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Slow Cooker Barbacoa

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It’s quarantine day [I have no idea] and it’s Easter Sunday. Happy Resurrection Sunday to all who celebrate. He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed! What are you doing to celebrate this year? Did you make Easter baskets for your kids or dogs? Are you watching church services online? Are you doing an Easter egg hunt in your yard?

Our typical Easter Sunday would consist of getting dressed up and going to church, a family meal, and an Easter basket hunt for the dogs. This year looks very different … I am still in my jammies, church services were not streamed online, no dinner was made, and the dogs EB’s (Easter baskets) were not put together. It is a complete Easter fail that includes binge watching Grey’s Anatomy (currently on season 2), doing laundry, and a little light cleaning. We will indulge in leftovers for dinner instead of our usual rack of lamb, cottage potatoes, green bean almandine, fruit salad, cornmeal muffins, and carrot cake. Leftovers will consist of this recipe I am sharing with you today – Slower Cooker Barbacoa. I made it late last week when I was craving authentic Mexican BBQ.

Burritos, quesadillas, and tacos, OH MY! Who else loves Mexican food? What are your favorite dishes and restaurants? Comment below and we can try to recreate some of your favorites for you!

Anyone else out there craving some authentic Mexican food? I was hardcore craving it last week and on Thursday I broke down and decided I had to make something. I love Chipotle Barbocoa Fajita Burrito bowls and I wanted to see if I could recreate something similar to that at home. One benefits of quarantine … time to recreate favorite foods without the restaurant price! Although when this is all over, I am going to be eating at EVERY single restaurant I can to stimulate the economy and feed my need to socialize!

I could eat Mexican food every day of the week. The dishes are endless, the food is flavorful and for the most part pretty healthy. Did anyone grow up with a Chi-Chi’s in their town? We had one and it was where I became hooked on Mexican food … the warm tortilla chips and salsa, the spicy aroma in the air, and the food – OMG the food! I was pretty young when we ate there and at that time, Chi-Chi’s was the epitome of amazing food to this once upon a time 7 year old.

As I grew up, my taste for Mexican food did too. Here is my version of a Barbacoa burrito.

Barbacoa Burrito

I love recipes that can be made in the slow cooker. They are simple and for the most part, impossible to mess up. This recipe won’t disappoint. It literally takes 20 minutes to prep, 6-8 hours to cook, and BAM – time to eat! Just toss all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, turn on low for 6-8 hours, and wait for your house to smell DIVINE!

Start with a 3 lb. chuck roast (fat trimmed off) and cut into 6 equal chunks. Toss all ingredients into the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you like Chipotle Barbacoa, you’ll notice that this is not as spicy. If you want more spice, add 1 (seeds and all) diced jalapeño.

Two hours in and the house smells amazing. I literally want to jump in the pot! Only 6 hours to go … oh the agony of trying to work while the house smells like a Mexican restaurant. The struggle is real friends!

We are at 7 hours in and the meat is just about ready to be shredded. Just a few more minutes and then we can shred and let simmer for a bit in the juices!

Here we are at 7 1/2 hours and I couldn’t stand it any longer – shred time! Once the meat is tender enough to fall apart with a fork (usually between 7 1/2 – 8 hours), turn off the slow cooker, take two forks and pull apart the meat until all of it is shredded. If it doesn’t fall apart easily, it needs to cook longer.

Stir the shredded meat through the juices and let sit for 10-20 minutes so the meat can soak up the juices. While you are waiting, assemble the rest of your meal. I was making nachos, so I threw together black beans, pinto beans, trim-color quinoa, red onion, black olives, fire-roasted red peppers, Mexican blend shredded cheese, jalapeño slices, sour cream, jalapeño salsa and blue corn tortilla chips.

Time to dig in! So far I’ve made loaded nachos and burritos with this delicious authentic Barbacoa and it has yet to disappoint. Let me know if you try this recipe and if you like it. Be well and take care friends!

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