Chipotle's Barbacoa Copycat Recipe

Golden Nugget Gourmet's Note:

That's right now you can make barbacoa as good as Chipotle's at home! Perfecting this recipe started as a bet... while my husband Scott and his good friend Steve were enjoying one of their many grad school barbacoa lunches from Chipotle, Steve made the comment, "I don't think even Jan could make it this good." Oh, the challenge was on! I searched the web and found several recipes claiming to be the real deal but I decided to base mine off a copycat recipe I found on Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes. So how did it come out? Let's just say Steve ate his words and several of these burritos :) Heads up, you'll need a crockpot for this one.

• Total Time: 6 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic cloves
• 4 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 -4 chipotle chiles in adobo
• 4 -5 lbs chuck roast

Directions:

1. To make the adobo sauce combine vinegar, limejuice, chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and cloves in a blender or processor on high speed until smooth.
2. Remove most of the fat from the roast and then cut into large chunks (approximately 6).
3. Pour oil into a frying pan and sear all sides of roast on medium-high heat until browned.
4. Place meat into Crockpot and pour adobo sauce over meat.
5. Pour in the chicken broth and add bay leaves.
6. Cook on high heat 6 hours or on low all day.
7. While still in the Crockpot, shred the meat with two forks and turn the heat to warm. Serve with hard or soft tortilla shells when ready.
8. Typical sides include tortillas, rice, black or pinto beans, cheese, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream.
9. Don’t forget to make my 5 Minute Guacamole to go with it.

Reviews

[niwamau]

I've actually made this a few times now. My husband has an allergy to mild bell peppers, so I make this so that he can have Chipotle at home where I can guarantee he won't get sick! We both love it, and everyone who has had this recipe and Chipotle's says that this one is as good if not better! I cheat on the chiles in adobo and use a smoked habanero instead with a little tomato paste and adobo seasoning (powdered). Seems to work out about right. So good and well worth the little bit of prep!

[saraispampered]

I make a few changes...not a fan of preservatives so I don't use the chilies in adobo sauce. I substitute with 4 or 5 good sized poblano peppers that I broil in the oven, remove the skin and the bulk of the seeds from. The second time I made it I didn't remove the fat until it was ready to fall off the meat I think it added more flavor. Best shredded beef I've ever had!

[algato]

If you like the Chipotle Restaurant Barbacoa, this recipe is fantastic! I never rated anything on the internet until now because this recipe is just so good. My daughter and I both abosolutely love Chipotle Barbacoa. Having a large family, it gets expensive taking the entire family out to eat. I decided to try this recipe. I loved it and my daughter really loved it. She ate it for supper, then breakfast, packed it for school lunch and still ate it later that evening. I had to tell her she had to eat something else for breakfast the next morning. She said it tastes exactly like the restaurant. The recipe makes enough to have left overs later or to freeze it. If you like Chipotle Barbacoa you will love this recipe.