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Barbacoa Tacos (beef)

Ingredients

  • 2.5-3 lb beef chuck roast
  • 1 medium-large yellow onion 
  • 5-6 garlic cloves
  • 4 dried ancho chiles 
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (from a can)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable glaze
  • 1/2 Tbsp Mexican oregano (or regular oregano, if Mexican is not available)
  • 1/2 Tbsp dried thyme 
  • 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1.5 Tbsp maple syrup or cane sugar
  • 1-3 cups water to blend to make a sauce consistency
  • 3 whole bay leaves

Instructions 

  • Preparation: Soak dehydrated ancho chilles in water overnight to rehydrate them.  After they are rehydrated, deseed and devein them. 
  • Making barbacoa sauce: Chop the garlic and onions and sauté them until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to get brown.  Tip- Garlic cooks faster than onions so start the onions before the garlic then add the garlic in when the onions are half done. 
  • Place the sautéed onions and garlic in a high speed blender with the rehydrated chiles, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, bouillon, oregano, thyme, cumin, vinegar, maple syrup or cane sugar, juice of 1 orange and juice of 2 limes and 1 cup of water to start and then more if it needs to be loosened up to a sauce consistency.
  • Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Approximately 50 seconds on med and then finishing on high speed. 
  • Pour the sauce into the dutch oven or slow cooker and place beef in it. Laddle the sauce over the beef.  
  • Add the whole bay leaves.  (Don’t forget to removed them at the very end!)
  • Cook slow and low for 7.5 hours at 225 degrees F.  Start out at 300 degrees until the beef gets up to temperature, about 40 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 225 degrees for the duration of the cook time.
  • Check the beef around the 7 hour mark.  The beef should fall apart when picking it up with tongs. 
  • Set out to cool and remove bay leaves.
  • Make these into tacos using my homemade two ingredient gluten free tortillas recipe at least once because they are superior and bring this dish to a whole new level, making these tacos feel incredibly authentic and special.  
  • Shredded barbacoa fills the center of the soft shell tortilla.
  • Barbacoa tacos toppings : chopped white onion and cilantro and with a squeeze of lime.

Notes

-Hot sauce is optional if you want to bring some heat into these tacos. I recommend Habanero hot sauce for these. 
-Important* Do NOT do this recipe as an Instant pot chipotle barbacoa. I have only failed at this method and have ruined multiple roasts by using the instant pot. 
-For the additional water when blending the ingredients to make a sauce consistency, I always use the water that the dried ancho peppers were soaking in over night, because it has extra flavor and color.
-If you have the time, prep the beef chuck roast with the following process or if you want to speed up meal prep time throw the roast as is into the dutch oven with the sauce and it is ready for the oven.  Optional meat preparation: Season all sides of the roast with salt and pepper and coat the outside with flour of your choice.  I always use Cassava flour because it is gluten-free and my flour of choice for nearly all of my cooking.  Once all sides of the beef are seasoned and dredged in flour, heat a skillet, drizzle olive oil and sear each side of the beef so that it has a golden “crust” on the exterior.  Then place it in your dutch oven with the sauce and it is ready to slow cook in the oven.