Chipotle Barbacoa beef cooked in a spicy, rich and tasty braising mixture until melt-in-your-mouth tender and delicious. This Barbacoa recipe can be made in the crock pot, Instant Pot, stove top or in the oven!
It’s no secret, everyone loves Chipotle Barbacoa. My oldest son loves it so much we found ourselves at the popular restaurant twice a week. Having a Chipotle copycat recipe for our favorite Barbacoa recipe was a must!
Barbacoa meat is incredibly flavorful and easy to make. I think of it as Mexican shredded beef or Mexican pulled beef seasoned to perfection with the absolute best chipotle barbacoa sauce. Barbacoa is bold, spicy and layered over tortillas makes for the best barbacoa tacos!
What is Barbacoa?
- Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean. This is where the term barbecue comes from. However, this barbacoa beef has very little to do with the traditional method of cooking meats in an open fire or in a hole dug in the ground. This Mexican barbacoa is braised beef cooked low and slow in a flavorful braising liquid. The flavors of this chipotle beef are complex, smoky, rich and exploding with flavor.
Chipotle Barbacoa Ingredients
- Beef Chuck or Chuck Roast:: This type of meat benefits from slow cooking. Beef shoulder or “pot roast” can be use.
- Olive Oil: You cab use canola oil, vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds depth and tanginess.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is a must.
- Broth: I use chicken broth but beef broth can be use.
- Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce: I buy them canned. You can add a couple of peppers or a lot of them depending on how spicy you like the barboca. You can also cut them in half and remove the seeds if you wish.
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic.
- Spices and Seasonings: Ground Cumin, Dried Oregano, Ground Cloves, Bay Leaves, Salt and Ground Black pepper.
How To Make Barbacoa
On the recipe card below, you will find instructions for making this Barbacoa recipe on the stove top, in the oven, in the slow cooker/crock pot or in the pressure cooker/Instant pot.
- First, make the cooking / braising liquid. In a small food processor or blender, place the chipotle peppers with some of the adobo sauce, the garlic, fresh lime juice, apple cider vinegar and the spices (except the bay leaves) and process until smooth.
- Trim any extra fat from the beef and cut it into big chunks. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
- Sear the beef until golden brown.
- Pour the cooking/ braising liquid over the beef and add the broth and bay leaves.
- Cook until the beef is tender and can be easily shred with a fork.
- Shred the beef and allow it to simmer in the cooking liquid for a few minutes.
Slow Cooker Barbacoa
- To make barbacoa in the crock pot, after browning the beef and adding the braising liquid, cover and cook on low for 8 – 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. The slow cooked beef should be super tender and easy to shred with a fork.
Instant Pot Barbacoa
- I cut the beef into 2-inch chunks. Set the Instant Pot to saute and heat the oil. Brown the beef in batches to prevent steaming. Remove the seared beef from the instant pot and press cancel.
- Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck brown bits.
- Return the beef to the pressure cooker, pour in the chipotle sauce (braising liquid) and bay leaves. Toss to combine.
- Close the lid and seal the pot. Cook on high pressure for 65 minutes.
- When the pressure cooking is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 – 8 minutes. Turn the valve to venting and release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the beef, shred it and return it to the Instant Pot.
Barbacoa beef is made with beef chuck. The restaurant Chipotle shows beef shoulder in their ingredient list.
Barbacoa is made by slow cooking beef (sometimes goat). Carnitas are made with pork. Usually pork shoulder or pork butt.
To make the Barbacoa beef milder, I cut up the chipotle peppers and remove the seeds trying to scrape the veins off. The chipotle tend to break up but it’s OK since you will process them into a sauce anyway. Also, use fewer peppers than listed on the recipe for a less spicier version.
Yes! Barbacoa beef tastes even better the next day! You can keep this delicious braised beef in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Barbacoa also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Barbacoa Recipe Tips
- Layer the shredded beef on warm corn tortillas for the best barbacoa tacos ever!
- This Barbacoa recipe is gluten free and low-carb.
- Make Barbacoa Salad with romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, shredded cheddar, avocado and sour cream.
- You can use Italian or Mexican oregano.
- This recipe can be made with chicken. Of course the cooking times will have to be adjusted.
- You can use different cooking methods to make this easy barbacoa recipe. You can use a Dutch oven or a large pot to make Chipotle beef on the stove top or in the oven. You can also make this barbacoa recipe in a slow cooker or in the Instant Pot. Instructions for each cooking method are provided.
- Just like at Chipotle, we love serving this tasty barbacoa recipe with cilantro rice.
Here Are Some Easy Side Dishes Perfect To Serve With Chipotle Barbacoa Beef:
Check Out The Other Easy Recipes
This post was first published in 2018 and has been updated to provide the reader with additional information. The recipe remains the same.
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Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 2 teaspoons of the adobo sauce (Use 2 chipotle peppers if you don't like the dish too spicy)
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 – 4 lbs chuck roast
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 2-3 bay leaves
Instructions
To Make the Braising Liquid
- Place the vinegar, lime juice, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and cloves in a small food processor or blender. Puree on high speed until smooth.
The Beef
- Trim the extra fat from the meat and cut it into big chunks (about 2-2.5 inches pieces). Season the meat lightly with salt and pepper.
- In a large heavy bottom pot or a Dutch oven over medium high heat, heat up the oil. Add the meat in batches and sear until golden brown.
- Return all the meat to the pot and add the spicy braising mix over it. Add the broth and the bay leaves. Mix well to combine. Cover the pot and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 3 1/2 to 4 1/4 hours or until the meat flakes easily; giving it a stir every 30 minutes during the cooking process.
- Turn off the heat and shred the meat with a couple of forks (it should be tender enough to flake easily).
- Before serving, let the shredded meat simmer over low heat for about 15 extra minutes.
Check the notes for instructions when cooking this recipe in the Slow Cooker. Instant Pot or Oven
Chef’s Tips
- After searing the beef, place the meat in the crock pot. Pour in the braising liquid, broth and add the bay leaves. Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours.Â
- Make the braising liquid as instructed above. Cut the beef into 2-inch chunks and season them with salt and pepper. Set the Instant Pot to saute and heat the oil. Brown the beef in batches to prevent steaming. Remove the seared beef from the instant pot and press cancel.
- Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck brown bits.
- Return the beef to the pressure cooker, pour in the chipotle sauce (braising liquid) and bay leaves. Toss to combine.
- Close the lid and seal the pot. Cook on high pressure for 65 minutes.
- When the pressure cooking is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 – 8 minutes. Turn the valve to venting and release the remaining pressure.
- Remove the beef, shred it and return it to the Instant Pot.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Place Dutch oven in the oven and bake for 3 1/2 to 4 1/4 hours, giving it a stir every 30 minutes during the cooking process.
Nutrition
Kristina says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! We live in Southern California, and this barbacoa rivals our favorite taquerias. We only had 1.5 lbs of beef but still made the recipe’s amount of braising liquid and glad we did because the beef just soaked up all the delicious liquid and was extra flavorful.
Kathy says
Hi Kristina! We lived in Thousand Oaks/Simi Valley area for 25 years. Lots of good Mexican food to chose from. I sometimes cook more meat than the recipe calls for and make 2 x the braising liquid. What you did is perfect! The shredded beef soaks up all that flavor and we love to add some to our rice too. Welcome to our family – seems we have similar tastes when it comes to food!
We don’t have any good Mexican restaurants in our area so I’ve been trying to develop and recreate the recipes from my favorite So.Cal places – I miss the food and sunny skies so much! Try my recipe for Carne Asada. Not quite “carniceria” (meat market) style but more like what El Torito used to have. It’s very very tasty. Thanks for the feddback! xo
Donna J Renberg says
I’m not a fan of the smokiness of chipotle peppers. Can you suggest a substitution?
Kathy says
Honestly the chipotles and the adobo sauce is what makes the recipe. Combined with the other ingredients the sauce doesn’t have a smoky taste. My husband hates chipotles and he loves this dish. Maybe adding just the adobo sauce (from the chipotles) is an option?
Donna says
Thank you for your quick reply. If your husband likes it in spite of the chipotles I will give it a try.
MARY LYNN KONOPACKI says
Am I able to make in an instant pot?
Kathy says
Absolutely!
Kristin Thumlert says
If i only have 2.3 lbs of meat how long should i cook it in the dutch oven? And should i cut back on the rest of the ingredients or leave as is?
Kathy says
Hi Kristin, I make this all the time with smaller cuts of meat. I don’t cut the other ingredients in half because I like a lot of juices on the end product. On the stove top that amount of meat would most likely take 1.5 – 2 hours. You have to just keep an eye on it. If you can easily shred it with a for it’s done. There’s no way to over cook it so no worries about that.
Jeff says
I’m new to braising. Do you return the beef to the braising liquid after shredding? If so, do you strain off the liquid before freezing any extra beef? Thanks in advance.
Kathy says
Hi Jeff! Yes! I return the beef to the braising liquid which by now is like liquid gold! Freeze it in the liquid too.
Chris says
Hi from New Zealand! I was just wondering…. when cooking in the oven do you need to simmer on the stove top at all or as soon as all the ingredients are in the dutch oven do you just pop it in the oven and thats it? Also should i stir it at all during the 4 hours? Thanks alot i cant wait to try it! Ps do you have the oven on bake or fan-forced?
Cheers
Chris
Chris says
Kia Ora! Sorry i read again and saw that you do stir during the 4 hours….thanks in advance for the other questions 🙂
Kathy says
Chris, I detailed my answer previously however I forgot to answer one question – I use regular baking not convection. Enjoy!
Kathy says
Hi Chris,
Follow step #3 with the following changes:
Return all the meat to the pot and add the spicy braising mix over it. Add the broth and the bay leaves. Mix well to combine. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. I ALWAYS check the meat during the baking process. I check every hour. I’ve been surprised a few times because the meat got tender after 2.5 hours. Remember ALL OVENS work differently. Some run hotter than others. You don’t have to stir the beef per say but just make sure that it has enough liquid, I like to use a fork to check the tenderness of the beef also. Too little cooking and the beef would be tough, too much and it will dried up. I hope this helps!
Chris says
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for the reply, awesome recipe! Absolutely delicious. Ive tried a few different pulled beef recipe over the years but never one with such depth of flavour, I think it will become a regular in our household and I will definitely be having a look through your other recipes.
Cheers!
Kathy says
Hi Chris so happy to hear! It’s my son’s favorite! Thank you so much for the rating!
Matt Klein says
This recipe is fantastic! I do quite a bit of Mexican cooking and this is one of the best I have ever made.
Kathy says
Hi Matt! Thank you. It’s a family favorite. I appreciate the feedback.
Carina says
Hello kathy! I’m looking forward to trying this delicious recipe but I have a couple of questions. I bought 5. 2lbs of chuck roast would I need to double the ingredients? And if I feel like it’s not enough liquid in the Dutch oven do I add more broth?
Kathy says
Hi Carina, if you have 10 pounds of beef total, I will double the braising liquid for sure. You need more broth as well. Just enough to keep most of the beef submerge. I often double the braising liquid and it works great. Just keep an eye on the chipotles. If you are not removing the seeds, maybe do one less??? Sometimes they are fiery spicy. Hope this helps!
Becky Wetzell says
I made this Barbacoa recipe and it’s easy to make, easy to follow recipe and Super DELICIOUS!!!
Kathy says
So glad to hear!! Thank you