Smoked Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Tender shredded beef barbacoa with smoky depth, finished with chili crisp and served in warm tortillas. Looks restaurant-quality, tastes even better, ready in under 20 minutes.
- Total time
- 18 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 42g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs beef chuck or brisket, cubed
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1.5 tsp cumin
- 3 tbsp chili crisp (or hot honey)
- 8 count corn or flour tortillas
- ½ count white onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1
Pat beef dry. Toss with smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- 2
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Working in batches, sear beef until edges are dark and caramelized, 2 minutes per batch.
- 3
Return all beef to the pan. Add 1 cup water, scraping browned bits off the bottom. Reduce heat to medium and simmer covered until beef is tender, 10 minutes.
- 4
Uncover and simmer until liquid reduces by half, about 3 minutes. Shred beef with two forks, breaking it into bite-sized pieces.
- 5
Warm tortillas in a dry skillet 30 seconds per side. Fill each with beef, a pinch of onion, and cilantro.
- 6
Drizzle each taco with chili crisp. Serve immediately.
Tools you’ll need
- 12-inch skillet
- cutting board
- knife
- spoon
- 2 forks for shredding
- measuring spoons
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