Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
Seared beef cheeks or chuck slow cooked in a smoky blended chile, lime, and spice sauce until tender enough to shred for tacos.
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Large skillet
- Blender
- Two forks
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 lb beef cheeks or chuck cut into 12 to 15 pieces
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil for searing
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 smoked jalapeno chiles in adobo sauce from a can, seeds removed for less heat
- ¾ cup dark ale or low sodium beef broth
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cloves
Instructions
Cooking
- Season and cut. Cut the beef into 12 to 15 pieces and sprinkle all over with the salt and pepper. Sear. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat and sear the beef in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply browned. Move to a slow cooker.
- Blend the sauce. Blend the chiles, ale, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cloves until completely smooth.
- Slow cook. Pour the sauce over the beef, add the bay leaves, and cook on low for 8 hours until the beef shreds with a fork.
- Shred. Remove the bay leaves, move the beef to a pan, and shred with two forks.
- Toss. Ladle 3 to 4 spoonfuls of the cooking sauce over the beef and toss to coat.
- Serve. Spoon into warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Substitutions: Beef chuck can replace beef cheeks. Low sodium beef broth can replace the ale.
Tips: Brown the beef in batches. On high, cook 4 to 5 hours. Skim fat from the sauce before serving.
Storage: Refrigerate 3 to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.