Slow Cooker Barbacoa Tacos

This recipe absolutely could not be easier! Barbacoa tacos are filled with meat that’s been cooked low and slow. All that braised, fall off the bone stuff. According to Wikipedia, this may be the origin for the term barbeque? This recipe will leave you with perfectly shredded beef that you’ll absolutely love for your next Taco Tuesday.

Basically, you’re putting boneless chuck roast in a slow cooker, coating it with spices (salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, and black pepper), and pouring some broth over the whole thing. Let it go in the slow cooker for several hours, then shred it up, squeeze some lime on the top and add some cilantro if you’re so inclined.

If you want the original, I used this recipe but adapted it slightly. Here are my notes:

1. I didn’t sear the meat before putting it in the crockpot. I know searing locks in the flavor, but I didn’t have the time or energy to clean a pan so I just threw it in there. And it still came out perfect.
2. I used chicken broth instead of beef broth because I had a jar of Better Than Bouillon in the fridge. I was also only cooking 1 lb of meat (vs. 3.5 lbs) so I wouldn’t need as much and you know your girl hates wasting food. Broth is food.
3. I didn’t measure the spices. Just eyeball it – I promise it’ll be fine.
4. Instead of 8-9 hours on low, I cooked at 3 hours 45 minutes on high.

We had a full taco bar going and I loved topping mine with radishes, avocado, and a spicy crema. This truly came out so tasty and flavorful (as we said several times over) – particularly surprising given how crazy simple it was. Oh yea, this one is definitely going into regular rotation.