Barbacoa

Name: Barbacoa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h 15 min
Total time: 4 h 25 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil; 1/2 large white onion, chopped; 8 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed; 2 large guajillo or dried New Mexican or Californian chiles (about 25 grams), stemmed, seeded and torn into 1-inch pieces; 1 to 2 morita chiles (5 to 10 grams), stemmed, or chopped chipotles en adobo, to taste; 3 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 teaspoons fresh; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican, or dried marjoram; 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns; 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed; 4 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal); 4 1/2 pounds chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat; Warm corn tortillas, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges and salsa, for serving (optional)

By Rick A. Martínez

Total Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Rating: 4(153)
Notes: Read community notes

Originating with the Taíno people of eastern Dominican Republic, barbacoa is a method of cooking meat whose name comes from the Arawak word barbaca. In Mexico, barbacoa is a style of slow cooking large cuts of beef, lamb, goat and pork. Depending on regionality, the meat is cooked over an open fire or in an underground pit called a pibil, wrapped in agave or banana leaves, often covered with earth, then slow roasted overnight. In this version, beef is oven roasted at a low temperature in a sauce made from dried chiles, herbs and spices, until the meat is so tender it easily shreds.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

2tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
½large white onion, chopped
8garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2large guajillo or dried New Mexican or Californian chiles (about 25 grams), stemmed, seeded and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 to 2morita chiles (5 to 10 grams), stemmed, or chopped chipotles en adobo, to taste
3bay leaves
1teaspoon dried thyme, or 2 teaspoons fresh
1teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican, or dried marjoram
1teaspoon whole black peppercorns
½teaspoon cumin seed
4teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
4½pounds chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat
Warm corn tortillas, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges and salsa, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat lard in a large, heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium and add onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until just tender and beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add guajillo and morita chiles, stirring occasionally, until beginning to darken and moritas are slightly puffed, about 90 seconds. Add bay leaves, thyme, oregano, peppercorns and cumin seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 60 to 90 seconds.
Step 2
Stir ¾ cup water and salt into the pot, then arrange beef on top. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven. Roast until beef is very tender and it shreds easily, 3½ to 4 hours. Let cool for 15 minutes, then transfer beef to a large bowl and, using a potato masher or 2 large forks, smash or pull beef until completely shredded.
Step 3
Skim fat from the chile liquid in the pot. Transfer chile mixture and the liquid to a blender and process until smooth, adding a few splashes of water if mixture is very thick and difficult to blend. Transfer blended mixture to the bowl of shredded beef (or return everything to the pot) and stir until completely coated. Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
Step 4
Serve barbacoa with warm tortillas, onion, cilantro, lime wedges and salsa, if desired.

Tip

Barbacoa can be made 3 days ahead. Store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Ratings

4 out of 5

153 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Jay6 months ago

Instead of 4 hours in the oven, cook it in a pressure-cooker for 1 hour 15 min.

Harry6 months ago

Spicesinc.com has all the dried chilis you could hope for at very reasonable prices, especially if you buy in bulk and get whole chiles, not pre-ground. Stored carefully, they will last forever! A great site for spices of all kinds, and prompt service. (I’m not on their payroll, just love the site.

Javier Toledo6 months ago

Here in Oaxaca, the "secret" for an outstanding barbacoa is avocado leaves.

Elizabeth Simpson6 months ago

Thoughts about subbing brisket for chuck?

Add less salt3 days ago

2 tsp diamond crystal salt was still too salty for us.

maga3 weeks ago

How is the best way to reheat the meat? I have to make it a day ahead and transport it to a function and I wondered if you have suggestions for the best way to do that?

maga3 weeks ago

What is the best method to reheat the meat? I need to make it a day ahead and reheat it and keep it warm for a function. Would you recommend keeping it in a crockpot?

joyce1 month ago

Can this be called barbacoa if it’s braised in a pot in the oven? I think it’s just a braise. Barbacoa is a specific method of cooking that’s done in a pit outdoors with different types of meat.

Jay Haliczer1 month ago

Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but it comes out too mild, and I definitely do not have much heat tolerance. I use more than twice the recommended amount of chipotle in adobo and have increased the other chilis as well.

katia giselle1 month ago

Key ingredient in my region’s barbacoa is a blend of avocado, bay leaf, marjoram leaf, cumin slow cooked for 9 hrs. Cilantro, minced onion, spicy guacamole rolled in a corn tortilla. It’s a wkd family meal.

Almond2 months ago

Outstanding recipe.

Morgan2 months ago

This recipe is a sleeper, SO easy and so good. Bang for buck is high.

Tymara2 months ago

@javiertoleda: how much avocado leaves would you use?! Thanks for the tip!

Dani3 months ago

Sooo good! Used the canned chipotles - and my grocery store didn’t have anything dried, so I used dried red Hatch chiles instead.

Roger3 months ago

What an outstanding recipe -- this was a big hit with my family. I didn't have morita chiles on hand so I used two chipotle peppers in adobo, and the results were great (and not at all spicy, if anyone at the table is spice-averse). Make sure you remove the bay leaves (and fish out some of the whole peppercorns, if you can) before blending the braising liquid at the end. The leftovers were even more flavorful on day 2. The next time I make this, I'll definitely do it one day before.

Daniela3 months ago

Pretty good. Doubled the sauce and used 6 lbs of chuck roast. Did not double the salt, used single amount. Best served with cotija cheese.

Garrett3 months ago

I used chile pasilla, (big red and dried) because that is what I had but otherwise followed the recipe to the t and it is fantastic. Picking up some fresh El Milagro tortillas tomorrow for a feast!

Eva3 months ago

This was so tender and flavorful. A huge hit at taco night - will definitely make again. Made almost exactly as written using 3 chipotles in adobo and subbed 1/4 tsp ground cumin. I also wanted a bit more liquid so i added about a 1/2 cup of beer (lager) and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. I cut my 4 lb chuck roast in two pieces to reduce cooking time a little. Did not have lard on hand but did have a small chunk of pork belly that I tossed in to render during the braise. Fantastic recipe!

jdt4 months ago

I cut the recipe in half except used only 1.5lbs of brisket and extra onions. Brisket worked really well. I also cooked it on the stove - had to top up with water a few times. Even in the oven I can't imagine how the sauce could ever be watery with only 3/4 cup of water. 4.5lbs of beef would serve 15+! Portions on this website are wild in general and this is very rich. Made nachos and will use the rest for tacos. Very nice, will make again.

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