Best for: A low-and-slow batch for tacos, burritos, and bowls all week.
Traditional barbacoa cooks in a pit; this home version is a Mexican-inspired stand-in that smokes a chuck roast first, then braises it in a Dutch oven with chipotle adobo until it shreds — keeping the deep chile-and-smoke flavor without the pit.
Grill: Smoker or covered grill at 250°F for smoking, then indirect heat at 300°F for braising. Equipment: Smoker or covered grill, Dutch oven with lid, oak or mesquite wood chunks, thermometer.
Ingredients
Rest: 20 minutes. Total: 5 hours 40 minutes.
Beef and rub
- 3 1/2 lb beef chuck roast
- 2 teaspoons fine table salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Braising adobo
- 3 chipotle chiles in adobo
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
To serve
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup finely diced white onion
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Directions
Season the chuck roast with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Let it stand at room temperature while the smoker or covered grill heats to 250°F.
Smoke the roast with oak or mesquite for about 2 hours, until it is deep mahogany in color (about 150°F internal).
Blend the chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, vinegar, lime juice, and beef broth until smooth. Lay the sliced onion, garlic, and bay leaves in the Dutch oven, set the roast on top, and pour in the adobo.
Cover and braise over indirect heat at 300°F for about 3 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and shreds easily (about 200–205°F).
Rest the beef for 20 minutes in its liquid. Shred it with two forks, discard the bay leaves, and toss the meat with the braising juices.
Serve the barbacoa in warm tortillas topped with diced onion and cilantro, with lime wedges on the side.
Grilling tip: Barbacoa reheats beautifully in its own juices — make it a day ahead and the flavor only deepens.
