Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Chipotle's Barbacoa Beef Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What ingredient does Chipotle use in its barbacoa? ›

Barbacoa at Chipotle is made from tender and moist seared beef that's been braised in an incredible blend of adobo, lime, cumin, garlic, and oregano. This slow-cooked masterpiece can be added to tacos, salads, bowls, and more! To see us make copycat Chipotle barbacoa from start to finish, watch the video in this post!

You want to make sure that you don't overcook your beef as it will dry out. The beef is cooked when it easily shreds with a fork.

Barbacoa is made by braising beef for many hours until tender. At Chipotle, they first cook it sous vide before braising it. Carnitas is made by slow-cooking pork for many hours until tender. Then, it's crisped up by roasting or pan frying it.

Rubbed in our chef's chipotle spice blend and slow-braised in natural juices – that's how we make our mouthwatering, fully-cooked Beef Barbacoa at Big Shoulders Smokehouse®.

Round and round we go When it comes to beef, it's not just the quality that matters - it's the cut, too. Our Barbacoa mainly comes from the shoulder, because those cuts have enough fat to keep the meat moist during our long braising method, making the end result seriously juicy and tender.

To achieve barbacoa's signature tender texture, Chipotle cooks its beef sous vide at length before marinating it for a half-day in a flavorful adobo blend and braising it. The meat is then shredded by hand. The process yields exceptionally moist and juicy meat despite the lengthy cooking process.

“Beef may be tough in the slow cooker if you haven't added enough liquid, or haven't cooked it for long enough,” Kristen Carli, M.S., R.D., owner of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, tells SELF. “For cuts of meat, the fattier cuts are often the ones that get juicy and tender.

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

You can do this by placing the beef in a pot or slow cooker with the liquid and heating it until it's heated through and tender. Add some fat: Adding some fat, such as olive oil or butter, can also help make the beef more tender.

If you're looking for a healthy balance of fat, protein, and carbs, your best meat options would be plain grilled chicken, steak, or barbacoa.

What is the most popular meat at Chipotle? ›

According to Chipotle's website, grilled chicken is the most popular protein option at the restaurant. It's a lean and healthy choice, and pairs well with a variety of toppings. Chicken is a widely consumed type of poultry meat that is loved for its tender and flavorful characteristics.

“Barbacoa, made from the meat of a cow's head, is cheap yet rich in flavor.” Customarily served at weekend breakfasts, the cheek, or cachete, is loaded with collagen, and slow-roasting enhances its savory flavor and silky texture.

Among the meats you can choose for your burrito bowl or tacos, however, one protein stands out from the rest as a fan-favorite option: Chipotle's barbacoa. Barbacoa generally refers to any slow-roasted, barbecued meat. But the barbacoa at Chipotle is specifically beef, and it packs flavors that fans rave about.

The issues are mostly related to violations for the housing of pigs, Arnold said. As part of its "Responsibly Raised standard," Chipotle demands that suppliers raise the animals in humane conditions with access to the outdoors instead of tight pens.

Rice bran oil is our primary cooking oil at Chipotle. Its high smoke point - the temperature at which the oil starts, well, smoking - makes it suitable for high-temperature cooking like grilling, while its mild taste makes it versatile.

Our namesake ingredient, the chipotle chili pepper is a dried and smoked jalapeño produced using the age-old craft of smoking them over pecan wood for several days. These intensely smoky, spicy peppers are the foundation for much of the food we serve - from our chicken, steak, and Barbacoa to our beans and vinaigrette.

Rice bran oil is our primary cooking oil at Chipotle. Its high smoke point - the temperature at which the oil starts, well, smoking - makes it suitable for high-temperature cooking like grilling, while its mild taste makes it versatile.

Barbacoa is typically made out of tougher cuts of meat that require long, slow cooking times. When done traditionally, barbacoa is made with large cuts of meat or whole animals. In the United States, barbacoa is usually associated with beef. However, in Mexico, barbacoa is made from beef, goat, lamb or mutton.

The meat-free chorizo, which has been in the works for around a year, is made from pea protein, ancho chili and chipotle, peppers, tomato paste, crushed garlic, olive oil, and smoked paprika, the chain said in a press release.