Mexican Beef Barbacoa in red sauce

First and foremost,Preheat your oven to 275ºF

Ingredients You WILL NEED:

1 Beef Boneless Chuck roast 4-5 lbs, cut into 3 equal pieces.
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon powder or 1 cube
3.5 cups of homemade Chile Colorado sauce Click HERE, to find the recipe , or a can of " Las Palmas Red Chile sauce "
2 cups of water to make chicken stock
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
2 TBSP. Olive oil
1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
1 8 quart pot of your choice

* Note* According to my mom, she uses the homemade Red Chile sauce, and puts one can of BEER and a whole juiced orange, with the rind included, however i made my recipe the easy way and it still came out great*)

Step 1 : Chop your beef roast into manageable pieces, so that you can sear each piece individually, it will most likely not fit into your home sized pan, and it's important to sear all surfaces.

For my 4.5 lb roast, i cut it into 3 equal pieces.

Step 1.5 : Use 1 TBSP olive oil, heat in the pan until HOT, almost smoking.

For searing, it's important for the oil in the pan to be HOT so that when you drop the beef into the pan, it sizzles.


* Sear all pieces until browned, almost caramelized looking, then throw directly into your pot. They will be RAW inside.








Step 2: With the same pan you just seared the beef in, pour 2 cups of water until boiling, add the chicken powder or bouillon cube and mix until dissolved.



Step 3: Add both the can of Red Chile sauce and the chicken stock, that you just made into the pot. The beef roast pieces should be just about covered. Now add the apple cider vinegar into the pot as well.



Step 4 : Also ADD in a few shakes of salt and pepper, just enough to season perfectly. Remember, it is about 4.5 lbs.

Step 5 : Cover your 8 quart pot with aluminum foil, and the actual lid on top of that in order to create a TIGHT lid.


Step 6 : Place the pot in the oven , and braise the meat for 5-6 hours at 275ºF.
Removing the lid during the last hour or so to allow the simmering liquid to reduce slightly.

Allow the beef to cool slightly, spoon off any easily removable fat from the braising liquid and then use two forks to pull/shred the beef into bite size pieces.

* DO NOT DISCARD THE BRAISING LIQUID*

Step 7 : Taste and adjust as necessary for seasonings.


This is how the Barbacoa looks when it is finished cooking, at this point you can chop it up with a sharp knife, or shred it. I prefer mine chopped !

Also, make sure to place the chopped beef right back into the braising liquid, to add moisture and flavor.

When ready to eat, you can either strain the meat and eat in tacos, or you can eat it as a beef stew with the braising liquid as the "soup " .

Enjoy !