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 TweetThis 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.
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.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes and trimmed of fat
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1¼ tsp. garlic powder)
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- ½ tsp. ground chipotle pepper (more if you want more spice)
- ½ medium onion, thinly sliced
- Juice of 3 limes
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- ⅛ tsp. ground cloves
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. 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.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 3 oz of beef
- Calories: 210
- Fat: 10 g
- Sodium: 100 mg
- Carbohydrate: 4 g
- (Fiber: 1 g
- Sugar: 1 g)
- Protein: 23 g
Dietary
What’s your favorite busy weeknight meal? Share in the comments below!
Pin this & Share the love!
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
This recipe is a keeper! Delicious, rich beefy flavor. Prepared using my pressure cooker.
★★★★★
We’re so glad you loved it!
I’m fairly new to your blog, but I am wowed so far. Every recipe I’ve tried has been amazing and this one was no exception. It was delicious and so easy. The flavor of the beef was incredible! Thank you for such great innovation and making my life easier and tastier!
★★★★★
Hi Donna! Thank you so so much for sharing this positive note. These are the kinds of messages that remind us why we work so hard at what we do! Really appreciate it and glad to hear you loved this recipe.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I made the crockpot version the other day and it was fabulous. Also, the ingredients are versatile too. I didn’t have acv nor limes and subbed in balsamic vinegar and the juice of a tangerine instead. So good!
Thanks for sharing the possible substitutions, very helpful! Glad it turned out delicious 🙂
At first I was nervous the flavor of this would be so out of my norm when making beef. But using the lime brings out the tangyness of the beef. Pairing it with your favorite burrito bowl toppings is the perfect finishing touch. Will definitely be making again!
★★★★★
Thanks for giving it a try – we’re so glad you enjoyed it!