Serious Eats Barbacoa Recipes

SOUTHERN TEXAS-STYLE BEEF BARBACOA

Steps:

• Prepare a smoker with dampened hickory wood charcoal. The heat inside your grill or smoker should be around 180 to 200 degrees F (80 to 95 degrees C). Combine the black pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and seasoned salt in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed.
• Place the chuck roast into a mixing bowl, and rub all over with the spice mixture. Place the meat into the smoker, and smoke for 1 1/2 hours, turning about every half hour. The meat should be a dark red color, and the edges should be darkened. Place the meat into a roasting pan, and seal tightly with aluminum foil.
• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Bake the barbacoa in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours until very tender. Uncover the beef, and shred with two forks while still hot.

SLOW-COOKER BARBACOA

Steps:

• Place the first 9 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add broth; pulse to combine., Place roast and bay leaves in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker; pour sauce over top. Cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 7-9 hours., Prepare rice about 30 minutes before serving. In a large saucepan, combine water, rice, butter and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat; gently stir in cilantro and lime juice., Remove roast from slow cooker; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker. Serve with rice.

SERIOUS EATS BARBACOA

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 275°F Place chilis in bottom of a large Dutch oven and heat over high heat. Cook, turning chilis with tongs occasionally until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Cover with 2 cups chicken or beef stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until chilis are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from pot.
• Rub kosher salt and pepper lightly on roast. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear chuck roast until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove roast and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
• Add onions, cook 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add cumin, cloves, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chipotle chilis and sauce, vinegar, and remaining chicken or beef stock. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan, simmer until reduced by about half, then transfer entire contents to the jar of a blender (or use stick blender).
• Add soaked chilis and their liquid to the blender/pot. Start blender on low and slowly increase speed to high. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
• Place beef chuck in Dutch oven. Add bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Place lid on pot slightly cracked, then transfer to oven. Cook, turning beef occasionally, until completely tender, about 5 hours. Discard bay leaves and transfer chuck to a large plate. Return Dutch oven to stovetop and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes.
• Shred beef into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Return beef to a pot along with the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook, gently stirring and folding until beef is hot, tender, and coated in sauce. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, piling the beef into warm corn tortillas with onions, cilantro, salsa, limes, or other condiments as desired.

LAMB BARBACOA

Steps:

• Toast the chiles in a dry cast iron skillet on medium heat for a few minutes on each side and then turn off the heat and fill the skillet with water. Let the chiles soak for 20 minutes or until soft.
• Cut the lamb into three-inch cubes and rub the meat with salt.
• Drain the chiles from the soaking water and place in a blender. Add to the blender the garlic, the coffee, the water, the cinnamon, the oregano, the cumin and the agave nectar. Puree until smooth.
• Coat the lamb with the chile puree, and let it marinate in the refrigerator for four hours.
• Heat the oven to 250°F.
• In a roasting pan, coat the bottom with some of the marinade. Place the onions and carrots on top of the marinade and then top this with the lamb.
• Tightly cover the pan with foil, and then cook in the oven covered for four hours or until fork tender.
• Shred meat with forks and serve in tortillas with cilantro, onions and salsa.