Barbacoa Tacos Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

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.

What’s in Barbacoa Tacos?

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.

• Barbacoa Meat: You’ll need to cook up this barbacoa meat as the first step in this recipe!
• Tortillas: I like flour tortillas, but corn or cassava flour tortillas will also work.
• Red Cabbage: Adds a bit of crunch.
• Limes: Adds acidity and zesty flavor to every component of this dish.
• Cilantro: Adds fresh herbal flavor to every component of this dish. You can use parsley instead if you’re not a fan.
• Pico De Gallo: Adds freshness to the dish.
• Onion: Adds earthy flavor and crunch to the red tomatillo salsa.
• Salt + Pepper: Enhances the flavors.
• Tomatillos: Create the base for the red tomatillo salsa.
• Garlic: Adds earthy flavor.
• Chipotle Peppers in Adobo: Adds a bit of spice and smokiness to the red tomatillo salsa.
• A1 Steak Sauce: Adds a bit of umami flavor to the salsa.

Notes from the Test Kitchen

• If you don’t want to use barbacoa meat, you can use 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.
• Although these tacos don’t call for cheese, feel free to add some on top for a special touch.
• Feel free 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.

Variations on Beef Barbacoa Tacos

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 to the crunch. And if you’re looking for another way to serve the delicious beef, try these Barbacoa Burrito Bowls!

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 favorite salsa and toppings. Make it a meal by adding some cilantro lime rice, refried beans, or street corn on the side!

How to Make Barbacoa Tacos Step by Step

Cook the Barbacoa: Prepare the crockpot barbacoa meat and use 2 cups of it in this recipe.

Assemble the Tacos: Preheat oven to 350°F. Add ¼ cup of barbacoa beef onto each of 8 small flour tortillas. Squeeze a lime wedge onto the barbacoa meat of each taco. 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, 2 cups of pico de gallo, ½ cup of red cabbage, and cilantro and serve.

Make the Red Tomatillo Salsa: Preheat the broiler. Cut 3 tomatillos in half. Place them face down in an oven-safe baking dish. Place the dish 5 inches 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 ¼ of a white onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of A1 steak sauce, and the juice of 1½ limes to a food processor bowl. Pulse for 15 seconds or until smooth.

How to Store and Reheat

Store the 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 in the microwave and continue with the recipe as instructed.

How to Freeze

While I do not recommend freezing the fully-assembled tacos, you can freeze the barbacoa beef in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating and adding to tacos.

More Taco Recipes To Try

• Baked Chicken Tacos
• Birria Tacos
• Quesabirria Tacos
• Crockpot Beef Tacos
• Baked Ground Beef Tacos
• Crockpot Honey BBQ Chicken Tacos