The beef barbacoa is shredded and placed on top of the sweet potato puree, topped with marinated onions and avocado. The colors are vibrant and the dish looks comforting yet refined.

Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa with Sweet Potato Puree

Name: Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa with Sweet Potato Puree
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 510 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 lbs beef chuck roast trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 cup beef broth; 4 garlic cloves minced; 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce minced; 1 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 1 tbsp smoked paprika; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper; 1 onion sliced; 1/4 cup lime juice; 1 sweet potato peeled and diced; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tsp honey; 1 avocado diced; 1/4 red onion thinly sliced; 1 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped; salt to taste; black pepper to taste; tortillas or rice for serving

Beef barbacoa made in a slow cooker, served with sweet potato puree

Category Main Course

Prep 30 minutes

Cook 480 minutes

Style Mexican

Technique Slow Cooking

Diet Friendly Gluten-Free

Daily recipe · March 08, 2023

A little about this dish

This recipe is a twist on the classic Mexican dish of barbacoa using seasonal ingredients. The use of slow cooker means that this recipe takes minimal effort while still packing in all the flavors of the dish. Sweet potato puree and marinated onion and avocado topping takes this dish to the next level.

Ingredients (for 4)

Beef chuck roast — 2 lbs — trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
Olive oil — 1 tbsp
Beef broth — 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves — 4 — minced
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce — 2 — minced
Ground cumin — 1 tbsp
Dried oregano — 1 tbsp
Smoked paprika — 1 tbsp
Salt — 1/2 tsp
Black pepper — 1/4 tsp
Onion — 1 — sliced
Lime juice — 1/4 cup
Sweet potato — 1 — peeled and diced
Heavy cream — 1/2 cup
Unsalted butter — 2 tbsp
Honey — 1 tsp
Avocado — 1 — diced
Red onion — 1/4 — thinly sliced
Fresh cilantro — 1 tbsp — chopped
Salt — — to taste
Black pepper — — to taste
Tortillas or rice — — for serving

Preparation

Step 1 — 🧂🥩

Sprinkle salt and black pepper over the beef pieces.
Step 2 — 🔥🥩

Heat olive oil in a skillet, and brown the beef on each side for 2-3 minutes per side.
Step 3 — 🏎️🥩🍲

Place the seared beef into a slow cooker.
Step 4 — 🥣🌶️🍛🥩

In a mixing bowl, whisk beef broth, garlic, chipotle peppers, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Pour over the beef.
Step 5 — 🧅🍲

Add sliced onions to the slow cooker.
Step 6 — ⏰🥩🍲

Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or on high heat for 3-4 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
Step 7 — 🍠🍲🧈🥛🍯

Cook the diced sweet potato in a saucepan until tender, then drain and transfer to a food processor. Add in heavy cream, butter, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Process until smooth and creamy.
Step 8 — 🥑🧅🌿🍋🧂

In a mixing bowl, combine diced avocado, thinly sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Let it sit for 5 minutes to marinate.
Step 9 — 🍽️🥄🍠🍲🥩🥑🌮🍚

Spoon some sweet potato puree onto each plate. Top with beef barbacoa and the marinated avocado and onion. Serve with tortillas or rice on the side.

A final fox tip

Barbacoa is a traditional Mexican dish that typically features beef, lamb, or goat meat that has been slow-cooked in an underground pit until tender. This dish can easily be made into a vegetarian version by using jackfruit instead of beef. If you want to kick up the spice level, add more chipotle peppers or some diced jalapeños.