Description
This slow cooker beef barbacoa is a game-changer for weeknight dinners, delivering restaurant-quality, smoky, and tender shredded beef with minimal effort. It’s a dump-and-go recipe that yields deeply flavorful results perfect for tacos, burritos, or meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3–4 pounds beef chuck roast (well-marbled)
- 3–4 dried ancho chiles (stems and seeds removed)
- 4–5 dried guajillo chiles (stems and seeds removed)
- 1 large white onion (quartered)
- 6–8 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 cup orange juice (freshly squeezed)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 2 limes (cut into wedges for serving)
Instructions
- Rehydrate the chiles: Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles. Place pods in a large pot, cover with boiling water, and soak for 10-15 minutes until soft. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
- Make the sauce: Transfer rehydrated chiles to a blender. Add orange juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, peppercorns, and half the garlic. Blend until smooth. Add reserved soaking liquid if needed to reach a pourable consistency. Taste and adjust salt.
- Prep the beef: Trim excess hard fat from the chuck roast. Cut into 3-4 large chunks to fit in the slow cooker.
- Combine in slow cooker: Place beef chunks in the slow cooker. Add quartered onion and remaining garlic. Pour the blended chile sauce over the beef, ensuring the meat is mostly submerged. Add water or more orange juice if necessary.
- Cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours (or HIGH for 4-5 hours). Avoid opening the lid during cooking.
- Shred the beef: Remove beef from the slow cooker. Discard bay leaves and cooked onion. Shred the beef using two forks or clean hands. Skim excess fat from the cooking liquid.
- Finish: Return shredded beef to the slow cooker. Stir in half of the reserved cooking liquid and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust salt. If too dry, add more liquid; if too wet, cook uncovered on HIGH for 30 minutes to reduce.
- Serve: Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, and desired toppings like radishes, onions, and crema.
Notes
For a milder spice level, remove all seeds and veins from the chiles. The flavor improves on day two. This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months. If using an Instant Pot, pressure cook on high for 60 minutes with a 15-minute natural release. Ensure the beef is mostly submerged in liquid for even cooking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Approximately 1/6 of
- Calories: 350
- Sodium: 450
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 30
Keywords: slow cooker, beef barbacoa, shredded beef, mexican food, easy dinner, meal prep, chuck roast, crockpot recipe, family dinner