Oven Baked Beef Barbacoa
If you’re craving a rich and flavorful meal, this Oven Baked Beef Barbacoa is perfect! Tender beef chuck roast is slow-cooked in a smoky chipotle sauce, creating a melt-in-your-mouth texture with a deep, complex flavor from spices, lime juice, and a touch of cocoa powder! Best of all, it’s an easy, low-maintenance recipe that will have everyone coming back for more.

Why We Love This Oven Baked Beef Barbacoa Recipe
This oven baked beef barbacoa recipe is spicy, savory, slightly tangy, and so tender! It is everything you need in a barbacoa recipe. Cooking the beef low and slow in the oven allows it to absorb the rich flavors of the chipotle adobo sauce, making every bite packed with flavor.
I like to use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce here to give it a spicy kick, but I balance it out with the acidity of lime juice and apple cider vinegar. And let’s not forget about the secret ingredient! The cocoa powder adds a touch of deep flavor, making this recipe feel truly special.
Ingredients you Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade beef barbacoa:
- Chuck Roast: You can use a 3 lb beef chuck roast and cut it into pieces.
- Olive Oil: I used olive oil to sear the beef before braising it in the sauce!
- Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic both add a depth of savory flavor and a delicious aroma.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: These smoky, spicy peppers give the barbacoa its signature flavor. You can find these canned in the international aisle of the grocery store!
- Apple Cider Vinegar & Lime Juice: A combination of apple cider vinegar and lime juice add a bright, tangy contrast to the richness of the beef.
- Seasonings: Cumin, oregano, ground cloves, and salt & pepper lend a warm flavor that is classic for beef barbacoa!
- Cocoa Powder: This is the secret ingredient in shredded beef barbacoa that deepens the flavor and adds a subtle richness!
How to Make Braised Beef Barbacoa
- Preheat & Prep Sauce: Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. In a blender or food processor, combine the yellow onion, garlic cloves, chipotle peppers in adobo, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, water, salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, and cocoa powder. Blend until smooth.
- Sear the Chuck Roast: In a large, oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef chunks in batches to avoid overcrowding. Sear each side of the beef until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Combine Beef & Sauce: Pour the blended sauce over the beef, ensuring all the pieces are coated. Add the bay leaves on top.
- Cover & Bake: Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Shred the Beef: Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the bay leaves. Use two forks to shred the beef directly in the pot, mixing it with the sauce.
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve the barbacoa with your favorite sides such as tortillas, rice or a fresh salad. Enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Don’t skip searing the beef first! Browning the beef chunks before adding the sauce adds a layer of flavor that makes a huge difference.
- Blend the sauce well! To avoid chunks and have a smooth sauce, I like to use a high quality blender like the Our Place Splendor Blender! Or, make sure to blend well and give the sauce a stir to make sure it is all blended well before transferring the sauce from the blender.
- Use a Dutch oven, if you have one. This ensures even cooking and helps retain moisture while the beef slowly braises in the sauce. Plus, you can take it straight from the stove into the oven! If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, you can transfer the seared beef to a baking dish before adding the sauce and bay leaves.
- Cook low and slow. Be patient! The longer the beef cooks, the more tender it becomes. The 3-4 hour cooking time is essential for that perfect shreddable texture. If you check on the beef and it is not easily shreddable, it needs to cook longer!
Serving Suggestions
- Tacos: Pile the shredded dutch oven barbacoa beef onto soft corn or flour tortillas, topped with fresh cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of lime! This is my personal favorite way to serve my oven baked beef barbacoa! Don’t forget to serve it with a spicy michelada, too!
- Burrito bowls: Serve the barbacoa over rice with black beans, avocado, and salsa for a hearty meal. This is a wonderful option for meal prep at the beginning of the week!
- Quesadillas: Stuff the beef into a quesadilla with melty cheese!
- Salads: For a lighter option, serve the shredded beef over a fresh salad like my roasted beet and kale salad or a marinated mushrooms salad!
Frequently Asked Questions
Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish that consists of beef that is slow cooked until it is super shreddable and tender! It can be added to a bunch of different meals like tacos or burritos!
Definitely! This barbacoa beef tastes even better the next day as the flavors continue to develop. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat when ready to serve.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes to Try
Oven Baked Beef Barbacoa
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef chuck roast cut into chucks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the Sauce
- 1 yellow onion
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 cup water or broth
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cocoa powder
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F. In a blender or food processor, combine the yellow onion, garlic cloves, chipotle peppers in adobo, apple cider vinegar, lime juice, water, salt, black pepper, cumin, oregano, ground cloves, and cocoa powder. Blend until smooth.
- In a large, oven-safe pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the beef chunks in batches to avoid overcrowding. Sear each side of the beef until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Pour the blended sauce over the beef, ensuring all the pieces are coated. Add the bay leaves on top.
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the bay leaves. Use two forks to shred the beef directly in the pot, mixing it with the sauce.
- Serve the barbacoa with your favorite sides such as tortillas, rice or a fresh salad. Enjoy!
This sounds wonderful. Would this work in a slow cooker?
Yes, it can work. I personally did not try it, but I have been told 7-8 hours on low from people who tried the recipe.
This sounds delicious and I’m about to make it. Fyi, the bay leaves don’t show up in the ingredients list.
This was an outstanding recipe with incredible depth of flavour! I’d give it ten stars if I could. The instructions are clear and the recipe worked perfectly.
Today is the second time I’m making this recipe. It’s simple & delicious! The whole family likes this low & slow version better than in the Instapot. So much more flavor. Thank you!
Gorgeous. Done with italian Friarielli peppers (couldnt find chipotle here) previously cooked in air fryer, then in Le Creuset pot. No leftovers by my friends..
hi i’m gonna make this on saturday but i saw a tbsp salt, is that a mistake should it maybe be a tsp salt ??
the rest of the recipe looks great , thanks …
Is not a mistake as I have 3lb of meat. Usually is 1 tsp salt per lb.