The best beef taco filling can be in your tummy today.
Barbacoa de res is a Mexican beef dish that’s slow cooked til juicy, soft and tender, then coated in a savory red chile sauce that has just a tiny hint of spice and a huge hit of flavor. If you love tacos and you love beef, this is the taco filling for you.

This is one of the greatest meat dishes to come out of a region full of delicious meat dishes. If you like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria tacos, you’re gonna love barbacoa. But even if you already know how amazing barbacoa is, keep on reading to find out just how crazy easy it is to make at home.What is barbacoa?
Barbacoa originated in the Caribbean as an in-ground slow cooked whole animal wrapped in leaves, but these days it’s most closely associated with Mexican food. Fun fact: Barbacoa is said to be the originator word for barbeque, and it’s basically the same idea: carefully slow cooked meats imbued with a lot of intense flavors.

Mexican barbacoa as we know it today is a juicy and super flavorful soft shredded beef/lamb/goat seasoned with dried chiles and spices and slow or pressure cooked until it falls apart. It’s sweet, tangy, just a little spicy, very complex, and irresistibly good. You can serve it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, flautas, and so much more more. This version is a super easy and simplified barbacoa de res, which translates to barbacoa beef, although you could adapt this recipe to lamb or goat if you want.

Soak the peppers. Soak the peppers in super hot water to rehydrate them. If you want to be extra, you can toast them over a low flame to coax out some extra flavor before soaking.
Season the meat. While the peppers are soaking, season your meat generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Make the marinade. Grab your blender and blend together the peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, beef stock, and vinegar.
Marinate overnight. Marinate as long as you can, or for at least 2 hours so the beef can get super flavorful. Don’t forget to season your beef with salt and pepper first.
Make the stew. Sweat the onions to build up caramelization and sweetness, add the beef (you can sear it if you want, but we’re aiming for soft and tender meat) along with all the marinade, then top it off with extra beef stock, bay leaves, and cloves. Done.

The best beef taco filling can be in your tummy today.
Barbacoa de res is a Mexican beef dish that’s slow cooked til juicy, soft and tender, then coated in a savory red chile sauce that has just a tiny hint of spice and a huge hit of flavor. If you love tacos and you love beef, this is the taco filling for you.

This is one of the greatest meat dishes to come out of a region full of delicious meat dishes. If you like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria tacos, you’re gonna love barbacoa. But even if you already know how amazing barbacoa is, keep on reading to find out just how crazy easy it is to make at home.What is barbacoa?
Barbacoa originated in the Caribbean as an in-ground slow cooked whole animal wrapped in leaves, but these days it’s most closely associated with Mexican food. Fun fact: Barbacoa is said to be the originator word for barbeque, and it’s basically the same idea: carefully slow cooked meats imbued with a lot of intense flavors.

Mexican barbacoa as we know it today is a juicy and super flavorful soft shredded beef/lamb/goat seasoned with dried chiles and spices and slow or pressure cooked until it falls apart. It’s sweet, tangy, just a little spicy, very complex, and irresistibly good. You can serve it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, flautas, and so much more more. This version is a super easy and simplified barbacoa de res, which translates to barbacoa beef, although you could adapt this recipe to lamb or goat if you want.