Barbacoa is similar to birria, in that they are both slow cooked until the meat is extremely tender and shreddedbable. The flavor is more spicy but not in the I can’t eat it kinda way, because of how much lime in is it. It balances the flavor out nicely. This is my take on it and it’s not how traditionally done.
Smoked Barbacoa
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chuck roast
Seasoning
- 3 tsp coarse salt
- 3 tsp black pepper
- 3 tsp chili powder
Marinade
- 1 large sweet onion
- 1.5 cups beef broth
- 3 - 4 chipotle chilies in adobo
- Whole head of garlic
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 4 bay leaves
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Start off by preheating your smoker at 275 degrees.
- In a bowl, mix the seasoning mixture for the chuck roast. Then, cube up the chuck roast into about 4 inch cubes. This will give you more surface area for more bark.
- Season them with the spice mixture and place them in the smoker and smoke them for 4 hours. While the chuck is in the smoker, add all ingredients for the marinade except the bay leaves in a blender and blend until smooth.
- After 4 hours, place the chuck roast in a foil pan or oven safe dish. Add the marinade to them, cover in foil and place back in the smoker or oven at the same temperature for 2.5 hours or until the meat shreds.
- Once you check that the meat is extremely tender, remove off the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes before shredding it. Leave the meat in its juices.
Notes
I made some delicious cheesy tacos with it. Serve along beans and Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice, garnish with cilantro and onion.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Did you enjoy this smoked barbacoa recipe? You’ll love my other beef recipes in the link below!
Here is a link to my seasonings!
https://www.spanglishasadero.com/ use code Fire10
