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Barbacoa Beef Street Tacos

Barbacoa beef street tacos with slow-cooked, tender shredded chuck roast coated in a smoky ancho chile paste. Stuffed into warm small corn tortillas and finished with diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges for a classic street-style bite.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
rest 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

beef chuck roast
  • 3 lb beef chuck roast
lime juice
  • 0.25 cup lime juice
apple cider vinegar
  • 0.25 cup apple cider vinegar
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
cumin
  • 1 tbsp cumin
chili powder
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
dried ancho chiles
  • 6 dried ancho chiles seeded
garlic
  • 4 garlic cloves
oregano
  • 1 tsp oregano
salt
  • 1 tsp salt
black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
onion
  • 1 onion halved
bay leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
corn tortillas
  • 1 Small corn tortillas warm for serving
diced onion
  • 1 diced onion
fresh cilantro
  • 0.5 cup fresh cilantro chopped
lime wedges
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Make the ancho chile paste
  1. Seed the dried ancho chiles. Blend the ancho chiles, garlic, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper into a smooth paste, pausing to scrape down the sides so it looks uniformly thick.
  2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Lightly warm the paste in the oil, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and darker in color.
Slow-cook the barbacoa
  1. Rub the beef chuck roast all over with the chile paste in the crockpot. Place the onion halves and bay leaves around the roast, then pour any remaining liquid from the paste over the meat.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, maintaining steady low heat. The roast is done when it is extremely tender and the meat easily shreds with gentle pressure.
Shred, rest, and assemble tacos
  1. Transfer the cooked roast to a cutting surface and shred using two forks. Discard solids like bay leaves and onion pieces.
  2. Rest the shredded barbacoa 10 minutes so it reabsorbs juices and stays moist. Warm small corn tortillas and fill with the shredded barbacoa right before serving.
  3. Top each taco with diced onion and fresh cilantro, then serve with lime wedges. The finished tacos should look bright and fresh with visible toppings.

Notes

Pro tip: Blend until completely smooth so the chile paste coats the beef evenly, then warm the paste briefly to deepen the aroma before slow-cooking. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 4 days; freeze shredded barbacoa up to 3 months (reheat until hot, adding a splash of cooking liquid if needed). For a gluten-free version, keep tortillas certified gluten-free and confirm any toppings are gluten-free; the recipe is naturally dairy-free.