Barbacoa beef has such a zesty, flavorful taste that will take traditional tacos to a new level. If you want to prepare a meal for Taco Tuesday or any other day of the week, these Barbacoa Tacos are a must-have.
Barbacoa Beef Tacos
Do you love tacos? If you eat them weekly, give this recipe for Barbacoa Tacos a try!
Flavorful Barbacoa beef is piled onto tortillas along with pico de Gallo, red cabbage, and more. You can make this meal from scratch and impress your family with your culinary skills! Serve em up on Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, or any regular old day.
Why You’ll Love this Beef Taco Recipe:
- EASY: Take a break from the typical ground beef tacos for the moment and try them with barbacoa meat instead, which is absolutely delicious.
- CUSTOMIZABLE: Customize these tacos to your liking using different toppings to add more flavor to them.
- CONVENIENT: These street-style tacos are so delicious and convenient when hosting small gatherings with loved ones.
You’ll love how well the pico de gallo pairs with the barbacoa meat. When added to the tortillas, everything blends so well together to create a delicious meal that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner.
How to Make Barbacoa Tacos
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Put your barbacoa meat in the slow cooker and use two cups to make the tacos.
- Set your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place your meat on your tortilla before squeezing a lime over the meat.
- Set the tortillas on a taco rack and bake for five minutes.
- Add your fresh toppings, including the pico de gallo, cilantro, and more.
Recipe Notes (optional)
You can use prepared pico de Gallo if you don’t feel like making it from scratch.
Although these tacos don’t call for cheese, feel free to add some on top for a special touch.
If you don’t want to use barbacoa meat, you can use other types of meat, including pulled chicken prepared the same way.
Squeeze fresh lime juice over your meat instead of bottled lime juice. The fresh juice tastes so much better.
Use our easy crockpot Barbacoa recipe for the meat. Once you’ve made your meat, you can use it in this recipe.
Definitely. Use what you like, whether it’s pork, chicken, or even beef.
Flour tortillas work well with the Barbacoa Tacos and taste amazing. However, if you prefer corn tortillas, feel free to use them instead of the flour tortillas.
Yes. If you’d like to make the tacos ahead of time, simply store the ingredients in different containers and assemble the tacos on the spot when you’re getting ready to eat them.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many options for serving these. Use the pico and tomatillo salsa included in the recipe card, or any of your favorites salsa and toppings.
Make it a meal by adding some cilantro lime rice, refried beans, or street corn on the side!
Barbacoa Tacos are fun to prepare and even more enjoyable to consume. If you’re looking for something different than what you’re used to when making tacos, try this simple, stress-free recipe.
Tips!
- Feel free to to use hard taco shells instead of soft tortillas if you prefer.
- You can find tomatillo salsa in your grocery store. So, if you can’t find the ingredients to make it, don’t hesitate to buy a pre-made bottle of it.
- A light cilantro lime dressing would taste good on top of the meat of these tacos and is a great option.
Create customized tacos to your liking using barbacoa meat. These tacos will taste like they came straight from a food truck!
Can I skip baking the tacos?
You can skip baking the tacos but then your tortillas will be soft. If you prefer a slight bit of crispiness, it’s best to put them in the oven for a few minutes.
What other toppings can I add to Barbacoa tacos?
You can add guacamole, fresh avocado slices, jalapeno slices, and even diced purple onion to your tacos for added flavor in addition to the other toppings. Or try this mango salsa to add some sweetness!
Can I make a taco salad instead?
Of course! If you want to make a taco salad, put everything in a crispy tortilla bowl! Ortega makes tortilla bowls that you can buy, bake, and stuff with your taco ingredients. Or top off the salad with tortilla strips to add the crunch.
Barbacoa Tacos are absolutely delicious! If you love them, try these other quick, easy dinners loaded with flavor.
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy!
Recipe
Barbacoa Tacos Recipe
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Barbacoa beef has such a zesty, flavorful taste that will take traditional tacos to a new level. If you want to prepare a meal for Taco Tuesday or any other day of the week, these Barbacoa Tacos are a must-have.
Ingredients
For the Red Tomatillo Salsa
Instructions
For the Tacos
Prepare the crockpot barbacoa meat and use 2 cups of it in this recipe.
2 cups barbacoa meat
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add ¼ cup of barbacoa beef onto each tortilla. Squeeze a lime wedge onto the barbacoa meat of each taco.
8 small flour tortillas, 2 limes
Place tortillas on a taco rack or use oven safe ramekins on a baking sheet to hold the tacos upright.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the shell is slightly crispy, but still pliable.
Top tacos with tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, red cabbage, and cilantro and serve.
½ cup red cabbage, Pico de gallo, red tomatillo salsa, and cilantro
For the Pico De Gallo
In a small bowl combine the tomatoes, onion, juice from ½ lime, cilantro, salt, and pepper.
2 roma tomatoes, ¼ white onion, ½ lime, ½ tablespoon chopped cilantro, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Red Tomatillo Salsa
Preheat the broiler. Cut the tomatillos in half. Place them face down in an oven-safe baking dish. Place the dish 5” from the broiler. Broil for 7 minutes, flip the tomatillos, and broil for 7 more minutes. Let the tomatillos cool for 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos and all remaining ingredients to a food processor bowl. Pulse for 15 seconds or until smooth.
3 tomatillos, ¼ white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon A1 steak sauce, 1 ½ limes
Becky’s tips
- Storage: Store barbacoa beef, pico de gallo, and red tomatillo salsa in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to assemble, heat the beef and continue with the recipe as instructed.
- Barbacoa Beef Recipe: Here is my favorite recipe for barbacoa beef.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 240kcal (12%) Carbohydrates: 23g (8%) Protein: 15g (30%) Fat: 11g (17%) Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 5g Cholesterol: 36mg (12%) Sodium: 441mg (19%) Potassium: 345mg (10%) Fiber: 3g (13%) Sugar: 4g (4%) Vitamin A: 431IU (9%) Vitamin C: 17mg (21%) Calcium: 57mg (6%) Iron: 3mg (17%)
