The deliciously soft, smokey shredded meat in these barbacoa tacos is plentiful. Oregano and bay leaves give this recipe an earthy flavor, while cumin complements the chiles.
| Prep Time: | 45 mins |
| Cook Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 45 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
Ingredients
- 2 ripe plum tomatoes
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast, cut into 6-equal sized cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- corn tortillas, warmed
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
- ½ bunch radishes, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Arrange whole tomatoes, onions (cut-side down), and garlic in the dry skillet in a single layer, working in batches if needed. Cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, about 6 minutes for the garlic and about 12 minutes for the onions and tomatoes.
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- Transfer charred vegetables to a blender and add chipotle peppers. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
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- Stir salt, chili powder, cumin, and black pepper together in a small bowl; season beef evenly with salt mixture.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned beef to a large plate.
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- Pour water into the Dutch oven and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in onion-tomato mixture, brown sugar, oregano, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer.
- Nestle beef back into pot and cover. Cook, stirring and re-nestling beef occasionally (about every 20 to 30 minutes), until beef is tender and pulls easily apart with a fork, 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and discard.
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- Remove beef from Dutch oven, place on cutting board; shred beef using 2 forks.
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- Return beef to the Dutch oven, add lime juice, and stir to combine.
- Serve in corn tortillas with avocado, radishes, and cilantro.