Barbacoa Style Beef Slow Cooked

Damn!  I am definitely on a roll.  I think I posted recipes more this week than I have all summer long.  I have a few more up my sleeve too.

I had heard of barbacoa, but never knew what it was until I looked it up on Wikipedia.  Sandra loves Wikipedia, and I can see why.

Never heard of barbacoa before?  Just in case you haven’t, here is a definition obtained from Wikipedia –

Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taino people, from which the term “barbecue” derives  In contemporary Mexico, it generally refers to meats or whole sheep slow-cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day and in some cases may refer to meat steamed until tender.

I figured that since I pulled out the slow cooker the other day for the turkey breast that I might as well use it more than once before I store it again in the cabinet.

Ingredients

Serves 8

turkey and barbacoa 008

  • One 3 or 4 pound boneless chuck rump roast, patted dry
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 to 2 bay leaves, to your taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, to your taste
  • 2 cups barbecue sauce
Directions

In a small bowl combine the salt, rosemary, pepper, coriander, and chili powder.

Sprinkle the rub on all sides of the meat.

turkey and barbacoa 009

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over high heat. When hot, add the meat and brown well on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Place the meat in the slow cooker. Add the water, the bay leaf and the garlic.

Cover and cook on HIGH for about 5 hours, turning the meat once about halfway through cooking, if desired or possible, to coat both sides evenly with the cooking liquid.

Add the barbecue sauce, cover, and cook on HIGH until the meat is fork tender, another 1 to 1½ hours.

barbacoa 006

Slice and serve with the extra sauce on the side.

Leave a Reply