Barbacoa Tacos
32 Comments
Updated Apr 11, 2024
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Barbacoa tacos are one delicious way to enjoy your next taco night! They’re juicy, ultra flavorful, and made easy right in the slow cooker. Just add the barbacoa to a plate and serve it up family style with a spread of your favorite taco toppings.
If you’ve just made a batch of my barbacoa and you’re wondering what to make with leftovers… you know I’m gonna say barbacoa tacos! If you thought my birria or carnitas recipe was amazing (which then turned into birria tacos or carnitas tacos), just wait until you try this barbacoa. It’s incredibly flavorful and becomes fall-apart tender, all thanks to the slow cooker. Just season up the beef with those delicious Mexican spices, and cook it low and slow.
By dinner time, the barbacoa will shred so beautifully and have your house smelling like your neighborhood taqueria. And while I normally keep my tacos simple with diced onions, cilantro, and fresh squeezed lime, I’ll show you how to make your taco night extra fancy with the ultimate Mexican spread.
Ingredients For The Best Barbacoa Tacos
I mentioned in my barbacoa recipe that tough, lean cuts of beef are best for slow cooking. So once you hit the market, look for a 4 pound beef chuck roast. Other than, the rest comes easy!
- Barbacoa: Juicy, savory, shredded barbacoa – the perfect taco addition!
- Avocado: You can slice them or dice into cubes.
- Onion: Diced yellow, white, or red onions will work.
- Lime: A squeeze of fresh lime juice is a must!
- Cilantro: A sprinkle of chopped cilantro adds a fresh touch.
- Tortillas: I love to use my cassava flour tortillas, but any will do!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Add everything into the slow cooker (minus the bay leaves). Give it a toss with tongs, then add the bay leaves and cover with the lid.
- Cook low and slow. Ideally, you want to cook it for 8-9 hours. But you can also cook on high for 4-5 hours if you’re on a time crunch. By the end, your barbacoa should be ultra tender and easily fall apart!
- Shred it up and make it extra juicy. Move the beef onto a cutting board and shred it with a fork. Then transfer it back into the slow cooker to let it absorb all the delicious juices.
Let’s Assemble Barbacoa Tacos!
Add the shredded barbacoa to a large serving plate and make it the centerpiece for taco night! Surround the barbacoa with a warm batch of tortillas, and a few other Mexican staples. You can even recreate your favorite Chipotle barbacoa tacos at home!
- Dips and Sauces: You can’t go wrong with the classic guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream combo. But if you want to amp it up, drizzle homemade lime crema or chipotle sauce for a little heat!
- Cheeses: I love to use cotija cheese for tacos, but queso fresco or any Mexican blend will work.
- Fresh Herbs & Veggies: Add refreshing flavors and crunch with chopped cilantro, radishes, fresh onions, or pickled red onions!
Meal Prep Ahead Of Time
To make dinner a breeze, prep everything ahead of time. First, get the barbacoa cooking early in the morning. Then, whip up the rest of the toppings and store in separate containers in the fridge. The only dip I would recommend doing later is the guacamole as this will oxidize and brown quickly. When you’re ready to eat, all you have to do is assemble!
More Tasty Ideas For Taco Night
You know I love a good taco (or two or three), so have fun on your next Taco Tuesday will all these variations. And if you’re hosting a Cinco De Mayo party, here’s a full list of Cinco De Mayo recipes to get you ready.
- Grilled Fish Tacos
- Carne Asada Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos
- Pulled Pork Street Tacos
- Taco Salad
- Prime Rib Tacos
- Breakfast Tacos
Barbacoa Tacos Recipe Video
Want to see how I make these tacos from start to finish? Watch the video below!
If you make these barbacoa tacos or my barbacoa burrito bowl, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Barbacoa Tacos
Description
Video
Ingredients
Barbacoa
- 4 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks
- 1 onion, diced
- 3-4 chipotles in adobo sauce, finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup beef stock
- 3 bay leaves
Taco Ingredients
- tortillas
- diced onion
- avocado slices
- chopped cilantro
- sour cream or cheese, optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the bay leaves, to the bowl of a slow cooker.
- Use tongs to gently toss and mix it all together. Then add the bay leaves, and cover. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours. The beef should be tender and fall apart easily when shredded with a fork. If it doesn't shred easily, cook it a bit longer.
- Remove the beef to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it.
- Place the shredded beef back in the slow cooker, give it a stir, and let it absorb the juices.
- Use tongs to remove a serving of barbacoa from the slow cooker, top it on a tortilla, and garnish with diced onion, avocado, cilantro, and other toppings.
Nutrition
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Absolutely phenomenal recipe! The beef had such amazing flavor. We made street tacos with the beef & I swear it was better than any restaurant. Thank you for this recipe, will definitely put this in our dinner rotation
Hi Cassondra – I’m glad you enjoyed this barbacoa recipe!
Would brisket work instead of chuck? Thank you.
I have used brisket in this recipe and it’s definitely an elevation above the already amazing recipe. Go for it!
Hello! This sounds great! Do you happen to know how I could adjust the cook time to prepare the meat in an instant pot?
Hi Gena – I’m not sure as I haven’t tested this in an instant pot. I would research some other instant pot recipes for timing and temperature (but use my ingredients).
Crazy how good this was. My favorite thing I’ve made for family dinner ever. So simple and delicious that I had to leave a comment to encourage others to make this
Oh wonderful, so happy you loved the recipe Brent!
Do i also add the adobo sauce or just the peppers?
Just the peppers are needed.
Are the macros calculated per taco?
Yes, the nutritional information will always be per serving :)
Loved it! Love your videos. I needed someone to organize me and the recipes are delicious.
Glad you enjoyed this barbacoa recipe Georgene!
What do you think about using a almost 2 ib. Bison chuck roast ?
Looks like a great recipe.
Hi Linda – yes, I think that should be okay.
Pretty sure this is the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth! Seriously. I was in taco heaven while consuming and couldn’t wait for the next day to have them for lunch! Only problem, is setting myself a limit of TWO! 🙃 Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe with us!
They really are hard to stop eating! Glad you loved these barbacoa tacos Jennifer :)
Barbacoa is my go to! I loved this version
Happy to hear this was a success Megan! :)
This looks so delicious and full of flavor! I’m excited to make this recipe!
You’ll love this barbacoa recipe Beth!
I plan on serving your recipe this sunday, it looks great. Do you think making the sauce one day ahead and marinating the beef in the sauce overnight (in the fridge of course) before putting it in the slowcooker on sunday morning would be okay?
Yep, you can marinate the beef first!
the family will love this taco that meat looks so tender and juicy what a great recipe
The slow cooker definitely makes this barbacoa ultra tender!
Just tried this recipe – it was incredible – the whole family loved it!
Happy to hear the whole family loved this recipe Lima!
What a great party recipe idea it is! I made these tacos for our family lunch today, tested, and was amazed! I will be waiting for summer to make them outside. :)
Happy to hear the whole family enjoyed these barbacoa tacos!
Dinner time and left over for lunch. Thank you for the recipe.
Of course! Hope you enjoy these tacos.