Beef Barbacoa

Beef barbacoa is one of the most flavorful, tender types of meat you can find. Traditional Mexican barbacoa comes from cachete (cheek meat), a juicier cut that is perfect for breakfast tacos. With just three simple ingredients, you can make your barbacoa in an oven or slow cooker to enjoy an authentic Tex-Mex breakfast.

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Barbacoa was always on the menu when we visited my grandparents in Laredo, TX. My grandmother would either make it from scratch or buy some at the local store. 

She would have her hair styled at the beauty salon and have barbacoa on the table with homemade flour tortillas, all before I stumbled out of bed in my pajamas.

Our family has been known to cook the full cabeza in a barbecue pit to get fresh barbacoa. That’s no longer practical for my generation. Instead, we use cachete (cheek meat) purchased at a local grocery store or market.

You’ll be shocked at how easy it is to prepare barbacoa in the oven or slow cooker. If I had known what little preparation it takes, I would’ve started making this many years ago.

We hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

What is barbacoa?

Barbacoa is a seasoned meat dish, typically made of beef, although lamb or goat could be used in some regions. The beef is slow-cooked to achieve maximum flavor and tenderness, hence the name, which roughly translates to “barbecue.” 

Classic barbacoa uses cheek meat (cachete), which has a higher collagen and fat content. This results in a delightfully sticky texture that is moist beyond belief. It’s not chewy or stringy as you might experience with other cuts of beef like skirt steak.

In the Mexican tradition, barbacoa was often prepared in an underground pit, but these days you can use a Dutch oven or slow cooker to prepare the dish. 

Ingredients

There’s some debate within our family about what ingredients are needed to make barbacoa, but sometimes simplicity is best. You only need three ingredients for delicious barbacoa (plus water):

• Cheek meat (cachete) – There’s no good substitute for cachete. The flavor profile is more concentrated, and the texture is unique. You can typically find cachete at a local grocery store or a local meat market (carnicería).
• Garlic – Some relatives don’t believe in adding garlic, but my family prefers 1 clove per pound of meat.
• Salt – Err on the side of adding less salt (about 1 teaspoon per 3 pounds of meat). You can always add more salt later.
• Water – Add 1-2 cups of water to provide moisture and prevent the meat from drying out.

Refer to the recipe below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Barbacoa in the Oven

Our preferred method for cooking barbacoa is in a conventional oven. It takes 3.5-4 hours to cook barbacoa at 350º F. You can use either a casserole dish sealed with foil or a Dutch oven with a lid.

Once the meat finishes cooking, remove the large pieces of meat to serve and discard the remaining fat and juices. Since barbacoa tends to have a higher fat content, you may need to trim some pieces before breaking the meat apart to serve.

How to Make Barbacoa in a Slow Cooker

Alternatively, you can cook barbacoa in a slow cooker with the same ingredients. There’s no need to add water, as the fat and juices of the meat are enough to keep the barbacoa moist.

Place the slow cooker on Low for 8 hours for tender barbacoa that falls apart. Once cooked, remove the pieces of meat from the slow cooker to shred and serve.

How to Serve Barbacoa

Barbacoa makes the best breakfast tacos. Fill a flour tortilla or corn tortilla with a generous portion of meat and top it with pico de gallo, red salsa, or salsa verde. A squeeze of lime, cilantro garnish, and red onion also make for the perfect taco.

How to store barbacoa

Barbacoa will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, and you can freeze it for up to 6 months.

To defrost the meat, place it in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat it in the microwave at medium heat for 1.5-2 minutes, adding a bit of water to prevent the meat from drying out. You can also reheat it in the oven at 250º F for 15 minutes in a dish covered with foil, stirring occasionally.

More Breakfast Dishes to Try

• Huevos Rancheros
• Homemade Chorizo