Barbacoa Recipe
Tacos filled with juicy, soft and tender beef coated in a savory red chile sauce that has just a tiny hint of spice and a huge hit of flavor.
Ingredients
2 lbs beef cheek, brisket, short ribs, shank, chuck roast, or mix
salt and freshly ground pepper
Marinade
3 dried guajillo peppers
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried oregano Mexican preferred
2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup beef stock low sodium preferred
1/4 cup vinegar
Consomé
1 medium onion diced
3 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
1 cup beef stock low sodium preferred
To serve
12-16 4″ corn or flour tortillas or more as needed
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped
1 medium onion diced
1 lime cut into wedges
2-4 jalapeños sliced
Special Equipment
blender
Instructions
Bring a pot of water to a boil and then remove from heat. Soak your dried guajillo peppers for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cube the beef and season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
What to serve with barbacoa
Keep things pure and have a taco party with some other taco fillings like carnitas, al pastor, adovada, carne asada, or birria
Since you’ll have tortillas on hand, nothing beats homemade fresh fried tortilla chips
Finish off with some mexican rice
And of course, pairing anything guacamole is always the answer.
Oven-braised barbacoa
This is the same as stovetop with the bonus advantage that you don’t need to worry about it ever burning. Saute the onions over med-high in an oven proof pot such as a dutch oven, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and place in a 300ºF 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable.