Coffee-Braised Barbacoa

Minimal effort, maximum flavor... what's not to love?

There’s a distinct pleasure in slowly cooking a large piece of meat all day. The smell takes over the house, ensuring frequent daydreams of the first bite you’ll take hours later. Every once in awhile it crosses your mind that dinner is already taken care of. All you have to do is eat. How luxurious.

This recipe packs eyebrow-raising flavor for little effort. Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce lend a good amount of heat. Cilantro and lime juice bring a splash of freshness. And the coffee. Oh, the coffee. It adds a depth and a smokiness, a “something extra” that will have you coming back to this recipe repeatedly.

The key here is to use really good coffee. Support a local coffee shop and pick up a bag of beans. I used the Uganda blend from my favorite coffee shop in Denver, Whittier Cafe.

Whittier Cafe. Denver, CO. Jan. 2022.

I also want to mention when I made this barbacoa, I paired it with the 2019 Grenache from Smoky Rose Cellars, a small family-owned operation in the Walla Walla valley. I tasted this particular wine on a trip to Washington with my uncle. Smoky Rose co-owner Jodi noted the Grenache would taste fantastic with tacos, and I must concur.

This barbacoa could easily be a weeknight meal, if you have 15 minutes in the morning to get it working. It’s great in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or any other way you want to eat it. My suggestion for making barbacoa tacos is at the end of this post.

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Ingredients

• 2 lb. beef roast

  • Use whatever cut of beef you like. The roast is going to cook over low heat for 8-10 hours, which will make pretty much any cut juicy and tender.

• 4-6 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

  • This depends on how large your roast is and how spicy you want your barbacoa. Spoon in more adobo sauce if you like the heat.

• 3 T ground, high-quality coffee

  • If you have a coffee grinder, grind the beans into a powder

  • If you don’t have a coffee grinder and you’re buying from a coffee shop, many places only sell whole beans, but are usually happy to grind them for you. Get your coffee ground however fine or coarse you like to drink it. You’re only using a small amount for the barbacoa.

• 6 cloves garlic

• 1/2 c packed cilantro leaves

• 1 T cumin

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1-2 bay leaves

• 6 oz. beef stock

• 6 oz. coffee stout (or another dark beer with a strong coffee flavor)

• Salt and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

• Food processor or blender

• Slow cooker

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First, take the roast out of the fridge and salt each side. Let it come up to room temperature while you prepare the marinade.

In a food processor or blender, pulse the chipotles in adobo, garlic cloves, cilantro, coffee, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and lime juice until combined into a fragrant paste. Salt and pepper to taste. Don’t fret if it tastes almost too spicy at this stage. The flavors will mellow out in the braising liquid.

Use your hands to coat the beef roast in the chipotle marinade paste, making sure all sides are generously covered. Place the roast in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in the stock and coffee beer (you could even add in whatever coffee is left in the pot from breakfast). The roast doesn’t need to be fully submerged in liquid, a little poking out is great. Toss in the bay leaves. Put the lid on the slow cooker and set it to “low” for 8-10 hours.

After cooking all day, the meat should be fall-apart tender. Remove it from the slow cooker and shred using two forks. Put the barbacoa back in its juices for another 15 minutes. Serve however you please. When storing leftovers, make sure you keep the liquid so the beef doesn’t dry out.

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How would you eat this recipe? Like this post and leave a comment to let me know!

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Serving Suggestion: Tacos

• Small flour or corn tortillas

• Barbacoa

• Pickled red onions

• Cotija cheese

• Avocado crema (I blended a whole avocado with a couple dollops of sour cream and some lime juice)

• Cilantro

• Lime wedges

The crema is great with this recipe because it balances out the dark, spicy flavor of the barbacoa. The pickled red onions add a punch of brightness. I’ll be sharing how I made those pickled red onions on the Makans of a Chef Instagram this week, so keep an eye out for that!