• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Modern Honey
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Top 20
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Top 20
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Tacos

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

    Published: May 2, 2017 · Modified: Nov 12, 2020 by Melissa Stadler · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    3458 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa. Tender spicy beef barbacoa made in slow cooker and topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco cheese, and homemade tomatillo salsa. www.modernhoney.com

    Happy Taco Tuesday!  It's not only Taco Tuesday but we are in the middle of Cinco de Mayo week which is a big deal in our household. I will be out of town this Friday at a Food Conference so I have been feeding my kids Mexican food all week long and they are LOVING it.

    Slow cookers (aka crockpots) are a genius invention because of their ability to make meats tender and literally fall apart. Plus there is almost zero work involved so that is a win-win! These Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa are unbelievably flavor and are super simple to make. They are always a crowd favorite!

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa. Tender spicy beef barbacoa made in slow cooker and topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco cheese, and homemade tomatillo salsa. www.modernhoney.com

    The beef is slowly cooked in a slow cooker or Insta Pot.  The key is to flavor it with onions, chipotle chilies, chili powder, cumin, and beef broth. Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce can be found in the canned section of the Mexican food aisle. The beef is cooked for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high or until it is nice and tender.

    These Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos are topped with queso fresco, which is a mild Mexican crumbly cheese. You can substitute Pepper Jack Cheese as well.

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa. Tender spicy beef barbacoa made in slow cooker and topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco cheese, and homemade tomatillo salsa. www.modernhoney.com

    The homemade tomatillo sauce is made with roasted tomatillos. What is a tomatillo? It is a Mexican husk tomato that is green and has a slightly citrus flavor.  We add in some vibrant cilantro for freshness, jalapeno for some subtle heat, and sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatillos. You may add more sugar, depending on preference.  We eat tomatillo salsa at a well-known restaurant here in Arizona, Tia Rosa's or Boca Taqueria and they make their green salsa quite sweet so that is what we are used to.  Feel free to add more or less depending on your taste.

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa. Tender spicy beef barbacoa made in slow cooker and topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco cheese, and homemade tomatillo salsa. www.modernhoney.com

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa. Tender spicy beef barbacoa made in slow cooker and topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco cheese, and homemade tomatillo salsa. www.modernhoney.com

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

    Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey
    Tender spicy beef barbacoa slowly cooked in slow cooker. Topped with fresh homemade tomatillo salsa, queso fresco, and sliced avocado.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 8 hours hrs
    Total Time 8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 6

    Equipment

    • crockpot
    • baking sheet
    • vitamix blender
    • food processor
    • slow cooker

    Ingredients
      

    • Beef Barbacoa:
    • 2 ½ - 3 lb. Chuck Roast
    • 1 Onion chopped
    • 4 Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce chopped
    • 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Cumin
    • 1-2 teaspoons Salt
    • 1 teaspoon Pepper
    • 1 - 14.5 ounce can Beef Broth
    • Tomatillo Salsa:
    • 1 lb. Fresh Tomatillos husked
    • ¼ bunch Cilantro
    • ½ Jalapeno
    • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
    • 1 teaspoon Salt
    • 2 Tablespoons Sugar
    • Toppings:
    • 1-2 Avocados sliced
    • 4 ounces Queso Fresco crumbled
    • 20 small Corn Tortillas

    Instructions
     

    • Place chuck roast, onion, chipotles, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and beef broth in slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. After the meat is tender, shred into bite size pieces.
    • Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatillos (remove husk) on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until soft. Place in blender or food processor with cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, salt and sugar. May add more sugar depending on preference. The sugar cuts the acidity of the tomatillos. Let chill.
    • Top two corn tortillas with beef, queso fresco, avocado, and tomatillo salsa.
    • *May soften corn tortillas by wrapping in slightly damp paper towel and placing in microwave for 20-30 seconds.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    PIN on PINTEREST for LATER:

    Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos with Homemade Tomatillo Salsa. Tender spicy beef barbacoa made in slow cooker and topped with fresh avocado, queso fresco cheese, and homemade tomatillo salsa. www.modernhoney.com

    More Tacos

    • These homemade Ground Beef Tacos are made with spiced taco meat loaded into fried taco shells. Top with your favorite toppings for an easy 30-minute meal!
      Ground Beef Tacos
    • Chipotle Spiced Chicken Tacos with a cheese-filled tortilla and topped with fresh salsa. These easy chicken tacos are made in less than 20 minutes and are so popular!
      Chipotle Chicken Tacos
    • Grilled Chicken Tacos with Guacamole. Marinated grilled chicken with fresh lime and Mexican spices topped with pico de gallo and fresh guacamole. The best grilled chicken tacos! www.modernhoney.com #tacos #tacotuesday #chickentacos
      Grilled Chicken Tacos with Guacamole
    • Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos Marinated grilled chicken with a homemade street corn salsa, fresh avocado, cotija cheese, and spiced Mexican crema. These tacos will become a family favorite in no time at all! www.modernhoney.com #taco #tacos #mexicanfood #chickentacos
      Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Juanita S

      April 21, 2022 at 11:49 am

      5 stars
      I think I have made all of your taco recipes.....they never disappoint. These were fabulous! Muy Deliciosa!

      Reply
    2. Sandy Rahlfs

      July 09, 2019 at 5:09 am

      How spicy are these with the chipotle peppers in adobo?

      Reply
    3. Kathy

      June 13, 2017 at 6:04 pm

      I just made these for my family, delicious and really easy to make. Thanks!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Melissa Stadler Modern Honey

    Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler! I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Chinese Orange Chicken that is better than take-out. How to make ORANGE CHICKEN at home with a sweet orange sauce. www.modernhoney.com
      Chinese Orange Chicken
    • The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe makes chicken extra juicy and flavorful. This savory marinade makes grilled chicken mouthwatering! This Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe is made with extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. The perfect chicken marinade recipe! www.modernhoney.com
      The Best Chicken Marinade Recipe
    • Levain Bakery Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies. The BEST Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie Recipe. The perfect chocolate chip walnut cookies. #levainbakery #chocolatechipwalnutcookies #chocolatechipcookies
      Levain Bakery Chocolate Chip Crush Cookies
    • The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies. The popular cinnamon-sugar soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. A recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years! #snickerdoodle #snickerdoodles #snickerdoodlecookies #snickerdoodlecookie #cookie #cookies #christmascookies #christmascookies www.modernhoney.com
      The Best Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe

    Recent Recipes

    • Soft, chewy sugar cookies filled with sprinkles and white chocolate. This festive funfetti cookie recipe has the perfect chewy center with buttery crisp edges filled with rainbow sprinkles.
      Confetti Sprinkle Cookies
    • How to make the best pasta salad with Italian meats, cheese, pasta, and vegetables, all tossed with a homemade creamy red wine vinaigrette. This is such an easy, popular pasta salad recipe.
      Italian Pasta Salad
    • Creamy Homemade Chicken Salad made with tender chicken, crunchy celery, green onion, sweet grapes, and crunchy almonds in a mayonnaise dressing. This is a classic chicken salad recipe that everyone loves and is perfect for a quick lunch or potluck.
      Chicken Salad
    • This is the easiest baked chicken recipe that is so flavorful and juicy. This homemade spice rub is perfect for oven baked chicken and makes it perfectly spiced. I am sharing my tips for making the best baked chicken.
      Juicy Baked Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Info

    About

    Recipe Index

    Travel

    Privacy Policy

    Contact

    melissa@modernhoney.com

    Subscribe to my Recipes

    Follow

    Instagram

    Facebook

    Pinterest

    TikTok

    Copyright © 2023 Modern Honey