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Mexican Barbacoa Tacos

📍 Mexico
⏱️Prep: 20 min
🔥Cook: 480 min
Total: 500 min
🍽️8 servings
Difficulty: Medium

Barbacoa tacos are a staple of central Mexican cuisine, with roots in the state of Hidalgo. Beef shank is slow-cooked with guajillo and ancho chillies, warm spices, and avocado leaves until it falls apart in rich, dark juices. Served shredded on corn tortillas with white onion, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa, they are a weekend morning ritual across Mexico.

🛒 Ingredients

8 servings
  • 1.5 kg beef brisket
  • 4 guajillo chilies
  • 2 ancho chilies
  • 1 onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • Cumin, cloves, pepper
  • Avocado leaves
  • Green sauce, onion, cilantro for serving

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

  1. Toast and soak chilies for 20 minutes in hot water

  2. Blend with garlic, onion, and spices

  3. Marinate meat for 2 hours with the sauce

  4. Line the pot with avocado leaves

  5. Add meat and cook for 8 hours in a slow cooker

  6. Shred and serve in corn tortillas

💡 Chef's tip

No maguey or avocado leaves? Add a piece of plantain: it gives a similar smoky, sweet aroma.

📝 Our take

Real barbacoa is meat cooked for hours in a covered pit or pot with leaves until the fibers fall apart on their own. The result has nothing to do with any imitation: it is pure juice, natural smoke, and spices that smell like a market in downtown Mexico City.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

Cold tamarind or hibiscus water. Or a michelada with Modelo Especial if the mood calls for it.

Suggested wine: Agua de jamaica fría o cerveza mexicana tipo Modelo

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