What meat is barbacoa? It is made from chuck roast, brisket, or beef cheeks. But beef is no the only meat used for barbacoa. In addition to beef, some barbacoa recipes call for pork, lamb, or goat (cabrito). These Backyard Barbacoa Tacos are going to pack the flavor in your tortillas! Using your braising skills on the grill, you’ll look like an expert and wow your friends over on your next taco night (which should be every night, am I right?)!

WHAT IS BARBACOA?

Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that has its origins in the Caribbean, but the style we are most familiar with is the one from Mexico, which originates with meats steam cooked underground. Some recipes call for beef from the head of the cow (such as beef cheeks), others call for goat meat (aka- cabrito). Since this backyard barbacoa tacos recipe comes from a gringo and his grill, I’ll be using a chuck roast because this cut of meat is much easier to find in the US.

A PLETHORA OF INGREDIENTS

While I tend to post recipes that involve less than 10 ingredients, this one is worth the exception and you’ll taste why. For starters, I dice onion, jalapeño, and mince garlic then sauté in a cast iron skillet on the grill (you can also do this in a frying pan on your stove). Once those are done, I put them in a blender with apple cider vinegar, lime juice, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, and cloves. Blend until smooth, which shouldn’t take long since we are using a lot of liquid. This mix you just made is called an adobo, which is a special marinade that consists of peppers, vinegar, and spices.

NOTE: if you’re keeping track at home, that’s 11 ingredients so far.

…AND THEN THERE’S THE MEAT

Now that the above ingredients have formed your adobo, it’s time to take your chuck roast and cut it into sections. We are using a 3 lbs. cut of chuck roast for this recipe, so you’ll either want to cut it into six or eight pieces. I like to put a simple rub of salt and pepper on these pieces to add additional flavor to the meat.

Once you have divided the roast into chunks, place them in a heated cast iron skillet and sear each side for a minute or two. If you have seen other recipes on my website regarding steaks such as tri-tip or New York Strip, you’ll know how much I value the reverse sear. It does feel a little weird to sear first and then slow cook after, but with this recipe it is worth the exception. Make sure all pieces are browned on each side.

Now that the searing of the chunks of chuck roast has been done, place them in a foil pan. I recommend using an 8×8 pan or something a little bigger, depending on how big of a cut of chuck roast you have. Pour the adobo in the pan. I like to add a couple of bay leaves for flavor.

SMOKE AND BRAISE ON THE GRILL

With the meat and the adobo together in the foil pan, place on the grill at 275 degrees over indirect heat. I used my ceramic grill which came with deflector plates to put over the lit coals to create this indirect heat. I put a couple of chunks of hickory wood in there with the coals for some extra smokey flavored goodness. Cook like this for four to five hours or until the meat is shreddable with a fork. The wait for these backyard barbacoa tacos will be well worth it!

Since every animal lives a different life and some cows use their muscles more than others, each cut of beef may cook differently. If the meat is still not shreddable after four to five hours, then cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil to help expedite the process.

It’s also worth noting that you may want to flip the chunks of beef over during the cook so the chunks of beef are easier to shred since they have been braising in the adobo.

SHRED IT UP!

Once the beef has been removed from the grill and sat out for a moment, start shredding the chunks of beef. I used a couple of forks, but you can shred with your hands (wearing some insulated gloves) or even a hand mixer if you wish (but that can get messy, so beware). Let the shredded beef sit in that juicy goodness of the adobo for a little while before serving.

Speaking of serving, I recommend offering up this backyard barbacoa on some warm corn tortillas and topped with diced onion, cilantro, and some green tomatillo salsa. Even give a freshly cut lime a gentle squeeze over the top and you’ve got yourself some amazing backyard barbacoa tacos you cooked up on the grill!

THE RECIPE!

Backyard Barbacoa Tacos

Yield: 11 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 25 minutes

Tired of having ground beef tacos? This barbacoa recipe will transform your taco night from average to extraordinary! And it can all be made on your grill (or oven/stove if you prefer).

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Ingredients

• 1 chuck roast (3lbs.)
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 C apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbsp lime juice
• 3/4 C chicken broth
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• FOR TACOS:
• 25-30 corn tortillas, warmed
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp cilantro, diced
• 1 jar green tomatillo salsa

Instructions

1. Saute onion, jalapeño, and garlic in cast iron skillet. Set aside.
2. Create adobo (marinade) by combining apple cider vinegar, lime juice, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, and cloves in a blender. Add sauteed onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Blend until smooth.
3. Divide chuck roast into 6-8 pieces, season, and sear pieces in cast iron skillet for 1-2 minutes on each side
4. Place meat in 8x8 foil pan and pour adobo in. Add bay leaves. Place on grill at 275 degrees over indirect heat for 4-5 hours, turn chunks of beef halfway through the cook. Done when beef at or above 200 degrees internal temp or when beef can be shredded with a fork.
5. Shred beef and let rest in adobo before serving. Serve on corn tortillas warmed on a skillet, top with diced onion, cilantro, and green tomatilla salsa.

Notes

1. Chuck roast was used for this recipe. To go more authentic, substitute beef cheek.
2. To make more spicy, either add more jalapeno or substitute serrano pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 11 Serving Size: 2 street tacos
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5.9gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 282mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 2.3gSugar: 2gProtein: 22g

If you’re new to BBQ, you may feel ambitious and want to try smoking some of the bigger meats right away. Go and swing for the fences if you’d like! If you want to try something simple, easy, and tasty, then go for smoked bratwurst!

How to Smoke Bratwurst

It’s as simple as throwing them on the smoker for an hour. That’s it. You can stop there. Seriously. But since this is a website dedicated to learning to smoke, I will provide you the dialogue:

Meat: Bratwurst

Wood: Apple

Smoke:  250° F for an hour

Grill: Medium-low heat for about five minutes, turning once

Which Type of Bratwurst to Look For

When going to the store to buy your brats, a beginner to the ways of smoking might look for the brats that come packaged like this:

These are pre-cooked. You can fire them up on the grill and still be satisfied. But since we are smoking, go for the uncooked bratwurst that come in a package like this:

Preheat the Grill

Once your smoking device is at 250° F, put the brats in the smoker for two hours. As far as smoking wood is concerned, it’s a matter of preference. Fruit woods go well with pork (which is what most bratwurst consist of). Apple or cherry wood pair well with smoked bratwurst.

Smoking Bratwurst

Place bratwust on the grill for an hour over the indirect heat. With that said, you may be tempted during the smoke to lift the lid to turn the brats with your tongs, but there’s no need. They will smoke evenly. Also, you don’t want any of that smoky heat to escape, for keeping the chamber door open too long will throw off the temperature and you will lose some of that trapped smoke that is flavoring your food.

How to Grill Bratwurst

Right before the hour is up, turn on your grill to a medium-low heat. Once up to heat, put the bratwurst on the grill for a few minutes so they can get those grill marks and cook a little more on the inside. Be careful not to get them too hot or the skins of the brats will break and the juices will pour out. You DO NOT want to lose these juices because this is where the they get their flavor.

The purpose of smoking them in the first place is to trap the juices and let the smoke seep into the sausages. With that said, a couple of my brats started to sputter on the grill. I noticed this because the juices dripped down unto the flame and made them burn higher. If you see this, it’s not too late. Pull them off and then you are ready to serve!

Smoke Ring: Does it Matter?

In the world of smoking meats, most people want to see a smoke ring to tell them the food is good. The smoke ring is a thin layer of pinkish-red color on the inside of the meat you’ll see when you cut it. Note that smoke ring is just an aesthetic and doesn’t mean it has more smoke flavor.

I’ve smoked bratwurst on a few occasions, but I’ve only seen smoke rings once or twice. As long as your smoked brats have that snap to the skin on the outside and cooked, juicy inside then you’re good to go! Each bite is bursting with those flavorful juices with a hint of smoke. There’s no shame in going back for seconds!

I hope you try to smoke bratwurst and see how simple and rewarding it can be. This can provide a confidence boost to beginners and fuel your ambition to tackle bigger meat (I hope that last part didn’t sound weird).

Other BBQ Recipes for Beginners

How to Smoke Tri-Tip

Smoked Queso Dip

Hot n Fast Pulled Pork

Smoked Chex Mix