The main way I cook beef roasts is by making Slow-Cooker Barbacoa - a flavorful, slightly spicy shredded beef that's incredibly easy to make and gives plenty of leftovers. If your Chipotle order is always barbacoa like mine is, this recipe is what you've been looking for.
Slow Cooker Barbacoa at a Glance
- ⏱ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Cook Time: 8 hours
- ⏳ Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 12
- 🍽️ Calories: 221
- 🌾 Main Ingredients: Beef roast, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, oregano, cumin, onion powder
- 👌 Why You'll Love It: Tender shredded beef at the end of the day, with only a few minutes prep in the morning.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
You only need one special ingredient: a can of chipotle chiles with adobo sauce, which adds a smoky, slightly spicy flavor. Everything else is pantry staples. Just toss it in the slow cooker or Crockpot in the morning and you'll have tender beef by dinner - enough to feed a crowd for taco night or for your small family to have burrito bowls for a week. And if you didn't plan ahead, you can also use an Instant Pot.
If you like big batch slow cooker cooking, my Soy-Cola Braised Pork, Slow Cooker Bean and Bacon Soup, and hands-off Southwestern Bean and Barley Soup are worth a look, too.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
You'll love Slow Cooker Barbacoa because it:
- 🧂 Takes just a handful of shelf-stable ingredients.
- ⏰ Is hands-off - just start it in the morning and walk away.
- 🌮 Makes enough to feed a crowd for a taco night or meal prep burrito bowls all week.
What is Barbacoa? A Brief History
Barbacoa is a roasted or steamed meat, usually beef, goat, or lamb - and it's where English got the word "barbecue." When Europeans came to the Americas, they co-opted the term and used it to name the cooking technique of roasting meat over fires in holes in the ground.
When I had Mexican food in the Texas panhandle with my family, I got to try more-authentic barbacoa made from cow cheeks. It has a much softer texture, a velvety mouthfeel thanks to the collagen in it. Not bad if you like that kind of texture; I'm picky and don't like super-soft meat, so it wasn't my favorite. The flavor was great, though.
Key Ingredients
Beef roast: Choose a chuck roast, shoulder, or bottom round roast - something inexpensive that holds up well to long cooking. I've used London Broil-cut beef when it's on sale, but it's a little dry if not submerged in the liquid.
Chipotles in adobo sauce: Chipotles are smoked and dried jalapeno peppers, which are then preserved in vinegar-based adobo sauce. You'll need both for this recipe; I can't think of an adequate substitute for either. You'll have some leftover; blend the sauce with cashews to make my Smoky Cashew Dip.
Minced garlic and onion powder: I typically use jarred minced garlic - use garlic powder in a pinch. Substitute extra garlic or garlic powder for onion powder if you don't have it.
Cumin and oregano: Be sure the spices are fresh. I typically use ground cumin. Use Mexican oregano if you can find it.
Lime juice: This provides acidity and flavor; bottled juice is fine.
How to Make Barbacoa in a Slow Cooker
I adapted this from barbacoa recipe from The Gingham Apron. It took pantry ingredients, which I love, but I transformed it into a slow cooker recipe since I don't cook roasts in the oven.
I recommend using a smaller, 3- or 4-quart slow cooker or Crockpot, rather than a 6-quart model. While both work, the smaller one will keep the beef more moist since the liquid level is higher.
One: Remove any strings tied around the beef. If the roast is long and doesn't lie flat in the bottom of the slow cooker, cut it into pieces so it cooks in the liquid. Place beef in slow cooker and top with the remaining ingredients; replace the cover.
Two: Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 6 hours, until the beef shreds easily with two forks. Shred the meat and submerge in the cooking liquid, discarding any large chunks of fat. Break up the chipotles and stir them in if you like spicy food; otherwise, discard them.
Instant Pot Barbacoa Instructions
I often make barbacoa in the Instant Pot when I'm using a beef roast that I've previously frozen. If the beef is still partially frozen, it's safe to cook it in the Instant Pot - whereas you shouldn't cook frozen beef in a slow cooker.
One: If you have a long, flat piece of beef, cut it into chunks before cooking. Unsubmerged beef that touches the sides of the pot will scorch.
Two: Combine all the ingredients and use the meat setting on high pressure for 40 minutes. If your beef is frozen, the outside will be cooked but the inside won't be tender enough to shred; you'll need to run a second cycle.
PSA: Instant Pot's sealing ring will hold on to the flavor of the chipotles, garlic, and onion. If you use your Instant Pot for something other than savory cooking (like making rice or yogurt, as I do), purchase a spare pack of extra sealing rings (affiliate link) in different colors to keep the flavors separate. I've found them immensely helpful.
Serving
I love barbacoa as a burrito bowl - during busy weeks, I'll cut up lettuce and tomato over the weekend, and cook the beef midweek so dinner comes together fast. Serve the beef with a little of its liquid over black or pinto beans, rice or quinoa, corn, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, and whatever else you'd like. It's just as good as Chipotle's, much cheaper, and you'll have leftovers for days. You can also serve it as tacos; I prefer the soft corn tortillas over flour ones.
For a full taco night, I like to have it with a Classic Margarita to start, and finish it up with Tres Leches Cake for dessert. If you have leftover barbacoa and want something different, stir it into Mexican Soup - it adds a smoky, meaty flavor.
Storage
Store leftovers in a glass container in the refrigerator - plastic will absorb the flavors. Once cold, you can discard some of the excess fat that solidifies along the top. Reheat the leftovers gently.
Slow Cooker Barbacoa FAQs
Store leftover chipotles and their sauce in a small glass jar in the back of the refrigerator; they'll last for months. Sometimes I add the chipotles to Mexican Soup, but only one because they are rather spicy. Blend the sauce with cashews to make Smoky Cashew Dip, or brush it on pork chops before grilling.
Chuck roast is ideal for barbacoa because it's high in collagen, which breaks down during long cooking and keeps the beef tender and juicy. Beef shoulder or bottom round roast also work well. London broil-cut beef can also work, but it can become dry if not fully submerged.
Beef can become dry if not fully submerged in the cooking liquid, or if the cut is too lean. Slice the beef very finely against the grain, submerge it in the cooking liquid for a few minutes to reabsorb some moisture, and serve it alongside some cooking liquid.
If the beef resists shredding, it needs more cooking - return it to the slow cooker for another hour. If it's fully cooked and you need to eat immediately, slice it very thinly against the grain, chop it up, and submerge it in the cooking liquid. It will still taste great.
More Slow Cooker Dishes
I hope this becomes a recipe you'll return to. If you try it, a star rating below helps others find it - and I'd love to hear how yours turns out in the comments! 💕 Questions or trouble? Drop a note, and I'll do my best to help.
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Barbacoa
Equipment
- 4 quart slow cooker (or crockpot)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef roast (chuck, shoulder, rump roast, or bottom round; though I often use London Broil when it's on sale)
- 3 chipotles (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce)
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (I always use it from a jar)
- 2 teaspoons table salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (don't have this? add extra garlic, or skip it entirely)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (bottled is fine)
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Place beef roast in a 4-quart (preferred) or 6-quart slow cooker. If you have multiple pieces of beef, try to tuck them down so they're as low as possible.
- Top beef with chipotles, adobo sauce, minced garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, onion powder, and black pepper. Pour the lime juice and water over the spices to rinse them down and mix them.
- Cover and cook beef for 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
- Shred beef and stir it into the cooking liquid. Serve in tacos, burrito bowls, or on its own.
Instant Pot Directions
- Combine all ingredients in the Instant Pot (affiliate link). If using a long piece of beef (like London Broil), cut into two so that the pieces lie on top of each other.
- Place lid and make sure the vent is set to sealed, not vent. Select the longest Meat/Stew setting, 40 minutes on high pressure.
- Allow to vent naturally, or wait 10 minutes before venting. Shred beef and submerge in the liquid. Serve.
Leona Konkel says
I've been making barbacoa for at least 6 years now, and I still love it just as much as I did the first time. I hope you and your family enjoy it too. Let me know how it turns out!