This versatile recipe for Crock-Pot Barbacoa Beef comes out tender and full of flavor. The perfect beef to add to your favorite Mexican recipes such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more!

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef
I love a good barbacoa beef because it is so versatile to use in just about any Mexican or Mexican inspired recipe. I often make up this recipe and portion it out into a couple of freezer bags so that I can use it for all sorts of dinners or lunches.
Feel free to use the shredded beef in tacos, burritos, taquitos, tostadas, quesadillas, tamales, casseroles or lettuce wraps.
As is the meat alone is Keto and Weight Watchers diet friendly so its just a good all-around great beef to slow cook and have on hand.
Outside of cutting up the veggies this recipe is pretty simple. Once you prep the vegetables you just toss everything in the slow cooker and let it cook away all day until the meat is super tender.
Shred the cooked beef and use in your favorite recipes.
Equipment Needed For Crock-Pot Barbacoa Beef Recipe:
- 6 Quart, 6.5 Quart Or 7 Quart Slow Cooker
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mixing Bowls
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Dry Measuring Cups And Spoons

Frequently Asked Questions
I choose to make this recipe using a boneless beef chuck roast because that is my favorite cut of beef roast for flavor. To be honest it is the cut of roast my mom always cooked. But, you can use other beef roast cuts in this recipe too. Even roasts with the bone in it. Just be sure to remove and discard the bone when you are shredding the meat.
While this recipe is best when made with a beef roast you can use other types of meat such as pork roast, lamb roast, venison roast (or other game like elk, antelope, etc) or bison. I do not suggest using lean meat like chicken or turkey however as poultry will dry out if cooked for such a long period of time as required in this recipe.
To freeze the cooked barbacoa beef I shred the meat and let it cook down to nearly room temperature. Then I place the meat into either 1 gallon sized freezer bag or several quart sized freezer bags. Press the excess air out of the bags before sealing and lay them flat. I then write on the bags with a permanent marker the contents of the bag and the date and tuck them away in my freezer. The meat is best used up within about 6 months.
We do not measure out how big a serving size is for most of our recipes. So, to determine a serving size you will need to divide the fully cooked recipe by how many servings is listed in the recipe. So, this recipe makes 12 servings. That is all of the fully cooked barbacoa beef divided by 12.

Special Diets
Gluten Free | Keto | Low Calorie | Low Carb | Low Sugar
This recipe for Crock-Pot Barbacoa Beef is Weight Watchers Friendly on the new Personal Points plan. You can see the WW personal points for this recipe here on the Weight Watchers website. Click here for MORE of our Weight Watchers Recipes
More Fantastic Beef Slow Cooker Recipes To Try:
Crock-Pot Skirt Steak with Mushroom Gravy
With just four simple ingredients this easy recipe for Slow Cooker Skirt Steak with Mushroom Gravy comes out moist and tender every time!
Crock-Pot Cabbage Roll Soup
Get all the flavors of baked cabbage rolls with this hearty Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup! This low carb soup uses riced cauliflower instead of rice to make this healthier!
Crock-Pot Cranberry Beef Stew
Perfect for a cold and blustery fall or winter day, this recipe for Slow Cooker Cranberry Beef Stew is hearty and comforting! This beef strew is worth the effort!
Crock-Pot Minestrone Soup
A hearty Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup that will warm you, and fill you up. It has delicious satisfying ingredients that will make you want more.
Recipe Collections:
- 6 Quart Crock-Pot Recipes
- 6.5 Quart Crock-Pot Recipes
- 7 Quart Crock-Pot Recipes
- Beef Crock-Pot Recipes
- Cinco de Mayo Recipes
- Entrée Recipes

Crock-Pot Barbacoa Beef Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Large White Onion (Peeled And Diced)
- 4 Cloves Garlic (Peeled And Minced)
- 2 Teaspoons Minced Fresh Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Chipotle Chili Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 2.5 - 3 Pounds Boneless Beef Chuck Roast
- 2 Cups Low Sodium Beef Broth
- ¼ Cup Lime Juice
- ¼ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
- 3 Whole Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Place the onion, garlic, and oregano in the bottom of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the chipotle chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and ground cloves to create a spice rub.
- Rub the beef chuck roast with the spice rub on all sides and place in the slow cooker on top of the onions, garlic and oregano.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine together the beef broth, lime juice, apple cider vinegar and fresh cilantro and pour over the the beef in the slow cooker.
- Add the bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is fully cooked and is starting to fall apart a little bit.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves and shred the beef using two forks.
- Use the shredded beef in your favorite Mexican recipes such as tacos, burritos, etc. and enjoy!
Nutrition

Is the serving size per 1 cup or 1/2 cup?
We don’t calculate serving sizes with our recipes. This says it’ll feed 12 people, so it would be however much the recipe makes divided into 12 portions. Thanks!