Description
A small-batch barbacoa recipe designed specifically for one or two people, yielding about 1.5 pounds of tender, spicy, smoky beef. It requires minimal active prep time and cooks passively in a slow cooker for 8 hours.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1.5 lbs beef chuck roast
- 4 large dried guajillo chilies (approx. 20 g)
- 2–3 small dried arbol chilies (approx. 5 g)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + 1 tsp sauce (approx. 15 g)
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Trim large chunks of hard fat from the beef chuck roast and cut into 3-4 large chunks. Place in the bottom of a small slow cooker.
- Remove stems from guajillo and arbol chilies. Shake out seeds if less heat is desired. Soak chilies in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes until soft.
- Drain chilies and add them to a blender along with chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, lime juice, and beef broth. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the beef chunks in the slow cooker, tossing to coat evenly.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4-5 hours).
- Remove beef and shred with two forks. Discard any remaining large fat pieces.
- Stir shredded beef back into the cooking juices and let sit for 5 minutes to absorb flavors. Adjust salt if needed.
Notes
For less spice, remove seeds from arbol chilies and use half a chipotle pepper. The leftover cooking liquid is flavorful and can be saved for soups or rice. If the sauce is too thin, simmer the liquid on the stovetop for 5-10 minutes to thicken. Searing the beef before slow cooking adds depth but is optional.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3/4 cup meat per per
- Calories: 320
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 28
Keywords: small-batch barbacoa, slow cooker beef, easy tacos, no leftovers, beef chuck roast, chipotle, guajillo chilies