Barbacoa

Barbacoa is a spicy shredded meat common in Mexican cuisine. You might be most familiar with it as an option at Chipotle. It's one of my favorite fillings for burritos and tacos.

I mostly use this recipe, which is pretty good as-is. I've only made some tiny adjustments to the directions.

Ingredients

• 3-4 lb chuck roast
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 4 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3-4 chipotle chiles

Directions

1. Combine the vinegar, lime juice, chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, and ground cloves in a blender until smooth. Set aside for now.
2. Cut the roast into large chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
   • The original recipe says to cut most of the fat off the roast. I usually don't bother - fat adds flavor :)
   • The original recipe doesn't season the meat, but I usually like to season meat before searing to give it a bit of a flavor crust.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a pan on medium-high. Sear the meat on all sides, 1-2 minutes on each side, until you get a nice browning.
4. Remove the meat from the pan, and drain the oil/fat from the pan. With the heat on low, add the chicken broth to the pan. Deglaze the pan, using a spatula to scrape up anything stuck to the pan and dissolve it into the broth.
   • This step isn't in the original instructions, but that's flavoring left on the pan - might as well make a fond out of it.
5. Put the meat in a crock pot. Top with the adobo sauce, chicken broth, and bay leaves.
6. Cook on low all day.
7. Turn the heat down to warm. Shred the meat with a couple of forks.
8. Serve however you like - in a burrito, in tacos, with nachos, etc.