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Tender, tasty, and full of flavor, authentic barbacoa is easy to make and works great in tacos, chili, sandwiches, and more. You’ll love these juicy authentic barbacoa tacos!

After moving from the Midwest to the Southeast part of Texas, I discovered that tacos were basically a food group here. Taco trucks, small taco restaurants and more were to be found on every single corner. They were not “Americanized” tacos, either. No sirree. They had simple, easy ingredients, corn tortillas, and generally no dairy.

Authentic barbacoa tacos are a breakfast item here, which was a surprise. The tradition with many Hispanic families is to have Sunday morning barbacoa tacos.. They are almost always served with a Big Red soda, which is a super sweet cream soda found in the heart of Texas.

What is barbacoa?

You can find loads of “barbacoa recipes” all over the internet that feature a chuck pot roast that is cooked, shredded, and lime juice squeezed into it. However, true, authentic barbacoa is not that cut of meat.

The meat used for authentic barbacoa meat is beef cheek meat. Yup, the chewers on the cow. It is steamed in the oven, or in a slow cooker for best flavor and texture. Your result is a tender, fall apart meat full of delicious flavor.

Where can I find cheek meat for barbacoa near me?

In most parts of the Southwest, it’s available at any grocery store. However, you can also request it at your local butcher shop. In the Midwest, they looked at me funny at first, but they did carry it.

If you find some, it freezes beautifully for months, so stock up when you can for authentic barbacoa anytime!

Ingredients you need:

• Beef cheek meat
• Water
• Aluminum foil
• Water

Making your barbacoa in the crock pot:

1. Remove the meat from the package, and drain any liquid.
2. Lay out several layers of foil and place meat in the middle.
3. Wrap up like a present, securing all areas.
4. In your crock pot, add a trivet, or heat safe bowls to keep the foil packet out of the water directly.
5. Place the wrapped meat on the trivet or bowls. Add water underneath.
6. Cook in slow cooker. Remove carefully and shred with forks.

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It seems really fatty, what can I do about that?

A lot of the flavor of this meat is in the fat. However, if there remains too much fat for your liking, you can simply drain off the melted fat. You can also place the meat in a large pot and cook on low on the stove to finish cooking off more of the fat.

How do I serve this as a taco?

This is delicious just piled on a warm corn tortilla. Traditionally, people will add a bit of salt, lime juice, cilantro and diced onions for best flavor.

You will want to warm the corn tortillas in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Alternately, you can warm them on the stove top in a dry skillet for 1 minute on each side. Warm corn tortillas will be more pliable and easier to stuff without breaking.

What to serve with barbacoa tacos:

• Easy Black Beans in the Instant Pot
• Cilantro Lime Brown Rice
• Homemade Guacamole
• Fresh Pico de Gallo

Other recipes to try:

• Potato, Egg, Chorizo Tacos
• Chicken and Black Bean Quesidillas
• Black Bean Sweet Corn Flautas
• Steak Fajita Bowl