Cooked in a mixture of dark beer, and spices this Beef Barbacoa Recipe is super tender. Serve with tortillas or in a burrito bowl. Watch the video!
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{This recipe was first posted on February 8, 2017 and last updated on May 2. 2022}
Beef Barbacoa is one of those cold winter day foods. The aroma of the malted beer, bright herbs, and earthy beef coming from the kitchen will make you completely forget any bitterly cold winds blowing outside.
This recipe is a family favorite and feeds a crowd. Five pounds of beef might seem like a lot, but you will be surprised how fast it disappears. If you are feeding only a couple of people, don’t worry. It also freezes beautifully, making for a second delicious meal down the road.
So whether you’re looking for a family-friendly Sunday supper or game day grub, this easy oven-roasted Barbacoa will not disappoint.
What is Barbacoa?
The term barbacoa has always confused me. The first time I heard it was in my early twenties as a Sous chef at Mustards Grill in the Napa Valley.
A few of my fellow cooks were gathered around discussing weekend party plans and announced they were going to do a barbacoa in their yard. Truly a weekend project, they dug a deep hole, filled it with smoldering wood and a baby goat then covered over the hole with agave leaves.
The meat roasted very slowly and about 8-10 hours later was shredded and served with an accompanying chile broth with which you’d brush the meat through before piling it into warm corn tortillas. This was a meal reserved for a grand celebration and one that my Mustards’ coworkers offered to replicate for our wedding.
Unfortunately we couldn’t get the go ahead from the our reception venue to follow through—something about not wanting a huge, gapping, smoking hole on their property—ridiculous.
I was then later told it was only made with cow head and then Chipotle came along serving barbacoa in every nook and cranny of America (did they all have baby goat-sized holes in their parking lots? Were they really serving goat? Or even more interesting, cow’s head?)
But now I’ve come to discover that barbacoa means beef to most people, more specifically tender, slow-roasted succulent beef.
Ingredients
The beer in this Barbacoa recipe not only adds delicious malty flavor but also helps to tenderize the beef. Scroll down to the “Variations” section for a gluten-free version.
- Boneless beef brisket or chuck roast. Scroll down to the “Cuts of Beef” section for more info.
- Dark beer. The darker the beer the most yeasty, malty character it will have. I like to use a dark Mexican beer like, Boca Negra or Modelo Negra.
- Red onion. I like the sweetness of red onion here, but white onion would also work.
- Jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Italian parsley. Or fresh curly leaf parsley.
- Fresh epazote or fresh oregano
- Garlic. This recipe calls for 6 cloves. That might seem like a lot but remember you are cooking 5 pounds of beef, so don’t skimp.
- Blackstrap molasses. The touch of sweetness is essential.
- Worcestershire sauce. You could also use Maggi seasoning, whichever one you have.
- Salt
- Cumin
- Black peppercorns
How To Make An Easier Beef Barbacoa Recipe
This recipe was inspired by my friend and fellow chef Susana who cooks her barbacoa in a beer and spice bath.
The addition of molasses adds a subtle sweetness that is undetectable but also very much there if that makes any sense. It is about as easy as a recipe can possibly be—not one single shovel necessary. All you need is a sturdy blender, a large enough roasting dish, and a few hours, then leave the oven to do all the work.
step one
Prep Oven. The first step is to heat the oven to 300°F and place the beef in a large roasting dish.
step two
Blend. Next, combine all the remaining ingredients including the cumin, oregano, and everything else in a blender and blend on high until smooth. You may need to do this in batches.
step three
Cover meat in sauce. Pour the sauce over the beef in the roasting pan and turn to coat it on all sides. Cover with foil and place in oven.
step four
Slow Roast. Roast the beef in the oven for 3 hours. Remove the foil and continue to cook until meat falls apart and sauce has reduced slightly.
step five
Shred and serve. Shred the meat with two forks and stir the shredded beef with the sauce in the roasting pan. Serve immediately with warm tortillas.
What Cuts of Beef To Use
The slow cooking means inexpensive cuts of beef are actually preferable here, making it a very budget-friendly way to feed a crowd.
I’ve made this recipe using boneless beef brisket, boneless chuck roast, and even a clod roast which I got just because it was the cheapest roast at the market and I wanted to see if it would be as good as the most expensive brisket and guess what? It was! Any tough cut of meat would melt under all that beer and heat.
How To Serve It
I made this barbacoa recipe for an Italian Polenta Party I threw with Aida from Salt + Wind and Meg from This Mess is Ours.
We piled the meat on top of the polenta straight from the tray with all those beautiful juices. Even though it is Mexican in origin it went beautifully with the sweet roasted tomatoes, grated hard Parmesan, and Aida’s silky romesco sauce. For more polenta party details head here!
If you want to keep it more traditional, serve the Barbacoa in warm tortillas with minced onion, homemade salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Variations
The flavor profile and cooking methods of this beef Barbacoa could swing in many directions. Here are some of the other ways I’ve cooked this recipe:
- For a gluten-free version, swap red wine for the beer.
- Make it in the slow cooker! Instead of slow-roasting in the oven, place the beef in the slow cooker, pour the sauce over it, and set on low for 8 hours or high heat for 4 hours.
- Give it some smoke. Use chipotle peppers in place of the jalapeños in the recipe. Chipotle chiles are smoked and have a completely different flavor with the same amount of heat. Check out my favorite brand of canned chipotles in adobo sauce.
- Use different herbs. I love the lemony flavor of fresh epazote but if you can’t find it, use bay leaves instead.
- Need it fast? Make Barbacoa in the pressure cooker. Silvia has a great recipe.
- You can also make this on the stove top in a Dutch Oven. Follow the same instructions just cook over low heat until the meat shreds easily with a fork, about 3 hours. Check occasionally to make sure the liquid hasn’t evaporated. Top off with beef broth if necessary.
More Beef Recipes To Try!
- Shredded Beef for Tacos {Carne Deshebrada}
- Chipotle Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Caldo de Res {Mexican Beef and Vegetable Soup}
- Loaded Black Mole Fries with Braised Beef
- Green Tomato and Beef Chili
- Picadillo {Seasoned Beef with Carrots and Potatoes}
- Crispy Beef Flautas with Shredded Zucchini
The Slow and Low Beef Recipe You’ve Been Missing
This versatile braised beef dish is loved by everyone and incredibly simple to make. I hope you give it a try! Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram@holajalapenoand#holajalapenoso I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for myweekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Beer-Braised Beef Barbacoa
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
Cooked in a mixture of dark beer, and spices this barbacoa is crazy tender. Serve with tortillas or over polenta like we did for our Italian Polenta Party.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds boneless beef brisket or chuck roast
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, stemmed and sliced (remove seeds if you'd like it less spicy)
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
- 9 epazote leaves, or 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Heat oven. Heat oven to 300°F and place roast in a large baking dish or roasting pan.
- Blend sauce. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender starting with the beer (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender). Blend on high until all is pureed.
- Coat meat in sauce. Pour beer mixture over roast and move it around in the mixture to coat all sides. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven.
- Roast. Slow-roast the beef 3 hours, remove foil and return to the oven and let cook 30-45 minutes more or until the edges are browned and the meat easily pulls apart with a fork.
- Shred and serve. Shred meat and mix with the sauce in the pan. Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of Italian parsley leaves or let cool completely, cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To reheat; place meat and sauce in a shallow pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 633Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 204mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 62g
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