Chipotle Mexican Grill describes their Barbacoa as a spicy shredded beef slowly braised in a chipotle adobo, cumin, garlic, cloves and oregano. It’s a delicious and flavorful beef that will can be used for a number of entrees including tacos, enchiladas and more.

In Mexico, barbacoa is traditionally cooked in a pit and buried for hours with moist dirt.  It’s often part of a wedding celebration and will be made with goat meat.  If you want a nice twist on one of my favorite restaurant recipes, substitute pork roast for the beef.  You can actually make them at the same time and offer up a nice variety.

Ingredients

Barbacoa

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 3-4 chipotle peppers – canned
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp oregano – dried Mexican variety is best
• 1 ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground clove
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 4-5 lbs beef roast (chuck roast is fine)
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 bay leaves

Pico de Gallo – I always have a bowl of this in the fridge

• 4 tomatoes – diced
• ½ cup red onion – diced
• ¼ cup cilantro – diced
• 2 Tbsp jalapenos – diced
• 2 Tbs lime juice – or just squeeze some lime over until it’s flavored right.
• ¼ tsp salt

Pinto Beans

• 3 cans (15 oz each) pinto beans – canned are fine or make some fresh.
• 3 Tbs bacon fat – cook up about 4 pieces of bacon and you should have enough.
• ½ tsp oregano – dried Mexican variety is best.

Rice – Cilantro Lime Flavored

• 3 cups water
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup cilantro – chipped
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

Burrito

• 8 Flour Tortillas – 12″
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• guacamole – if desired
• sour cream – if desired

Instructions

1. Combine the lime juice, vinegar, chipotle peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and clove in a blender (you can also use a food processor) and blend at the highest speed until it’s smooth and creamy.
2. Cut the roast up into several smaller pieces and remove any excess fat.
3. In a large dutch oven, heat approximately 2 tbsp of oil and cook each side of the pieces of meat until lightly browned.
4. Pour the adobo sauce sauce over the meat and ad in the chicken broth and bay leaves.
5. Cover and let simmer for about 4 hours, turning every 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Uncover and cook an additional 1 to 2 hours until the meat is easily pulled apart.
7. While the baracoa is cooking, prepare the pico de gallo by combining all of the listed ingredients in a large bowl.
8. Let this chill in the refrigerator until everything is ready to serve.
9. In a medium pan heat the bacon fat over a medium to medium low heat and add in the pinto beans and oregano.
10. Simmer for 45 minutes stirring periodically.  Cover and lit sit until you’re ready to assemble the burritos.
11. In another large sauce pan prepare the rice. Combine the water, rice, salt and butter.
12. Bring the water and rice to a boil and then cover.
13. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
14. Remove the cover and stir in the lime juice and cilantro.  Cover and let sit until you’re ready to make your burritos.
15. To make your burrito, start with a warmed flour tortilla.  This is best done on a dry skillet or in a ziplock bag in the microwave.  It shouldn’t take more than a minute, but keep an eye it so you don’t overheat them.
16. Place a good pile of the barbacoa in the middle of the burrito. Next put a few spoons of the rice, beans and then the pico de gallo.  If you’d like cheese, guacamole and/or sour cream, place that on top.
17. Fold in both sides of the tortilla and then roll up as tight as possible from bottom to top, keeping the sides closed in as you go.  There’s a bit of an art to it, so you may have to practice some.  If you mess up, start over.  Or enjoy it in bowl.