Beef Barbacoa

Succulent, savory, and tender are what makes beef barbacoa a super delicious dish. This slow cooked dish is what dreams are made of!

This is a dish my mom has made many times and still makes to this day. Usually when she makes beef barbacoa we like to make tacos, which is obviously a classic way to eat it. We garnish our tacos with cilantro and onion. We then spoon some salsa verde or salsa roja. To finish it off, we squeeze some lime on it. This forms a fantastic taco you will remember for a long time!

Other ways to eat beef barbacoa are in a torta, a sandwich, burrito, on a tostada, or with some rice. It’s a dish you will enjoy no matter how you decide to eat it.

What is Barbacoa?

Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish from the central regions of Mexico. It’s a dish that’s originally from what is today the states of Hidalgo, Tlaxcala, Estado de Mexico, Puebla, and Mexico City.

It’s a prehisapnic dish that was originally cooked underground in a pit. This cooking technique worked like an oven, but underground. The native cultures of these central regions of Mexico would usually cook turkey, fish, and deer. They would wrap these proteins in maguey leaves and then put them in these underground ovens.

To create the underground oven the prehispanic cultures would dig a hole, put some wood to create a fire, and then they would place a layer of rocks or stones over this fire. It was above these rocks that the animal proteins wrapped in maguey leaves would be placed. This way they would cook with the gentle and indirect heat from the wood. This produces meat that is very tender and juicy, which is one my favorite textures when it comes to meats!

There are some places in Mexico were people still cook barbacoa using this same underground oven technique, usually in more rural or small towns. In urban or bigger cities barbacoa is cooked either in an oven, on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in a pressure cooker. These are the closest techniques to those underground pits the prehispanic cultures of Mexico cooked in.

Types of Meat

The type of meat used to make barbacoa changed after the arrival of the spaniards. They introduced different cuts of meats to the native people of Mexico like beef, lamb, goat, and pork. As a result, in the central regions of Mexico the main choice for barbacoa started to become lamb.

Barbacoa expanded to the rest of Mexico and each region or state uses different spices, aromatics, seasoning, and even the type of meat changes. In the northern regions of Mexico for example, beef is the choice of meat. In some regions in Mexico even goat is used for barbacoa. As you can see, barbacoa is more about the cooking technique and style rather than the type of meat or food being cooked.

The barbacoa recipe I will introduce to you is a family recipe and more northern style. The main ingredients are beef chuck roast, garlic, onion, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. This results in a beefy, savory, and aromatic barbacoa. The salt will provide savory taste, the black pepper will provide some flavor, the onion, garlic, and bay leaf will provide the aromas and also flavor the consome or broth (more on this in the next section).

What Cuts of Beef to Use?

There are several cuts of meat that can be used when making beef barbacoa. A few good cuts for this cooking method are chuck roast, short ribs, country style ribs, and beef cheeks. These are cuts of beef that have a good amount of fat and connective tissue, so they cook best at low temperatures for several hours. The gentle heat gives the fat and connective tissue plenty of time to melt slowly while keeping the meat moist and tender. This fat that renders out of the meat gets mixed with the water and it creates a broth called consome in Spanish. This broth can be spooned over the meat for an extra layer of rich flavor and to keep the meat moist.

How to make Beef Barbacoa?

1. Add the beef chuck roast, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, garlic, and onion to a medium or large pot. Add enough water so that half to three-quarters of the meat is submerged.

2. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to the lowest heat setting and cover. Simmer gently for about 3 hours or until chuck roast is very tender and it shreds easily with a fork.
3. Remove the chuck roast from the pot and transfer to a bowl. If necessary let it cool down and then shred the meat.
4. Return the shredded meat to the pot and let it soak up the consome or broth for a few minutes. Keep heat at low setting. Cover to keep warm if needed.

Tips and Suggestions

1. You can also use beef short ribs, country style ribs, or even beef cheeks. Cuts of beef that have plenty of fat and connective tissue, which when you cook at low temperatures and for several hours it becomes tender.
2. Check every hour or so to make sure the water level stays the same. If it isn’t, the meat won’t cook properly and it can dry out. Add a quarter cup of water at a time if needed, until the water level is back up to covering the meat by half to three-quarters.
3. Check after three hours if the meat is tender when shredded with a fork. If it shreds easily, it’s ready. If it’s not ready yet, continue cooking and check every 15 to 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. The internal temperature of the meat should reach to about 205°F for very tender results.
4. Spoon some of the consome or broth from the juices the meat releases during the slow cooking onto your barbacoa. It will provide an extra layer of rich flavor to the meat.

How to Store Beef Barbacoa

Beef barbacoa can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure to store in an airtight container.

How to reheat Beef Barbacoa

To reheat beef barbacoa, add the leftovers to a pan and add a little water to the pan. The water will help generate steam. Cook on medium heat and covered for about 5 to 10 minutes or until warmed through.

How to eat Beef Barbacoa

Barbacoa can be eaten in several ways. The most popular way is definitely in a taco, which makes one of the best taco fillings in the world! You can make it with corn or flour tortillas and garnish with cilantro and onion. Add a great salsa to your taco and finish it off with a squeeze of lime to cut through some of the fat in the beef. This is one of my favorite taco fillings!

Other ways to eat barbacoa are in a torta, a sandwich, a burrito, on a tostada, or even over some rice. Whatever way you decide to eat your beef barbacoa, you will have a delicious and succulent dish!

I hope you enjoy this beef barbacoa recipe. Please let me know in the comments below if you make it and how it went.

Gracias y provecho!

Raul

Beef Barbacoa

Beef barbacoa is a tender, savory, and succulent dish. It's made with beef chuck roast, salt, black pepper, onion, garlic, and bay leaf.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Servings: 3 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb beef chuck roast
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 white onion
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Add the beef chuck roast, salt, black pepper, bay leaf, onion, and garlic to a medium or large pot.
2. Add enough water so that half to three-quarters of the meat is submerged.
3. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to the lowest heat setting and cover. Simmer gently for about 3 hours or until chuck roast is very tender and it shreds easily with a fork.
4. Remove the chuck roast from the pot and transfer to a bowl. If necessary let it cool down and then shred the meat.
5. Return the shredded meat to the pot and let it soak up the consome or broth for a few minutes. Keep heat at low setting. Cover to keep warm if needed.

To Serve

1. Serve with corn or flour tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime.

Notes

1. You can also use beef short ribs, country style ribs, or even beef cheeks. Cuts of beef that have plenty of fat and connective tissue, which when you cook at low temperatures and for several hours it becomes tender.
2. Check every hour or so to make sure the water level stays the same. If it isn’t, the meat won’t cook properly and it can dry out. Add a quarter cup of water at a time if needed, until the water level is back up to covering the meat by half to three-quarters.
3. Check after three hours if the meat is tender when shredded with a fork. If it shreds easily, it’s ready. If it’s not ready yet, continue cooking and check every 15 to 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. The internal temperature of the meat should reach to about 205°F for very tender results.
4. Spoon some of the consome or broth from the juices the meat releases during the slow cooking onto your barbacoa. It will provide an extra layer of rich flavor to the meat.

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