Beef Barbacoa Street Tacos

Featured image of four barbacoa street tacos on a platter topped with onion and cilantro.

5 from 1 vote

This traditional Mexican beef barbacoa meat is flavor-packed and perfect for street tacos! Using minimal ingredients with minimal effort, these barbacoa street tacos are naturally gluten-free. Perfect for serving a large crowd!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: barbacoa street tacos, beef, beef barbacoa, mexican, street tacos, tacos

Servings: people

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Elise Shivamber

Ingredients

For Barbacoa Beef

2.5 pounds Chuck Roast
2 tablespoons Avocado Oil (or other neutral oil)
½ White Onion (diced)
4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
¾ cup Orange juice, freshly squeezed (3 oranges or substitute for storebought juice)
¼ cup Lime Juice (3 limes)
1 cup Red Enchilada Sauce
2 cups Water
2 teaspoons Garlic Salt
2 teaspoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Cumin
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

For Serving

32 Corn Tortillas Street Taco size (4-5")
½ White Onion
1 bunch Cilantro
1 cup Salsa
2 Limes

Instructions

Make the Beef Barbacoa

Cut the chuck roast into even 2 inch cubes. Remove as much of the fat as possible.
Pour spice mix onto large cubes of beef and make sure beef is evenly coated.
Heat 2 tablespoon avocado oil in a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Sear the beef cubes until all sides are browned. Make sure to sear in groups so as to not overcrowd the pot. If you notice the bottom of the pot gets dry, add some more oil. Once all pieces are browned, place beef on a plate or in a bowl to the side.
In the same pot (keep the browned bits), add diced onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. You can add oil if the pot is a bit dry. Turn down the heat to medium. Stir in the minced garlic.
Pour in orange juice and lime juice and scrape the browned bits of the pan while mixing together. Add the enchilada sauce and water to the pot.
Add the cooked beef meat and all of the juices back into the pot. Stir to make sure it is completely mixed together.
Bring heat back up to medium-high until liquid is boiling. Place the lid on the pot and turn down the heat to a low simmer.
Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir the liquid and meat around 1-hour into the simmer.
After simmering for 1 hour and 15 minutes, your meat should be tender. If you press the meat with a wooden spoon, it should break apart into pieces.
While keeping the sauce simmering, remove the beef cubes using tongs and into a prep bowl. Take two forks and shred the beef chunks. If there are any pieces of fat that didn’t cook off, remove it from the beef at this time.
Raise heat to medium, add the shredded beef back to the pot. Cook for 15 more minutes, letting the sauce thicken up and the beef soak up the sauces.
Remove barbacoa meat from the dutch oven and into a serving bowl or container. Reserve ½-1 cup of the remaining consomme for serving and reheating.

Serve the Street Tacos

Warm the tortillas. If you have a gas stove, turn the burner on high. Working in batches, place one tortilla on each burner that you have available. Cook, for 30-60 seconds on each side, or until it begins to brown. Otherwise, warm in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.
Finely dice the white onion and cilantro. Cut limes into 4 wedges each.
Stack two street taco tortillas on each other, placing ¼ cup of warm beef barbacoa meat onto each double stack. Continue with all other tacos.
Sprinkle each taco with chopped onion and cilantro as desired. Serve warm with a lime wedge.

Notes

NOTE: The nutritional facts include 2 double-stacked street tacos per serving. 2 double stacked street taco tortillas = 2 single regular corn tortillas.

Store any leftovers in separate containers. Keep beef barbacoa meat in an airtight container, staying fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Combine leftover cilantro and onion in a container together, for 2-3 days maximum.

For reheating, microwave barbacoa meat for 60-90 seconds. Heat fresh tortillas and sprinkle cilantro and onion on top.

Freeze leftover barbacoa meat in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Warming the tortillas: If you do not have a gas stove, you can place a bit of avocado oil or butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat, and crisp the tortillas for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. You may also use the broiler setting of your oven. Turn the broiler on high, and place the tortillas in the oven, about 4 inches from the heat source. Cook for about 2 minutes, and flip. Cook for 2 more minutes, or until the tortillas are lightly browned and crispy.

Nutrition