Smoked Beef Barbacoa
Barbacoa is one of the oldest Mexican cooking methods, traditionally referring to beef shoulder or cheeks cooked in an earthen pit. This interpretation uses hot-smoking for the characteristic smoky note, followed by a slow braise in spiced broth with chipotle and cloves. The result is butter-tender, intensely seasoned meat with incomparable depth of flavor.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Applying dry rub
8 hoursMix all spices and generously rub the meat on all sides. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
Smoking
4-5 hoursPreheat smoker to 110-130 °C. Remove meat from refrigerator and acclimate for 30 minutes. Smoke with oak and pecan wood until an internal temperature of 75 °C is reached.
Wrapping and continuing
3-4 hoursWrap smoked meat in double aluminum foil, adding some beef broth, beer and lime juice. Return to the smoker or place in a 150 °C oven until internal temperature reaches 93-96 °C.
Resting and shredding
30 minutesRest meat in the foil for 30 minutes. Then unwrap, collect the meat juices and shred the meat with forks or hands into coarse pieces. Moisten with the collected juices.
Pro Tip
Beef cheeks are particularly well-suited for barbacoa as their high connective tissue content converts into creamy gelatin during slow cooking. Use beer and lime juice for the braising liquid.
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