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Barbacoa Beef Street Tacos

Barbacoa beef street tacos made in a slow cooker for ultra-tender, easily shredded chuck roast. Warm small corn tortillas are filled with rich chile-lime barbacoa and finished with fresh onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Rest 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Barbacoa beef
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
  • 0.25 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 6 dried ancho chiles seeded
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1 onion halved
  • 2 bay leaves
Taco assembly
  • 1 small corn tortillas to warm
  • 1 diced onion for topping
  • 1 fresh cilantro for topping
  • 1 lime wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Make the chile paste and season the beef
  1. Blend the dried ancho chiles, garlic, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper into a smooth paste, using an immersion blender or regular blender until no chile bits remain.
  2. Place the beef chuck roast in the slow cooker and rub it all over with the chile paste so every surface is coated.
  3. Add the onion halves and bay leaves to the slow cooker.
  4. Pour any remaining liquid from the chile paste preparation over the meat to keep it covered while it cooks.
Slow-cook until extremely tender
  1. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until the meat is extremely tender and easily shreds.
  2. Cover and continue cooking if needed until shredding is effortless, then let the meat rest in the slow cooker for 10 minutes to settle the juices before shredding.
Shred, warm tortillas, and assemble tacos
  1. Shred the meat using two forks, then discard solids such as the onion and bay leaves.
  2. Warm the small corn tortillas until soft and pliable, then fill each tortilla with shredded barbacoa.
  3. Top the tacos with diced onion and fresh cilantro, then serve with lime wedges.

Notes

For the best shredding texture, cook until the chuck roast falls apart with light pressure, then rest 10 minutes before shredding to keep the meat juicy. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze barbacoa meat (without tortillas) for up to 3 months, thaw overnight, and reheat until hot. For a lighter option, use corn tortillas only and pile on extra cilantro and onion while reducing any added oil or serving sauces.