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Barbacoa Beef Street Tacos

Barbacoa beef street tacos with slow-cooked, chile-rubbed chuck roast for ultra-tender shredded meat. Rubbed with a smooth ancho chile and garlic paste, then piled onto warm small corn tortillas and finished with onion, cilantro, and lime.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
rest 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Barbacoa beef
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
  • 0.25 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 6 dried ancho chiles seeded
  • 4 clove garlic
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1 onion halved
  • 2 bay leaves
Assemble
  • 1 small corn tortillas
  • 1 diced onion for topping
  • 1 fresh cilantro for topping
  • 1 lime wedges for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the chile paste
  1. Blend the dried ancho chiles, garlic, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper into a smooth paste, then set aside. The paste should look evenly blended with no large chile pieces.
Slow cook the barbacoa
  1. Rub the beef chuck roast all over with the chile paste inside a crockpot, coating every surface. Press the paste in so it adheres to the meat.
  2. Add the onion halves and bay leaves to the crockpot around the roast. Arrange them so they’re mostly under and beside the meat for flavor infusion.
  3. Pour any remaining chile paste or liquid over the meat, then cover the crockpot. Make sure the roast is at least partly surrounded by liquid for braising.
  4. Cook on low for 8 hours until the meat is extremely tender and easily shreds. The texture should fall apart when you pull it with a fork.
Shred and rest
  1. Shred the meat using two forks, then discard the solids like onion and bay leaves. Keep shredding until you have a moist, uniform pulled texture.
  2. Let the shredded barbacoa rest for 10 minutes, still covered, before serving. This helps the juices redistribute so it stays tender on the tortillas.
Warm and assemble street tacos
  1. Warm the small corn tortillas until pliable, then keep them wrapped to stay soft. Steam or heat just until warmed through and flexible.
  2. Fill each tortilla with shredded barbacoa and pile it generously, aiming for that street-style mound. Keep the meat hot so it lightly steams the tortillas.
  3. Top with diced onion and fresh cilantro, then serve immediately with lime wedges. Squeeze lime over the tacos right before eating for brightness.

Notes

Pro tip: If your crockpot liquid looks thin at the end, keep the lid on and cook 10–20 minutes longer on low to concentrate the sauce before shredding. Store leftover barbacoa in the fridge up to 4 days in a sealed container; reheat until steaming. Freezing is yes—freeze shredded meat (with juices) up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, swap corn tortillas for small corn lettuce wraps while keeping the same barbacoa and toppings.