Barbacoa

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jcam222

Epic Pitmaster
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Jun 13, 2017
11,062
12,832
Northeast Ohio
I had quite a bit of pulled chuck left from smoking 3 this past weekend. There was a fair amount of it that was still a bit tighter than I would have like too. I got an urge for Mexican tonight so decided to repurpose a lot of it into barbacoa. After a quick check of the pantry it was a go.

Barbacoa sauce:
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 4-6 guajillo peppers (I play this by ear based on the size of the peppers)
  • 2 arbol if you want to kick up the heat (both these and the guajillo are stemmed and seeded)
  • 1 small onion diced fairly fine
  • 4 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground clove
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped chipotle and 1 tbsp of adobo

First up seed and toast the peppers until nice and fragrant.
toasting peppers.jpg


After toasting add 2 cups chicken stock and simmer until the peppers are nice and soft. Set these aside.

peppers softened.jpg


Next up add a little oil to the pan and saute the onions and garlic until nice and soft.
onions cooking.jpg


Add the spices and toast for about 30 seconds and then add the chipotle and simmer another minute or so giving it a good stir or two.
adding spices and chipotle.jpg


Add the balance of the chicken stock and the ACV then simmer cooking down by about 1/2.
chicken stok simmering.jpg


After it is reduced remove the bay leaves and combine this with the peppers and liquid set aside earlier. Into the Vitamix it goes to get blended nice and smooth. It is a very rich red sauce. This picture does not do it justice.
sauce.jpg


Into the Instant Pot it goes along with I am guessing about 4 lbs. of leftover beef chunks and shred. I set the Instant Pot to 30 minutes and did a quick release when finished. This is a great short cut to simmering for hours to infuse the beef with the flavor. Here it is out of the IP.
finished barbacoa 2.jpg


I wanted to do this burrito style and since we do keto I will use a 100% cheddar shell. Its pretty easy making taco shells this way but when doing burrito or enchilada style dishes it takes a pretty deft hand and quick work to roll without tearing it. Big circle of cheese on parchment paper covered pan. Bake at 400F until the edges begin to brown. Pull and move quick :) Here is the shell fresh out of the oven and getting loaded up with meat.
ready to roll .jpg


Quickly rolling using a nice long spatula that is usually out on the Blackstone for griddle action.

rolled.jpg


Here is the money shot. The burrito is dressed pretty simply with minced pickled jalapeno , some cotija cheese and a chipotle cream sauce. Simple salad to accompany it with shredded lettuce, tomato, avocado and some Mexican crema.

plated2.jpg



Thats a wrap. This was absolutely bursting with flavor. The homemade sauce starting with the dry peppers is very much worth the work. I used a very similar sauce for a brisket chili I posted here this past winter and it was money as well. As always thanks for looking!!
 
That looks amazing! Love the plated shot. Great use of leftover chuckies! Id tear into that in a heartbeat!
 
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You are just TOO COOL with that Cheese Wrapper! I have a house guest with a Birthday coming up. The kids told him he gets to pick his Birthday Supper. He requested Mexican and this Barbacoa sounds good. Thanks for posting the recipe. Congrats on taking a Ride...JJ
 
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Wow, that cook is absolutely off the charts Jeff, fantastic piece of work! Congrats on the well deserved carousel ride too, Like! RAY
 
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Awesome dude. That ones going on the menu. I took out some mystery meat from freezer that I think should work. I was bad about no labeling but have since corrected.
 
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What a great looking meal Jeff and the spices are very much on point. Using dried chiles and toasting the spices is very much worth the extra step. It’s small stuff like that elevates the dish.

Nice job on the burrito shell too! I don’t have that finesse and dexterity, I’d end up smashing it into pieces and making a barbacoa taco salad out of it.

Very nicely done!
 
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The King of Keto strikes again!! Awesome looking meal Jeff and congrats on a well deserved ride. The whole meal is a thing of beauty but as already stated, those cheese wraps are just insane!! I gotta try those on...something.

Just WOW!! That's all...
Robert
 
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Damn. Yes sir count me in on that! Delicious
That looks amazing! Love the plated shot. Great use of leftover chuckies! Id tear into that in a heartbeat!
Awesome cook my friend! Big Like!
Looks awesome! I'll take a plate or three

Ryan
Wow, that cook is absolutely off the charts Jeff, fantastic piece of work! Congrats on the well deserved carousel ride too, Like! RAY
Awesome !
Awesome dude. That ones going on the menu. I took out some mystery meat from freezer that I think should work. I was bad about no labeling but have since corrected.
What a great looking meal Jeff and the spices are very much on point. Using dried chiles and toasting the spices is very much worth the extra step. It’s small stuff like that elevates the dish.

Nice job on the burrito shell too! I don’t have that finesse and dexterity, I’d end up smashing it into pieces and making a barbacoa taco salad out of it.

Very nicely done!
I'll bet that your sauce would make a dog biscuit edible, probably even good.

Great post.
Mercy! That makes my mouth water.
Wow Jeff that looks fantastic brother!

Nice job, on the step by step and presentation.

BIG LIKE!

And congrats on the ride.

John
Damn Jeff that looks so good! Thanks for posting the recipe as well. Did you make your own creamy chipotle? Congrats on the ride!
Boy, I'll bet that's Freaking Awesome!!
Nice Job Jcam!!
Like.

Bear
About all I can say Is AWESOME!!!!!
Al
Dang I would belly up to that plate.
The King of Keto strikes again!! Awesome looking meal Jeff and congrats on a well deserved ride. The whole meal is a thing of beauty but as already stated, those cheese wraps are just insane!! I gotta try those on...something.

Just WOW!! That's all...
Robert
Thanks al for the compliments! This meal was awesome and I’d highly recommend the sauce.
 
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