Tacos De Barbacoa
These tacos de barbacoa are made by braising beef roast until tender in a liquid made from herbs, spices and other flavor packed ingredients.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 257kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 pound beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 white onion 2 tablespoons reserved for serving
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 jalapenos
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with 1-2 teaspoons of adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup beef stock substitute chicken stock
For serving:
- Corn or flour tortillas heated/toasted
- Mexican crema
- Limes
- Cilantro
- Salsa
- Reserved diced onion
- Cotija cheese
Instructions
- Heat and oven to 275°F.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and add the cooking oil.
- Add the beef and brown on all sides.
- While the beef is browning, combine all remaining ingredients (except bay leaves and oil) in a blender and pulse until mostly smooth (some chunks are fine).
- When the beef is browned, add the pureed sauce and the bay leaves.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then place in the preheated oven, uncovered, and cook for 4 hours, flipping the meat once halfway through.
- Remove the beef from the oven and take it out of the pot. Once cool enough to touch, shred it into pieces and add it back to the pot.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until much of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Serve the beef on toasted corn tortillas with the reserved diced white onion, cilantro, salsa, crema and Cotija cheese.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Brown the beef and make the puree per the above instructions.
- Add the beef, puree and bay leaves to the slow cooker and cook on low for 7-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred with a fork. Place the meat back in the slow cooker and mix with the liquid.
- Serve on tortillas with accoutrements.
Notes
- For a larger roast, add about 45-60 minutes per additional pound of meat, and adjust the sauce accordingly. Use a fork to test for tenderness - cook longer if it does not shred apart easily.
- Toasting corn tortillas before serving is the recommended way to serve this. However, you an use warmed flour tortillas as well.
- Any excess liquid remaining after simmering can be used as a sauce for the tacos.
- Substitute pork shoulder or lamb shoulder roast for the chuck roast.
- Recipe can also be made in the slow cooker - see above for slow cooker instructions.
- Use any toppings you like to make tacos - definitely add fresh lime juice as it cuts the richness of the braised beef.
- Can be easily made in advance and stored in the fridge or freezer until ready for use.
Nutrition
Serving: 2tacos | Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1026mg | Potassium: 499mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg