I absolutely love this recipe and I know you will too! This Dutch oven beef barbacoa is a pot roast that has been slowly braised in a low oven in the most flavorful sauce. It is way better than the barbacoa beef served at Chipotle and so easy to make at home.
This is a great recipe to meal prep at the beginning of the week and eat all week long. We love to serve this fall-apart tender beef on crispy barbacoa tacos, nachos or burrito bowls. It is a naturally gluten free recipe making it a great option for feeding large groups. It would be perfect for a little Cinco de Mayo celebration!
If you're looking for more Latin inspired dishes, check out my favorite Dutch oven carnitas or these quick and easy rotisserie chicken tacos.
What is Barbacoa?
Traditionally barbacoa refers to meat that has been slow cooked in an underground oven. All different types of meat are cooked in these earthen ovens, usually wrapped in agave leaves or banana leaves to create a steam effect.
Since most people don't have a cooking pit at home, I've simplified it by slow cooking the meat in this recipe inside a Dutch oven.
Ingredient Notes
This Dutch oven barbacoa recipe is made from just a few simple ingredients that can be found in any grocery store. It is naturally gluten free and dairy free.
- Chuck Roast - Mexican barbacoa is made with beef cheeks or sometimes even a whole cow head. To make this a more accessible recipe, I've chosen chuck roast. Although it is a tougher cut of meat, it becomes amazingly tender when it is slow cooked in the oven.
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce - You can find these chipotle peppers in the Mexican food aisle at your grocery store or in a Latin food market. You won't need a whole can for this recipe, but if you seal the leftovers tightly and refrigerate, they will keep for a while.
- Gluten Free Beef Broth - Some store bought beef broth does contain hidden gluten, so if you're following a gluten free diet make sure you buy one that is marked gluten free. If you don't have beef broth on hand, you can replace it with chicken broth although the flavor will change slightly.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Spicy Version: Add jalapeños or additional chipotle pepper in adobo sauce to increase the heat.
- Beer Braised: Replace 1 cup of beef broth with beer (gluten free).
- No Lime Juice: Replace lime juice with orange juice in the same measure.
How to Make Dutch Oven Beef Barbacoa
Slow cooking beef chuck roast in a dutch oven makes the most flavorful and tender meat. Other than the waiting time involved, this dish is very easy to make. See the recipe card below for the Instant Pot method.
STEP 1: Cut the chuck roast into large chunks about 3 inches across. Season on all sides with salt and pepper.
STEP 2: Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, cook the beef pieces until they are browned on all sides. You may have to work in batches.
STEP 3: Combine the garlic, chipotle peppers, lime juice, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and beef broth in a blender or food processor. Process until it forms a smooth sauce.
STEP 4: Return all of the beef to the Dutch oven. Pour the sauce over the beef and add the bay leaves. Cover and bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the beef is fork tender.
STEP 5: Once the cooking time has elapsed, remove it from the oven and shred beef using two forks. Stir the shredded beef into the braising liquid and serve.
Expert Tip
If you don't have a dutch oven, brown the beef pieces in a large skillet. Then place the browned beef in a baking dish and add the sauce and bay leaves. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake as directed.
Storage
Store leftover beef barbacoa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, dutch ovens are cast iron pots usually covered in enamel. They are made for both stove and oven use.
These is some spice from the chipotle peppers, but it is fairly mild. You can adjust the spicyness by adding more or less peppers to your sauce.
While the cooking process is similar to my carnitas recipe, the finishing is different. Carnitas are always crisped under the broiler whereas barbacoa is served right after shredding.
More Dutch oven recipes to try:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Dutch Oven Beef Barbacoa (Barbacoa de Res)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pound Beef Chuck Roast
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 3 Chipotles in Adobo Sauce
- ¼ Cup Lime Juice from 2 limes
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 ½ Cup Gluten Free Beef Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 °F (149 °C)
- Cut the chuck roast into several large pieces, about 3 inches across. Season the beef with salt and pepper on both sides.3 pound Beef Chuck Roast, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot, being careful not to crowd the pan. You may need to work in batches. Brown the beef on all sides. Remove the pot from heat.2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Add the garlic, chipotles, lime juice, vinegar, chili powder, cumin, oregano and beef broth to a high speed blender. Process until it turns into a sauce.5 cloves Garlic, 3 Chipotles in Adobo Sauce, ¼ Cup Lime Juice, 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder, 2 teaspoons Cumin, 1 teaspoon Oregano, 1 ½ Cup Gluten Free Beef Broth
- Pour the sauce over the beef in the dutch oven and add the bay leaves.2 Bay Leaves
- Place the cover on the dutch oven and put it in the preheated oven. Braise for 2 ½-3 hours or until the meat is tender enough to fall apart. If you don't have a dutch oven, place everything in a casserole dish and cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the bay leaves and shred the beef.
Notes
- Use the saute mode to brown the meat as indicated above.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot. Set the vent to seal and set the pot to manual high pressure for 60 minutes.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the steam to naturally release for 15 minutes then open the valve to release the remaining steam.
- Shred the beef as instructed above and serve.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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