Slow-Cooked Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Hidalgo-style barbacoa tacos: beef in guajillo-ancho adobo, slow-cooked until it shreds. Served with its consomme, just like in the hills.
270 min
Medium
Mexicana
6 servings
The story behind
In the hills of Hidalgo, barbacoa is a weekend ritual. The old way is to cook it underground: a pit lined with maguey leaves, embers at the bottom, the meat wrapped and buried so it steams in its own juices for hours, sometimes overnight. The agave leaves perfume the meat and keep it moist, and at home you can recreate the effect with a pot and slow steam without losing the soul of the dish. Barbacoa exists across Mexico, lamb in the central highlands, beef in the north, but the Hidalgo style is among the most celebrated and traditionally arrives on Sunday tables with its own consomme. The long, gentle cook is non-negotiable: cuts like neck and chuck are packed with connective tissue that only softens and turns gelatinous after hours of moist heat. Rush it and the meat stays tough. The adobo of toasted, ground guajillo and ancho chiles brings more than color and flavor; it works its way into the meat as it cooks. By the end, the beef shreds at the touch of a fork. Serve it in warm tortillas with onion, cilantro, and salsa, and save the broth: that chickpea consomme is half the feast.
Instructions
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1Rehydrate the dried chilies in hot water and blend them with garlic and cumin to create a smooth marinade.
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2Season the beef with salt and coat it thoroughly with the chili paste.
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3Slow-cook the meat with bay leaves until it is tender enough to fall apart with a fork.
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4Shred the beef while it's still warm and mix it back into its own savory juices.
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5Warm up your tortillas, pile on the beef, and add the onions and cilantro for that fresh, authentic crunch.
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