Name: Barbacoa de res
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 480 min
Total time: 510 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 kg beef shoulder or braising beef (chuck), in 6 to 8 pieces; 2 tsp salt (for seasoning the meat); black pepper (to taste); 1 tbsp oil (for searing); 0.5 onion; 4 cloves garlic; 3 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce (use fewer for a milder dish); 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp dried oregano; 1 pinch ground cloves; 3 tbsp lime juice; 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 100 ml beef stock; 3 bay leaves; 12 corn tortillas, warm; coriander, red onion, avocado, lime wedges (to taste)

Preparation

Cut the meat into 6 to 8 large pieces and season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and sear the meat in batches until deeply browned all over; transfer to the slow cooker or a casserole.
Blend the onion, garlic, chipotle with a little of the adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, clove, lime juice, vinegar and stock into a smooth sauce and pour it over the meat. Add the bay leaves.
Cook covered in the slow cooker for about 8 hours on low (or 4 to 5 hours on high), until the meat shreds effortlessly with two forks. In a pressure cooker, 60 minutes at high pressure is enough; then release the pressure quickly.
Remove the bay leaves, shred the meat, return it to the juices and season with salt. Let it soak in the juices for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve with warm tortillas, coriander, red onion, avocado and lime.

Drink with it

Mezcal · excellent match
Mezcal joven (Espadín), neat in small sips, with water alongside
The smoke from the roasted agave hearts meets the smoke of the chipotle and the clove; because alcohol amplifies heat, take only small sips and have water in between.
Tequila and Mezcal: What's the Difference?
Dark beer · excellent match
Mexican dark lager (Negra Modelo style), ice cold
Caramel and roasted malt echo the crust on the seared beef, while the cold and the carbonation tame the chipotle heat and clear the fat from the palate.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Aged tequila · good match
Tequila reposado, neat in small sips
Vanilla and wood from the barrel suit the cumin, clove and the richness of the beef; with this much heat, keep to small sips.
Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo: what aging changes
Smoky whisky · good match
Islay single malt with a good splash of water
Peat smoke and chipotle smoke come together; the water lowers the alcohol so the heat does not burn even more.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained

Why it pairs well

Mezcal stands beside the usual dark lager: smoke meets smoke, and the sweetness of the agave picks up the acidity of the lime and vinegar.

Preparation

Cut the meat into 6 to 8 large pieces and season all over with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and sear the meat in batches until deeply browned all over; transfer to the slow cooker or a casserole.
Blend the onion, garlic, chipotle with a little of the adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, clove, lime juice, vinegar and stock into a smooth sauce and pour it over the meat. Add the bay leaves.
Cook covered in the slow cooker for about 8 hours on low (or 4 to 5 hours on high), until the meat shreds effortlessly with two forks. In a pressure cooker, 60 minutes at high pressure is enough; then release the pressure quickly.
Remove the bay leaves, shred the meat, return it to the juices and season with salt. Let it soak in the juices for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve with warm tortillas, coriander, red onion, avocado and lime.

Drink with it

Mezcal · excellent match
Mezcal joven (Espadín), neat in small sips, with water alongside
The smoke from the roasted agave hearts meets the smoke of the chipotle and the clove; because alcohol amplifies heat, take only small sips and have water in between.
Tequila and Mezcal: What's the Difference?
Dark beer · excellent match
Mexican dark lager (Negra Modelo style), ice cold
Caramel and roasted malt echo the crust on the seared beef, while the cold and the carbonation tame the chipotle heat and clear the fat from the palate.
Which beer goes with food? More than just pils with barbecue
Aged tequila · good match
Tequila reposado, neat in small sips
Vanilla and wood from the barrel suit the cumin, clove and the richness of the beef; with this much heat, keep to small sips.
Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo: what aging changes
Smoky whisky · good match
Islay single malt with a good splash of water
Peat smoke and chipotle smoke come together; the water lowers the alcohol so the heat does not burn even more.
Why Does Whisky Taste Smoky? Peat, Simply Explained

Why it pairs well

Mezcal stands beside the usual dark lager: smoke meets smoke, and the sweetness of the agave picks up the acidity of the lime and vinegar.

Barbacoa de res

Preparation

Drink with it

Mezcal joven (Espadín), neat in small sips, with water alongside

Mexican dark lager (Negra Modelo style), ice cold

Tequila reposado, neat in small sips

Islay single malt with a good splash of water

This pairs well too.

Chicken in Mole Sauce

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Beef Rouladen

Beef Tacos (ground beef tacos)

Barbacoa de res

Preparation

Drink with it

Mezcal joven (Espadín), neat in small sips, with water alongside

Mexican dark lager (Negra Modelo style), ice cold

Tequila reposado, neat in small sips

Islay single malt with a good splash of water

This pairs well too.

Chicken in Mole Sauce

Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Beef Rouladen

Beef Tacos (ground beef tacos)