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Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Bowls – The Set-and-Forget Dinner That Fixes Your Monday

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Fall-apart slow cooker beef barbacoa finished under the broiler for crispy, caramelized edges you won"t get from the slow cooker alone.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3–4 lb beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 3–4 large chunks
  • 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 2 tbsp adobo sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
  • For the bowls: cooked rice, black or pinto beans, diced onion, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado

Instructions

  1. In a blender, combine chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Blend until smooth.
  2. Place chuck roast chunks in the slow cooker. Pour the blended sauce over the top, add the beef broth and bay leaves, and turn to coat the meat.
  3. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours (or high for 5-6 hours), until the beef shreds easily with a fork.
  4. Remove the beef to a bowl and discard the bay leaves. Shred the meat with two forks, discarding any large chunks of fat.
  5. Pour the remaining cooking liquid into a saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, until reduced by about half and thickened slightly.
  6. Toss the shredded beef with 1/2 cup of the reduced sauce and spread it in an even layer on a baking sheet.
  7. Broil on high for 4-5 minutes, watching closely, until the edges are crisp and caramelized in spots.
  8. Serve over rice and beans with the remaining sauce spooned on top, along with onion, cilantro, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

Don"t skip the reduce-and-broil step — it"s what separates this from standard slow cooker barbacoa. If you"re short on time, a hot cast-iron skillet works instead of the broiler; just crisp the shredded meat in batches for 2-3 minutes per side. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 4 days or frozen (in the sauce, before broiling) for up to 3 months.

Find it online: https://www.rapidrecipes.blog/slow-cooker-beef-barbacoa-bowls-the-set-and-forget-dinner-that-fixes-your-monday/