Description
Tender, smoky, slow cooked beef cheek barbacoa made with chipotle, garlic, lime, and warm spices. The beef turns meltingly soft and juicy, perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, nachos, and comforting family dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 pounds beef cheeks, trimmed
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup beef broth
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Trim excess fat and silver skin from beef cheeks.
- Pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over high heat.
- Sear beef cheeks on all sides until deeply browned.
- Transfer to a slow cooker.
- Add onion and garlic to the pot and cook until softened.
- Add cumin, oregano, cloves, and chipotle peppers.
- Add lime juice, vinegar, and broth and scrape up browned bits.
- Simmer until slightly reduced.
- Blend mixture until smooth and pour over beef.
- Add bay leaves.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Shred the beef cheeks.
- Toss with the cooking liquid and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve warm.
Notes
Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth. Great for tacos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, nachos, breakfast hash, and comfort food plates.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 42 g
- Cholesterol: 165 mg