AUTHENTIC MEXICAN BARBACOA RECIPE

Tacos de Barbacoa is what we used to get on Sundays morning for breakfast. It would be either barbacoa de res or menudo. There are certain meals in Mexico that are used for special occasions. Barbacoa is definitely a good one after you had a lot of alcohol the night before. Even when beef is a heavy meal we Mexicans traditionally have it for breakfast if you have a bad hangover! With this authentic mexican barbacoa recipe you will find out that there is nothing like tacos de barbacoa with a salsa muy picante! adios a la cruda!

Barbacoa de Res in English Recipe!

I need to be honest and tell you that I almost died when I saw other recipes in English for barbacoa de res. My grandma could die again if she could see how some non Mexican bloggers are cooking “Authentic Mexican Barbacoa recipe » no way girls!

The truth is that the traditional Mexican barbacoa recipe varies a lot depending on the zone of Mexico. The barbacoa de res estilo jalisco is very famous. It is served with beef broth which is amazing but in other parts of Mexico like in the north, Durango, Chihuahua we will have it in tacos with out the broth.

I am from the north of Mexico and the barbacoa de hoyo is very traditional, especially in ranches. In the ranchos of Mexico you will see people making the barbacoa but with goat beef. It tastes spectacular. They make holes in the dirt, set a fire in them and then wrap the marinated meat in maguey leaves and cook them there. Is your mouth watering get? 

I know it might sound funny but many cultures such as hawaiians, Maoris in NZ and other groups cook in holes made in the dirt.  

Now you start to understand why my grandma could die to see us cooking in Instant pots LOL I am just kidding. She would be so jealous! And would have been the first one to have an electrical pressure cooker to make barbacoa without so much work. ​​​​​​​

Many people have asked me which Instant Pot size would I recommend. That defiantly has to be with how many people you are cooking for.

I have the Nova Duo 8 quart. I cook daily for 5 people but usually, what I cook for dinner we also have it the next day for lunch or dinner. That way I try to cook natural homemade meals for my family without going crazy all day in the kitchen.

Here are the options to choose the perfect Instant Pot for your family

The Duo Nova is 7 appliances in 1: pressure cooker, sauté pan, steamer, slow cooker, rice cooker, food warmer, and yogurt maker. Clear the clutter from your counter and do it all with just one tool.

3 Quart is great for cooking rice, side dishes, or meals up to 3 people.

6 Quart is the perfect size for feeding up to 6 people.

8 Quart is perfect large families or whipping up big batches of prepared meals for the week.

10 Quart is Instant Pot’s largest pressure cooker yet, ideal for preparing larger meals to feed a crowd or to stock the freezer with family dinners.

Anyway, you have to promise me as I am giving you the best Beef Barbacoa Recipe that if you travel to Mexico you will find a place where they sell tacos de barbacoa de hoyo and eat them! Not afraid of the Moctezuma revenge! (I do have my own theory about Moctezuma Revenge)

Well, lets get start with this recipe…

What do I need to make Mexican Beef Barbacoa

These portions are for 6 people. This is the recipe for Chihuahuas style Barbacoa (North of Mexico barbacoa recipe)

2 guajillo chile​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

1 Red hot chili (chile de arbol)

½ tea spoon of Cumin

1 spoon of Oregano

½ Onion

5 Garlic cloves

1 spoon Salt

6 whole black pepper

3 Bay leaves​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

HOW TO MARINATE BEEF TO MAKE A MEXICAN BARBACOA TACOS

Place on a grill:

5 garlic cloves

1/2 onion

1 chile de arbol

2 guajillo peppers

HOW TO MAKE BARBACOA DE RES STEP BY STEP

Toast these ingredients well, taking care that the chilies do not burn. They toast fast so remove them before the onion and garlic.

Put all the toasted ingredients in the blender together with 1 tsp of oregano 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1 tbsp of salt, and 3 bay leaves. Add 1 cup of water and blend everything very well.

With the sauce, you created marinate the meat for one night in the refrigerator. If you don’t have time, don’t worry, I prepared it without marinating and it is delicious, so if you marinate it, it will be gourmet (almost like barbacoa de hoyo)

Put the meat in the Instant pot together with the marinade and activate the Meat / Stew button in your Instant Pot and let it cook.

Once it is finished and you can open the pot, let the meat cool a little and crumble it. There you have your healthy barbacoa… do you want to know the secret of the barbacoa street tacos? They actually fry the beef.

Do you want to take your barbacoa tacos to another level of flavor (and cholesterol)? Drop some oil in the pan and fry the shredded beef. There you have the most amazing and authentic Mexican barbacoa homemade by yourself! Awesome! 

What to do with the beef broth

As I told you some people serve the barbacoa with some broth. In Chihuahua, we heat it dry and we have the broth apart. What I did was to add a bunch of cilantro, add another 5 cups of water, half a spoon of salt, half onion, and put it in the soup cooking option. There is a consommé to lick your fingers, you can add cooked chickpeas and there you have the next day’s food.

WHAT KIND OF MEAT SHOULD I USE TO COOK MEXICAN BARBACOA DE RES

The type of beef I use depends on how I want to prepare it. If you are looking for a low-fat and healthy barbacoa recipe, chambarete is the option. 

Chambarete: if you are looking for a low-fat and healthier fit barbecue.

Beef brisket: It is very delicious and soft, I try to cut off the extra pieces of fat.

Chuck roast or Pot roast chuck roast. 

For this recipe I used chuck roast and it worked perfect and delicious.

HOW TO COOK BARBACOA OF RES IN Pressure POT OR INSTANT POT.

The first thing is to season the meat very well with the recipe that I share with you and preferably leave it to marinate from the night before. If you do not have time you do not worry just put everything in the amounts mentioned in the pot and it is delicious in any way.

Once the pot reaches the indicated pressure, it takes about 30 minutes to cook the meat for the barbecue. If you are using Instant Pot put it in the Meat / Stew function.

HOW TO STEAM BARBACOA MEXICAN BEEF 

Place the marinated meat on a large piece of foil. Wraps the marinated beef in the aluminum and closes the edges very well so that the steam cannot escape and much more importantly the juice. Steam for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

HOW TO COOK BARBACOA DE RES IN THE OVEN

Season the meat and leave it to marinate overnight. To cook beef barbacoa in the oven, place the meat in an ovenproof dish and cover it very well with aluminum foil so that the steam does not escape. Bake at 360 degrees for 40 minutes. Check and if it is missing a little more, put it back for another 20 minutes. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I really appreciate your comments. Follow me as @LasRecetasdeLaura in Instagram for more awesome mexican recipes.

Arriba Chihuahua! See you next time you are hungry.

Laura

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