Tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, egg scrambles…the options are endless when it comes to this tender, perfectly spiced slow cooker beef barbacoa.
The busy weeknight dinner solution
What do you put on the menu when the week ahead is busy, busy, busy? Tacos. The answer is always tacos.
Tacos are almost universally loved, they’re easy enough to prepare and they can be enjoyed in an almost infinite number of ways. And since today is Tuesday and it also happens to be another ridiculously busy week at our house, I bring you the ultimate busy weeknight solution: Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa.
Slow Cooker Beef Barbarcoa: The ultimate busy weeknight dinner solution #realfood #tacotuesdayeveryday Click To Tweet
This Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa is, in my mind, the ultimate solution in that it’s so simple to prepare. In less than 15 minutes you can have everything loaded into the slow cooker (or a zip-top bag so it’s ready to dump into the slow cooker when you’re ready) and in 7 hours, you’ll have a big batch of the most tender and tasty filling for stuffing into tortillas and lettuce wraps or piling atop a bed of cauliflower rice, salad greens or rice.
It even makes a big batch so you have plenty to freeze for an easy reheat-and-eat meal later on in the month when you just can’t wrap your brain around cooking (<< that sounds like me this week).
Wondering if you should purchase grass-fed beef? Learn how to choose quality red meat in this post!
Take the easy way out this week.
Notice I said easy and not flavorless because this Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa is anything but flavorless. In fact, it rivals the barbacoa you’ll find at a certain fast-casual Mexican restaurant chain that’s pretty popular with those doing a Whole30, those with busy lives and well, just about everyone looking for a Mexican food fix when they’re short on time.
Try it paired with this Mexi Slaw or our Homemade Guacamole for a better-than-takeout and easier-on-the-budget meal this week.
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Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa
Tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, egg scrambles…the options are endless when it comes to this tender, perfectly spiced slow cooker beef barbacoa.
- Prep Time: 15 mins.
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hrs., 15 mins.
- Yield: About 12 (2½-ounce) servings 1x
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Organic Prairie Organic Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 2-inch cubes and trimmed of fat
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1¼ tsp. Simply Organic garlic powder)
- 3 Tbsp. organic, no salt added tomato paste
- ½ tsp. Simply Organic ground chipotle pepper (more if you want more spice)
- ½ medium (or 1 small) onion, thinly sliced
- Juice of 3 limes
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Simply Organic bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. Simply Organic ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. Simply Organic dried oregano
- ⅛ tsp. Simply Organic ground cloves
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Simply Organic black pepper
- ¼ cup water or organic low-sodium chicken or beef broth
Instructions
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours or until meat is tender and shreds easily.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve in lettuce wraps or stuffed in a baked sweet potato with toppings of choice.
Notes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 oz of beef
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g
What’s your favorite busy weeknight meal? Share in the comments below!
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Keara says
How long would you put this in an instant pot? And what setting?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Keara,
You can toss everything into the pot, stir and cook on ‘Manual’ or ‘High Pressure’ for 60 minutes with a 15-minute natural release.
Angela Mejia says
How would you convert these directions for an instant pot?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Angela,
Here you go:
1. Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot. Stir to combine. (Optionally, you may brown the beef in your fat of choice using the ‘Saute’ function before adding the other ingredients)
2. Lock lid into place and set vent valve to ‘sealing’. Set cook time for 60 minutes (high pressure).
When cooking time is up, allow for 15 minutes of natural pressure release before flipping the value to ‘venting’ to release any remaining pressure.
3. Carefully remove the lid and transfer beef to a bowl or baking dish.
4. Shred meat with two forks then taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Joanne Levy says
Do you have the nutrition information on the Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa? Look delicious
Stacie Hassing says
We’ll get the nutrition info added soon.
Olga says
Would this work with pork shoulder?
Jessica Beacom says
Yes, this works great with pork shoulder.
Rachelle says
Sounds delish! How long do you recommend in the crockpot if you’ve got 2 lbs rather than 3?
Stacie Hassing says
You could cook it for the same time. Or you could check it once it’s getting close to the end of the cooking time. If it shreds easily then that’s a good indicator that it’s done.