on top of the beef, pour the blended sauce over the meat, stir to combine, and cover. For best flavor let the beef marinate in the sauce overnight, then cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours) until the beef shreds easily with a fork. Discard bay leaves and shred meat with two forks in the sauce. If there is excessive liquid, reduce it on the stovetop before shredding.
To serve:
Serve the shredded barbacoa over rice, in corn or flour tortillas with onion and cilantro, in burritos, on nachos, in soups, or simply on a plate with sides. It’s flexible and pairs with many toppings and side dishes.
Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe {slow-cooker}
Rebecca Lindamood
40
8
8 40
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 pounds boneless chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 6 chipotles in adobo with sauce
- 1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth or light lager beer
- 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar (preferably raw)
- 1/4 cup lime juice (freshly squeezed preferred)
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
Optional flavor-building step:
- Drizzle oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef cubes on all sides in batches so the pan isn’t overcrowded. Cool before adding to the slow cooker.
To make the Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa:
- Add beef to the slow cooker. In a blender combine chipotles, onion, garlic, broth or beer, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, salt, and pepper; blend until smooth. Place bay leaves on the beef and pour the blended sauce over it. Cover and chill to marinate overnight if possible. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until the beef shreds easily. Discard bay leaves and shred the meat with two forks in the sauce.
To serve:
- Serve shredded barbacoa over rice, in tortillas with onion and cilantro, in burritos, on nachos, in soups, or simply enjoy it on a plate.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 2 g
Protein: 16 g
Fat: 3 g
Sodium: 327 mg
Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate nutrition using the exact ingredients you use.
Recipes to accompany your barbacoa
Spicy Corn and Black Bean Salad
Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad
Perfect Pico de Gallo
This post was originally published May 17, 2018 and republished September 2021.