Barbacoa
Barbacoa is a classic Mexican dish that is the superstar of many local street markets in Mexican towns. The cooks in the native markets braise the meat in specially constructed ovens but with ancho chili powder as a base for a simple sauce & a slow cooker the barbacoa recipe below falls into a very close second to one you would get from street vendors.
I love the flexibility of this dish. You can use it to make appetizer tacos by placing it in Paleo Wraps or large leaves of lettuce, or you can turn it into your main dish & make it really hearty with some Mashed Sweet Potatoes & make it extra juicy with the natural gravy that forms in the crock pot. No matter how you serve it, it is amazing with this Salsa Fresca!
Barbacoa
ingredients
3-4 pound chuck roast
1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 cloves garlic
1/3 cup ancho chili powder {this is going to take almost all of a new 1.5 ounce bottle}
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
directions
pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into the bottom of a crock pot & swirl it around to coat the bottom & sides.
place the chuck roast in the crock pot.
put remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil & all other ingredients into a blender & blend on high about 45 seconds, making sure garlic is completely chopped up.
pour the puree from the blender over the chuck roast.
set crockpot on high for 6 hours. {if your crockpot has a keep warm feature, feel free to leave it in there after its done cooking for an hour or so}
remove roast from crockpot to a large plate or cutting board {you will want to make sure there is a rimmed edge so you don't end up with juice all over your countertop} & shred with 2 forks. remove any visible fat from the meat.
at this point, you can either return the meat to the crockpot & serve over mashed sweet potatoes or keep the meat separate from the juice & serve that as a topping, just to add a little bit of extra flavor. If serving taco style, I would recommend keeping the meat & the juice separate.
top with salsa fresca!