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Home » Recipes » Food

Published: Jan 20, 2023, By: Melissa, Updated: Oct 15, 2023

Mexican Barbacoa

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This Mexican beef barbacoa recipe is a delicious and really easy-to-make tender and delicious Mexican shredded beef. It starts with an inexpensive chuck roast and then the most delicious barbacoa seasoning is added to the meat and slow-cooked in a Dutch oven. This beef barbacoa makes a great filling for tacos, burritos, or a main dish on its own served with a side of rice.

Mexican barbacoa

Living here in Austin, TX, tacos are really popular because of the large Mexican population. Barbacoa tacos are found at every taco joint and Mexican restaurant in the area.

I only recently decided to make this Mexican shredded beef at home and I am sure glad I did. It is really easy to make and really big on flavor. It's perfect for a small group or a larger crowd.

I love making shredded beef dishes since the shredded meat picks up the flavors of pan juices so well. If you've tried my pot roast sandwich or Cuban ropa vieja, you already know what I mean!

This barbacoa recipe is similar to my Texas chili since they use chuck roast and dried chile peppers. This Mexican barbacoa pairs well with quick Spanish rice or with corn tortillas and is made into barbacoa tacos (more on the tacos below.)

For an entire meal with drinks and dessert, I like making my watermelon margaritas, Mexican horchata, and watermelon popsicles since they are both light and pair so well with the Barbacoa. I even like to add refreshing cucumber agua frescas to the mix.

Make this as is or with your favorite sides.

barbacoa ingredients
  • Beef Chuck Roast. To keep this beef barbacoa traditional, if you cannot find chuck roast, try to use a large beef roast that is somewhat tough and needs a few hours to cook up tender. Other great options to look for at the store are brisket (flat cut cooks up the fastest) or beef cheeks.
  • Dried Guajillo chile peppers. This is for the barbacoa seasoning portion of the recipe. If you cannot find these peppers, substitutes are listed below.
  • Garlic.
  • Kosher salt and pepper.

See the recipe card for quantities.

The ingredients are very simple for this delicious Mexican beef barbacoa recipe. Guajillo chiles are actually very easy to find in the spice section of your grocery store.

They are sold in bags and they come dried. I have always had luck finding them at Whole Foods Market.

barbacoa top view
Mexican beef barbacoa.

How To Make Mexican Shredded Beef

Making this beef barbacoa only involves making a quick chile pepper sauce, searing the chuck roast then adding it all together to cook in the oven for a couple hours.

Barbacoa seasoning

guajillo chile for Mexican barbacoa

Soak the chile peppers in hot water.

ingredients for barbacoa in blender

Add rehydrated chile peppers, hot water, and garlic to a blender.

blending barbacoa seasoning

Blend until smooth.

cooking down barbacoa seasoning

Cook the sauce in a small saucepan for about 5 minutes.

The first thing you want to do is make the barbacoa seasoning (barbacoa sauce). This is what the chuck roast simmers in and the flavor in this beef barbacoa recipe.

This does not take too long. From start to finish, this sauce is ready in under 30 minutes.

Pro-tip: This barbacoa sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for a couple of days.

Barbacoa beef

chuck roast for Mexican barbacoa

Add salt and pepper to the chuck roast.

searing chuck roast for barbacoa

Sear chuck roast in a heavy bottom pot with a lid.

meat and seasoning for Mexican barbacoa

Now pour barbacoa sauce over the top.

shredding Mexican barbacoa

After it is done cooking, shred the meat and mix in the sauce.

Making these into tacos

The most traditional way I have seen beef barbacoa served is as barbacoa tacos. This traditional way to make beef barbacoa tacos looks like this:

  1. Stack two corn tortillas on top of one another.
  2. Pile on a good portion of the barbacoa meat.

Toppings for Barbacoa

  1. Top the meat with finely chopped white onion and fresh cilantro.
  2. Serve with a lime wedge which is squeezed over the taco before eating.
barbacoa tacos
Barbacoa on corn tortillas.

Best Tortillas To Use

When I first moved to Texas I didn't understand why two corn tortillas were served with the barbacoa. I thought I could just make two tacos out of the one that I would buy at taco stands.

Then you realize when you are eating the barbacoa tacos that the corn tortillas fall apart very easily, especially with moist and tender barbacoa meat.

So you want to make sure to use two corn tortillas. Warm the corn tortillas for about 30 seconds a side in a small saute pan over medium heat.

Mexican barbacoa

Substitutions

If you cannot find guajillo chile peppers, you can use canned chipotle peppers. You can use one small can of chipotle peppers and their juice to replace the guajillo chile peppers.

Variations

This Mexican barbacoa recipe is not spicy since it uses guajillo chiles. Guajillo chile peppers are full of flavor but not spicy. Here are variations and ideas to change things up a bit.

  • Spicy - add dried Arbol chiles or red pepper flakes for a little heat.
  • Veggie packed - add sliced onions and peppers during the last hour of cooking.

Equipment

I like to use a cast iron Dutch oven for this Mexican shredded beef recipe. It retains heat well and has a tight-fitting lid. You can use any oven-safe pot with a lid if you do not have a Dutch oven.

This Mexican barbacoa is made in the oven but you could easily adapt this recipe to use your slow cooker. To use the slow cooker, follow the instructions in the notes area of the recipe below.

Time-Saving Tip

Make the sauce for the barbacoa ahead of time so when you are ready to cook the barbacoa, all you have to do is sear the meat and then add the sauce before going into the oven.

FAQ

What is the difference between barbacoa and carnitas?

Barbacoa is usually made from beef or goat and is slow-cooked before it is shredded. Carnitas is made from pork and is shredded and then crisped up before serving.

What is traditional barbacoa?

Traditional barbacoa is a method of slow-cooking various cuts of beef, goat or mutton. The meat is slow-cooked until it is tender and can be easily shredded. The meat is slow-cooked with chile peppers and spices making it very flavorful and a great addition to tacos, burritos, or as a side to Spanish rice.

What to serve with beef barbacoa

These are my favorite sides to serve with Mexican barbacoa. If you are looking to make traditional barbacoa tacos, see how to do this above in the post.

  • tuna ceviche
    Ahi Tuna Ceviche (With Mango Salsa)
  • poblano cream sauce
    Poblano Cream Sauce (Roasted Poblano Crema)
  • closeup of burrito
    Spanish Rice and Bean Burrito
  • creamy cilantro dressing top view
    Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce (Just 5 Minutes!)

More Mexican recipes

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    Mexican Horchata (A Mexican Rice Drink)
  • cheesy queso fundido dip
    The Best Queso Fundido (with poblano peppers)
  • refried beans on a tostada with toppings on top.
    Mexican Refried Bean Tostadas
  • tomato and tomatillo salsa in bowl
    Roasted Salsa With Tomatoes And Tomatillos
Mexican barbacoa
Print Recipe
5 from 8 votes

Mexican Barbacoa

This easy and really delicious Mexican shredded beef dish is the perfect slow cooked meal and makes a great addition to tacos, burritos, or rice.
Prep Time20 minutes mins
Cook Time3 hours hrs
Total Time3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Melissa Oleary

Equipment

  • 1 dutch oven with lid or heavy bottom oven safe pot with lid

Ingredients

  • 2 lb Chuck roast
  • 4 Guajillo chile peppers (seeds removed) (or see substitutions list in post)
  • 3 Cloves garlic
  • 2 cups Hot water
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 8 corn tortillas optional
  • 1 chopped white onion optional

Instructions

  • Pe-heat your oven to 325 degrees.
  • Cut stems off the top of the Guajillo peppers.
  • With a thin sharp knife, scrape out seeds from peppers.
  • Place Guajillo chile peppers and garlic into a bowl and add hot water.
    4 Guajillo chile peppers (seeds removed), 3 Cloves garlic, 2 cups Hot water
  • Let steep for 10 minutes to soften chile peppers
  • After 10 minutes, add the peppers, garlic and the water they steeped in to a blender.
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Pour pureed pepper mixture into a small sauce pan and lightly simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
  • Set aside.
  • Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels.
    2 lb Chuck roast
  • Add salt and pepper to both sides of roast.
    1 teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
  • Pre-heat a large oven safe pot over medium heat.
  • Add olive oil.
    1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Add chuck roast and sear both sides.
  • Once the chuck roast has been seared on both sides, pour chile pepper puree over the top.
  • Place the lid on top and place in the oven for 2-3 hours.
  • Once the meat is fully cooked and is tender, take two forks and shred it in the pot with the pureed chile peppers.
  • Mix the shredded meat into the sauce in the pot so all of the meat is coated evenly.
  • Serve with fresh corn tortillas and chopped white onion or alongside Spanish rice.
    8 corn tortillas, 1 chopped white onion

Notes

Slow cooker method:

To use the slow cooker, follow the recipe all the way through searing the meat.
Then place the seared chuck roast and pureed chile peppers in the slow cooker and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until tender.
 
To re-heat:
Place shredded beef in a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add a little beef broth or water (about ⅛ cup) and mix well. Heat gently until meat is warmed all the way through.

Nutrition

Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 156mg | Sodium: 796mg | Potassium: 909mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 96mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition Values are estimates only.

See full nutrition disclaimer here

Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!

Course :entertaining, holidays, Main Course

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Comments

    5 from 8 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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  1. Sue says

    January 28, 2023 at 10:22 pm

    5 stars
    This was my first time making barbacoa and it turned out amazing! I can’t believe how easy it was and how much flavor comes from the Chile peppers. Such a great recipe and I’ll definitely be making this again.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      January 29, 2023 at 12:58 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jill says

    January 20, 2023 at 6:20 pm

    5 stars
    This barbacoa recipe was so easy to make and absolutely delicious. I will be making this often!

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      January 20, 2023 at 6:21 pm

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply

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profile picture of Melissa from Keeping It Simple Blog

I am so excited you are here. My name is Melissa and I started this recipe website to share easy recipes that I have been cooking for years. I have written hundreds of easy recipes that are tested and perfected. Some of the recipes I learned during my years of working in restaurants, some from owning my own food company, and others from friends and traveling.

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