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Chipotle Barbacoa

This Chipotle barbacoa recipe features beef that is slow-cooked in a rich, smoky sauce, allowing the meat to become exceptionally tender. It offers an authentic and flavorful alternative to the restaurant favorite, perfect for a variety of Mexican dishes such as burritos, tacos, or nachos.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Course: meat recipe
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 pounds of beef roast such as chuck, brisket, or beef shoulder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • 2 canned chipotle peppers
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 bay leaves

Method
 

  1. Begin by cutting the beef into 4-inch pieces. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper, then add the meat to the pan in a single layer. You may need to work in batches. Cook the beef for about 4 minutes on each side, until it is deeply browned.
  3. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker. In the same pan, sauté the chopped onion for 2-4 minutes until softened, then add the onion to the slow cooker with the beef.
  4. In a blender, combine the apple cider vinegar, garlic, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, beef broth, lime juice, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Blend the ingredients until smooth.
  5. Pour the blended sauce over the beef in the slow cooker. Add the bay leaves, then stir to ensure the ingredients are evenly combined.
  6. Cover the slow cooker and cook the mixture on low heat for 8-10 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender. Once cooked, shred the meat using two forks and serve immediately.

Notes

Any marbled beef roast will work well in this recipe, including cuts such as chuck, rump roast, brisket, or beef shoulder.
Adjust the level of heat to your preference by varying the number of chipotle peppers. For a milder dish, remove the seeds from the peppers, or use just one chipotle.
For the most flavor, it is recommended to brown the meat before adding it to the slow cooker. However, if you are short on time, you can skip this step and directly place the raw meat into the pot with the sauce.