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    Home » Mexican Recipes » Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Copycat

    Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Copycat

    Date: May 22, 2022 by Christian Guzman • This post may contain affiliate links. See Privacy Policy below.

    This chipotle barbacoa beef copycat is bursting with smoky, rich flavor. It’s slow cooked in a homemade adobo sauce for tender, juicy meat to use in tacos, burritos and more.

    • How to Make Fresh Adobo Sauce
    • How to Use Dried Mexican Chiles
    • Building a Barbacoa Burrito
    • Recipe
    24Bite: Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Copycat recipe by Christian Guzman
    Easily make Barbacoa Burritos, plain or toasted.
    Jump to Recipe

    Ingredients

    You can purchase prepackaged chipotle adobo sauce but, you can’t beat making your own sauces from Mexican chiles, I don’t like being dependent on prepared sauces.

    Homemade sauces have, by far, the fresher flavor. It’s wonderful to know and be able to pronounce all of your ingredients too!

    24Bite: Ingredients for Homemade Adobo
    Homemade adobo sauce is easy to make with just a few ingredients.

    I’ve made homemade adobo sauce in another recipe and it’s delicious with chicken too! Try this Chicken Tinga Tacos Dorados recipe.

    Have a browse at all
    24Bite recipes
    to customize your own search.

    How to Make Fresh Adobo Sauce

    I typically try to make my sauces on the mild side. I’ve used these chiles:

    • Guajillo chiles
    • Ancho chiles
    • Chipotle chiles
    • Arbol chiles

    The hot chiles in this list are the Arbol chiles. You can consider them to be similar to cayenne. I’ve used 5 of them here, but you can reduce to 2 for something milder. If you want more heat, try adding more of them. A small handful should do the trick.

    24Bite: jar with homemade adobo sauce made from dried chiles
    You can make homemade Adobo Sauce the night before to make things easier the next day.

    How to Use Dried Mexican Chiles

    When using Mexican chiles, the dried versions have different names from the fresh versions. The guajillo chiles are mirasol, the ancho chiles are poblano and the chipotle are jalapeño.

    You can get creative with your chiles to come up with your own combination or to use the dried chiles you have on hand.

    To learn more about how much spicy heat is in each chile pepper, view the Scoville Heat Scale which lists several different peppers used here.

    24Bite: Chiles, tomatoes and onions in saucepan to prepare homemade adobo sauce
    Since all the vegetables will go into a blender, you don’t need to chop the into small pieces.

    It’s very easy to make the sauce. I think the most time-consuming part is removing the seeds from the chiles. After you’ve removed and discarded the seeds, you should wash your chiles.

    Chiles are usually dried outdoors and you don’t want “things” in your food. I hope that they’re washed before packaging, but you just never know.

    24Bite: Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Copycat recipe by Christian Guzman
    Try grilling the corn tortillas before serving.

    Building a Barbacoa Burrito

    When serving your chipotle barbacoa beef, think of it as spicy pulled beef barbecue. Get creative and use it for anything where you might use pulled beef.

    You can serve as barbacoa burritos or tacos. Try a burrito bowl to cut the carbs from the tortillas.

    plate of birria tacos with link to recipe

    Load everything up just like you would a regular taco or burrito:

    • Rice (yellow, white or brown)
    • Spanish Rice
    • Pico de Gallo
    • Red Cabbage
    • Avocado
    • Cheese (shredded or crumbled)
    • Radish Slices
    • Lettuce
    • Baby Spinach
    • Beans (pinto or black)
    • Chipotle Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa

    On the side, serve with lime slices, crema and cilantro. Try straining out a little sauce from the pulled beef and put it in a small bowl for dipping.

    Be sure to browse all our Mexican food recipes for more ideas.

    Recipe

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    Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Burrito Copycat

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    4.91 from 10 votes
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Slow Cooking: 4 hours 30 minutes
    Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 221kcal
    Author: Christian Guzman
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    This chipotle barbacoa beef copycat is bursting with smoky, rich flavor. It's slow cooked in a homemade adobo sauce for tender, juicy meat to use in tacos, burritos and more.

    For more information, be sure to check the recipe details in the attached 24Bite® post.

    Equipment

    • Slow cooker (Crockpot)

    Ingredients

    Adobo Sauce

    • 2 Roma Tomatoes, quartered
    • 4 Garlic Cloves, peeled
    • 1 large Onion, quartered
    • 6 Dried Guajillo Chiles, stemmed, seeded and rinsed
    • 4 Dried Ancho Chiles, stemmed, seeded and rinsed
    • 4 Dried Chipotle Chiles, stemmed, seeded and rinsed
    • 5 Dried Arbol Chiles, stemmed, seeded and rinsed
    • Water
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Oregano
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin
    • ¼ cup Brown Sugar
    • ⅛ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2 teaspoons Smoky Flavor, like Liquid Smoke, optional

    Beef

    • 2 pounds Chuck Roast

    Instructions

    Preparing Adobo Sauce

    • Quarter tomatoes and large onion. Peel garlic cloves. Stem, seed and rinse all dried chiles. Place all in a medium sauce pan with enough water to cover.
    • Place pan on medium high heat and bring to a boil then reduce to low and cover with lid. Allow to cook until everything is heated through and chiles are soft, about 20-30 minutes.
    • With slotted spoon remove all ingredients from water to blender. To blender, add salt, oregano, cumin, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and optional smoky flavor. If necessary to allow blender to work properly, add a little more fresh water, maybe about ½ cup.
    • Blend until smooth.

    Making Beef

    • Trim and cut roast into 1 ½" pieces. Place roast pieces in slow cooker (Crockpot).
    • Add the homemade adobo sauce to slow cooker and stir well. Don't worry if the adobo seems thick. The juices from the meat will be incorporated.
    • Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
    • With two forks, shred meat. It should be very easy to shred at this point. Stir well. Cook for 30 minutes more.



    Note: If there is a video, it will not display while there is an adblocker.

    Notes

    This recipe makes about one quart barbacoa beef. This is enough to make about 16 tacos, burritos, tostados, enchiladas and more. 
    Toppings for burritos, tacos or bowl: tortillas, yellow rice, red cabbage, baby spinach, cheese, pico de gallo and chipotle tomatillo red chili salsa.
    Garnish with lime slices, crema and cilantro.
    Strain some of the sauce from the meat and put it in a bowl for dipping.
    View this quick Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Burrito web story.
    Nutrition Facts
    Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Burrito Copycat
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 221 Calories from Fat 90
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 10g15%
    Saturated Fat 4g25%
    Sodium 259mg11%
    Carbohydrates 17g6%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 10g11%
    Protein 15g30%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex
    Keyword chipotle copycat barbacoa bowl, chipotle copycat barbacoa burrito
    ______________________



    Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.

    © 2019-2023 Kim Guzman and Christian Guzman. All rights reserved. Subscribe to 24Bite email newsletters.



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    24Bite: Chipotle Barbacoa Beef with Homemade Adobo by Christian Guzman
    You can use this delicious barbacoa beef to fill burritos.
    « Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa Chipotle Copycat
    Mango Avocado Salad Recipe »

    Beef and Venison Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Mexican Recipes, Slow Cooker Recipes, Taco Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emmeline Kemperyd says

      August 06, 2020 at 1:56 am

      5 stars
      This looks so delicious!! My mouth is literally watering right now. Trying it for dinner tonight!

      Reply
    2. Anjali says

      August 06, 2020 at 2:10 am

      5 stars
      Wow this recipe looks so flavorful and easy to make!! I can’t wait to try it this week!

      Reply
    3. veenaazmanov says

      August 06, 2020 at 3:03 am

      5 stars
      Delicious meal option. Full of flavor and yum. Easy to make too. Presentation perfect.

      Reply
    4. Charla says

      August 06, 2020 at 4:02 am

      5 stars
      Wonderful! Saving this beef dinner for the fall when I will be using my slow cooker on a daily basis. Thank you!

      Reply
    5. Beth Sachs says

      August 06, 2020 at 4:26 am

      5 stars
      My family LOVE taco’s so will definitely be giving this yummy looking beef recipe a try.

      Reply

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