Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut of beef for barbacoa? ›

In the US, people typically make barbacoa with chuck roast, brisket and beef cheeks. However, any cut of beef that has a lot of connective tissue and takes a long time to cook until tender works well.

The difference in the two dishes comes down to the meat. Birria is made with beef or goat meat, while barbacoa is made with beef, pork, lamb or goat. Both dishes are delicious, and you can't go wrong with either one. So, if you're looking for a tasty Mexican dish, be sure to try barbacoa at Hacienda Colorado.

Traditionally, barbacoa is a preparation of meat (usually sheep, goat, or beef) that is steam cooked in an underground oven until very tender and succulent. Today the term is also sometimes used for a similar preparation made on a stovetop or in a slow cooker.

Burn large chunks of wood—Vera prefers mesquite, which is plentiful in South Texas—for several hours, until they are reduced to glowing embers. Add the meat and cover the pit with maguey, or agave, leaves to retain and conduct heat. Cook for eight to ten hours, replenishing the wood as necessary.

Barbacoa is a method of cooking meat (historically lamb or goat, though beef or pork is often used today) that produces tender and juicy results. It's traditionally steam-cooked underground, but modern barbacoa can be prepared over an open fire, on the stove, or in a slow cooker.

Personally, I love using corn tortillas for barbacoa! Flour tortillas also have their own benefits when it comes to making tacos. Although they may not be quite as tight as corn tortillas, they hold together better and stronger once filled with juicy ingredients like beans or salsa.

Barbacoa is a type of Mexican cuisine that typically features slow-cooked meat, often beef, goat, or lamb. The meat is cooked in an oven or pit with various spices and herbs, and the resulting dish is often shredded or pulled for serving.

If you like beef, then barbacoa is the way to go. However, if you prefer pork, then carnitas is the better option. If you like things spicy, then barbacoa might be the way to go. Its blend of spices and chili peppers creates a bold and robust flavor that is sure to satisfy your taste buds.

Authentic Mexican barbacoa features meat— typically lamb but sometimes beef or goat—wrapped in banana or agave leaves and slow-cooked over an open flame or in an underground oven lined with hot coals. The result is tender, shredded meat that melts in your mouth.

Barbacoa at Chipotle is made from tender and moist seared beef that's been braised in an incredible blend of adobo, lime, cumin, garlic, and oregano. This slow-cooked masterpiece can be added to tacos, salads, bowls, and more! To see us make copycat Chipotle barbacoa from start to finish, watch the video in this post!

What is barbacoa seasoning made of? ›

Grind the toasted cumin and cloves into a powder, and place into a blender. Add the ancho chile powder, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, vinegar, and lime juice. Remove the chiles from the soaking water, and place into the blender along with 1/3 cup of the soaking liquid. Cover, and blend until a smooth paste forms.

To achieve barbacoa's signature tender texture, Chipotle cooks its beef sous vide at length before marinating it for a half-day in a flavorful adobo blend and braising it. The meat is then shredded by hand. The process yields exceptionally moist and juicy meat despite the lengthy cooking process.

What Is Barbacoa Sauce Made Of? For this recipe, barbacoa sauce is made of beef broth, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, yellow onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, ground cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, lime juice, and allspice.

In the U.S., barbacoa is often prepared with parts from the heads of cattle, such as the cheeks. In northern Mexico, it is also sometimes made from beef head, but more often it is prepared from goat meat (cabrito).

The most tender of all cuts of beef, tenderloin steaks are lean and known for their delicate, butter-like texture and thick cut. These mouthwatering steaks are so tender they can be “cut with a butter knife.” Tenderloin steaks are commonly known as filets or filet mignon.

Round and round we go When it comes to beef, it's not just the quality that matters - it's the cut, too. Our Barbacoa mainly comes from the shoulder, because those cuts have enough fat to keep the meat moist during our long braising method, making the end result seriously juicy and tender.

These cuts—ribeye, New York strip loin, and filet mignon—can certainly be dubbed the best, and few will disagree. “Filet is the most tender cut, but has the least amount of flavor. Ribeye is the most flavorful, but the least tender of the three, and New York is in the middle.” Flannery explains.