Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa (Plus Instant Pot Option)

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa is made easily in the crockpot. Super tender with big, bold flavors, it’s perfect for tacos, burritos, or any of your Mexican-themed meals!

We’re big fans of Mexican food around here. G and I love the complex flavors of this cuisine; it’s probably what we cook at home or eat out at restaurants most often. In fact, I have quite a few delicious authentic recipes on the blog we regularly enjoy, such as chorizo con huevos for breakfast, charro beans for lunch and dinner sides, pollo asado for cookouts, and coctel de jaiva for entertaining.

Our current obsession nowadays is this Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa which I’ve made thrice already this week, and presently have another roast gently simmering in the crockpot as I type to freeze for future meals. We can’t get enough of the amazingly tender and super flavorful shredded beef!

Before we proceed, let me say that this barbacoa beef is not the authentic Mexican barbacoa which is traditionally made of sheep, goat, or beef wrapped in maguey leaves and steam-cooked in underground pits. Although that sounds like a spectacular culinary experience to try someday, this recipe here today is a copycat of Chipotle’s barbacoa beef.

While the restaurant’s version is slowly braised in a smoky blend of chipotle peppers and spices, we’re slow cooking ours in the crockpot for a full-flavored Mexican-themed meal that’s completely stress-free.

Dinner can’t get any easier than this! You get succulent, bold-flavored beef with minimal effort. If you need dinner in a hurry, you can have this ready in less than an hour using the Instant Pot!

Instant pot method

1. Massage chuck roast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. In a hot pan over medium-high heat, sear on both sides. If you want to do this step in the Instant Pot, you might have to cut the roast into large chunks to fit and sear properly in the pressure cooker.
2. Remove the meat from the pan and transfer to the Instant Pot. In the pan, add about one tablespoon of olive oil and add onions and garlic, stirring regularly to brown.
3. Add beer and beef broth and bring to a boil, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Prepare the sauce by processing the liquid with the onions and garlic, chipotle peppers, vinegar, and spices in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour it on top of the meat.
5. Cook on HIGH pressure for 25 minutes. When the timer goes off, turn the cooker off and use the natural method to release pressure.
6. Remove the beef from the pot and shred it using two forks. Pour some of the sauce on the beef if desired.

Serving suggestions

• Use it as a filling for tacos, burritos, and enchiladas. Or enjoy sans tortilla over rice and beans for amazing burrito bowls!
• Make flautas or tacos dorados by wrapping the shredded beef in corn tortillas and deep frying until golden and crispy. Serve with guacamole for a guaranteed appetizer hit!
• Top over crunchy nachos or potato fries, cheese, salsa, and sour cream for the perfect game-day eats.
• Pile on Mexican bread rolls (bolillos) for scrumptious torta sandwiches.
• Stuff in flour tortillas with loads of shredded manchego or Qaxaca cheese and toast on a hot pan for gooey, melty quesadillas.

Storage instructions

This shredded beef barbacoa is not only perfect for busy weeknight dinners, but it’s also very versatile and makes for great leftovers. If you’d like to freeze the beef for future meals, make sure to store it with the liquid to keep it moist when reheated.