This easy recipe for Mexican Beef Barbacoa is full of authentic flavor and can be easily made in the oven, slow cooker, or an Instant Pot!
I’ve given this recipe as much authentic flavor as possible to bring you a full flavored Beef Barbacoa that rivals anything you’ll get in a restaurant. Your family will quickly fall in love with this easy recipe. Serve it up on tacos, or as a main dish with sides of rice and beans.
The sauce for this recipe uses dried guajillo and ancho peppers. These peppers are easily found in most supermarkets in the hispanic section. They can be intimidating to work with if you’ve never done it before, but they are actually super easy!
For this recipe, you’ll need to rehydrate your peppers. Simply place them into a bowl or jar and cover them with water. Let them soak for 1 to 4 hours (or overnight) before using in the recipe.
If you need to speed up the process of soaking your peppers, pour boiling water over them and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. The heat will help soften them faster.
You can make the sauce for this recipe in either a blender or a food processor. Water is needed to thin out the sauce enough to blend smoothly. Start with 1/4 cup of water and add more if you find it necessary to get it to blend (which depends on your blender). PRO TIP: You can use the water you soaked your peppers in for extra flavor.
Barbacoa was originally made using lamb, goat, or the head of a cow (beef cheeks). This same recipe will work with ANY of those items and the meat can easily be switched out without changing cooking times. I’ve used beef chuck roast in the photos and written recipe because it is most readily available to the majority of my audience.
This recipe includes instructions for a traditional braise in the oven, as well as instructions for the slow cooker and the Instant Pot. If you aren’t familiar with the Instant Pot yet, it’s a trendy kitchen gadget that is an electric pressure cooker. It can cook your roast to tender in just over 1 hour. Pretty impressive!
Watch the video below where I show you how to make this recipe in an Instant Pot, including some basic demonstration of how the pressure release valve works which can be helpful for first time Instant Pot users.
Hi Rachael,
I’d like to make your barbacoa beef recipe. I’m not certain that I can find guajillo peppers. Could you please recommend a substitute?
Love your recipes.
Thanks
Laurie
Pretty good recipe! I used Mexican oregano instead of regular oregano – It’s much better. I soaked the peppers in hot water for about 20 minutes. I also added a few slices of onion to the top of the roast before starting the cooking process in my Instant Pot. If you’re using an Instant Pot, I recommend adding liquid to the sauce so it’s not pasty. I used the water I soaked the dried peppers in. I also added a few things to the meat after shredding – Smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, chipotle chili powder, salt, and Mexican… Read more »
This is one of our favorite recipes! I love how easy it is (I make it in the crockpot), and we all love the taste! Thank you!
This is my go-to barbacoa recipe for both tacos and enchiladas. My family all cheer up and start salivating when I said I made barbacoa.
This is a great recipe! Everyone seems to love it. Thank you!
I made this over the weekend. I used beef cheeks instead of the roast. I ended up having to cook for about 6 hours in a 300 degree oven. But can I say, holy smokes!! BEST Barbacoa EVER!!!!! Served with Cilantro, lime wedges, homemade Pico de Gallo, green verde sauce and purple onions. Oh my, thank you thank you thank you! I have been trying to find a GOOD recipe for this for a long time. So worth the time, this will be made many more times, I am sure! I don’t have a picture but next time I make… Read more »
Ok, I’m doing this, lol…my question is that I have a small can of chipotles in adobo, do i use the whole can or just one? It’s a 7 oz can
Just one. Chipotles in adobo are super powerful. There are very few recipes out there that would call for an entire can. I’d need a fire hose for my mouth!
I loved this recipe. Is there one for Pork Roast, I love the Pork I get at Mexican Restaurants. It is so tender and so flavorful
I’m making it again and couldn’t find ancho peppers so I used fresh poblano peppers so far it’s smelling amazing. I’m in love with this recipe
When it says one chipotle in adobo is that one pepper or one can? I imagine its only one pepper as one can seems like it would be like getting a blow torch in your mouth – those things are hot.!
Thanks!
It’s only 1 pepper. Sometimes I use 2 to give it a little more kick.
How spicy is this recipe? If it’s quite spicy, what do you recommend cutting out or down on to make it less so?
It’s a medium to low spicy. But if you want to cut it down, leave out the chipotle pepper which has the most heat to it.
Can I use a prime rib roast for this recipe?
Please don’t! Prime Rib is not meant for a low and slow cooking method.
Save some time by throwing the dried chilis in hot water. Seriously!
I grow my own poblanos and guajillos. Would using fresh make a big difference?
Sounds delicious!
Can I freeze it after it’s cooked?
Yes, you can.