Crockpot Barbacoa

An Easy Barbacoa Recipe For Your Crockpot

Throw a piece of beef into your crockpot along with juicy chunks of pineapple, chipotles, and other spices, garlic, and onion, and within a few hours, you’ll have beautifully cooked barbacoa that’s perfect for all sorts of dinners.

Stuff this meltingly soft meat into gluten free flour tortillas or pair it with my homemade corn tortillas recipe along with a big spoonful of pico de gallo and a drizzle of avocado crema. But really, you could use it in so many ways, and that’s just one of the reasons I love this recipe. Here are a few more:

• Minimal effort. Don’t you love how the slow cooker or crockpot does most of the work for you? Just set it, forget it, and you’ll have a big pot of barbacoa ready to go at dinnertime.
• Versatile. Add barbacoa to a burrito bowl or a simple side of rice, use it as the main ingredient in a homemade burrito, or add a generous scoop to a quesadilla. You can’t go wrong!
• An excuse for all the toppings. I love ramping up a serving of barbacoa with my favorite toppings like shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, chopped onion, and cilantro.
• Make a lot. I also love that this recipe makes a lot of barbacoa, so you can eat some now and save some for lunches later in the week.

What is Barbacoa Meat?

Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish that refers to the slow cooking of meat such as beef, pork, goat, or lamb. In the U.S., barbacoa is most often made with beef, typically a tougher cut like chuck roast or brisket. The meat is cooked long and slow in a sweet-savory sauce until very tender, then it’s shredded up and used in all sorts of dishes from tacos to burritos. I love using canned pineapple and juice plus lime juice to add a little natural sweetness to my barbacoa recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

I’ve outlined the ingredients needed to make this crockpot recipe, along with a few notes on substitutions if needed. Make sure to check the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.

• Pineapple Tidbits: Choose tidbits in juice, not syrup, because you’ll use the juice, too.
• Red Onion: Or substitute a yellow or white onion.
• Tomato Paste
• Chipotles and Adobo Sauce: Pick up a can of chipotles in adobo; you will need both the chilies and their sauce. Be sure to use a gluten free brand, if needed, such as Embasa and Pastene (at the time of writing. Always check labels and company websites for updated information).
• Lime: Fresh lime juice adds fresh flavor. In a pinch, use bottled lime juice.
• Garlic: Feel free to add more garlic if you like a lot of garlic.
• Seasonings: Kosher salt, cumin, dried oregano, and black pepper.
• Beef: I prefer chuck roast because it’s a more economical cut of beef. You could also use brisket.
• To Serve: Corn or flour tortillas, rice, cauliflower rice, rolls, and toppings including pico de gallo, salsa, taco slaw, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, etc.

How to Make Crockpot Barbacoa

A few easy steps are all you’ll need to take to put together this recipe, and I’ve included an overview in the photos below of how to do it. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.

• Make the sauce. Stir together the pineapple, onion, tomato paste, chipotles and adobo sauce, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper, cumin, and dried oregano in the crockpot.
• Add meat. Place the roast in the crockpot and cover it with some of the liquid, then cook on low for 8-10 hours. It should be very tender.

• Shred the beef. Remove the beef from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred it.
• Add beef back to crockpot. Return the shredded beef to the crockpot and toss it with the sauce.

Make It a Meal

As mentioned, crockpot barbacoa is as versatile to use as it is easy to prepare! From sandwiches to tacos, you can add it to so many meals. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Tostadas. Learn how to make tostada shells, then make tostadas with barbacoa and with cilantro lime taco slaw.
• As a sandwich. Make easy sandwiches (or Mexican torta) with barbacoa, a piece or two of your favorite cheese, and a batch of gluten free Hawaiian rolls or gluten free hamburger buns!
• With rice and beans. Whip up a hearty dinner plate with cilantro lime rice or instant pot Spanish rice, instant pot pinto beans, and barbacoa!
• Salsa. For a low-carb snack or meal, serve a big portion of barbacoa with mango avocado salsa or easy guacamole on the side.
• Grain bowls. Add barbacoa meat to a colorful Mexican quinoa salad and finish with your choice of jalapeno ranch dressing or Southwestern dressing.
• Burrito bowls. Swap the meat in my easy beef burrito bowl for barbacoa and add the toppings you love!

More Crockpot Dinner Ideas

• Crockpot Barbecue Beef
• Crockpot BBQ Chicken
• Crockpot Corned Beef
• Crockpot Turkey Breast