Barbacoa is a bit higher in fat content than we would typically prefer for day-to-day meals, but for a special occasion, like Valentine's Day, it's worth a splurge. Chuck roast is a pretty fatty cut, so we trim all the extra fat, but you could also use a leaner cut of of meat if you prefer.
We've included cooking times for both the Instant Pot and a slow cooker. The slow cooker version is marginally better but not enough to worry too much if you don't have 8 hours for cooking.
Next week, we'll be sharing a recipe for a vegan taco filling, so stick around if meat isn't your thing.
6-8 lbs of chuck roast, trimmed and cut into chunks
1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 white onion, peeled and chopped roughly
1 can (7.5 oz) of chiles in adobo sauce
10-12 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cup of beer (preferably a Mexican lager)
2/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup of fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons of cumin
2 tablespoons of ground Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon of sea salt
2 teaspoons of black pepper
3-4 bay leaves
Sear the chunks of meat in the oil on medium high heat until browned -- we prefer a cast iron skillet for this job.
Place the chunks of browned meat in the slow cooker or Instant Pot as they cook.
Meanwhile, put the onion, chiles, garlic, beer, vinegar, lime juice and all spices (except the bay leaves) into a blender and puree until smooth.
After all of the meat has been seared, pour the sauce over the meat and add the bay leaves.
We let the pot sit in the fridge overnight to marinate and help tenderize the meat. 14 hours or so works best for us, but it's not necessary.
Cook the barbacoa for 8-10 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high in the slow cooker or for 90 minutes in the Instant Pot (natural release preferred but not necessary).
After the meat has cooked, remove it from the sauce to shred it. Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and trash them. Place the shredded meat back in the sauce and serve as a taco. We prefer to serve our barbacoa in the style of street tacos, with corn tortillas, cilantro, diced white onion and a squeeze of lime juice. A good salsa verde also works well with the flavor of the barbacoa.
The bucket caddy pictured here is available in our store: https://www.enlightenedtexan.com/product-page/pint-mason-jar-with-songbird-lid-green-rust
Napkins and silverware not included.
Please see our nutritional disclosure:
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