Grilled Barbacoa Tacos With Chimichurri Sauce

Barbacoa Tacos aren’t my usual pick for taco nights. A lot of the time when I’m craving a taco I will opt for Carne Asada. But it’s been so nice outside, I wanted to take out the grill and try a  low and slow barbacoa recipe for tacos. I hate to toot my own horn, but I’ve been missing out on something really amazing!

I picked up a 2 lb chuck roast and didn’t really feel like getting the kitchen hot this weekend. So taking advantage of the barbecue I recently picked up, I decided to go low and slow and cook some barbacoa on the grill.

I even added a little smokiness with some applewood smoking chips towards the end to really get that smoky flavor set into the meat for some amazing tacos!

To begin, I put a can of diced tomatoes in a skillet while the grill was preheating, leaving the middle of the grill for indirect heat. I grilled an onion, garlic, and serrano pepper to really get a nice smoky flavor incorporated into the barbacoa mix I was putting together.

Using spices like cumin, smoked paprika, and a little agave to add a little sweetness. I couldn’t wait to get things going!

This is definitely one of those Sunday cookout meals. Get the grill going earlier in the day. Crack open a beer, and just enjoy the day outside with the family while the barbacoa slow cooks on the barbecue. 

When the barbacoa is ready after a few hours of cooking, it will just pull apart. Which is how I like it, pulled. Not shredded. I’m not into that stringy texture, but I can do pulled all day every day.

Before serving your barbacoa tacos, I like to serve it up with some chimichurri sauce, and nothing else. Let the flavor combine and speak for themselves. Opposite of barbacoa, the Chimichurri sauce comes together in about 2 minutes. just combine your cilantro, parsley, pepper and let it blend. Done and done!

Also, make extra, because you’re going to want to see what I come up with later this week with the extra barbacoa!

Grilled Barbacoa Tacos With Chimichurri Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Barbacoa

• 2 lbs chuck roast
• 16 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 large serrano pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ancho pepper chili powder will work too
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Chimichurri

• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 small red fresno pepper

Instructions

For The Barbacoa

• preheat oven to 200-225F, with indirect heat in the center. While the grill is preheating, char onion, garlic, and serrano; about 5 minutes
• Place a skillet over direct heat and add diced tomatoes. let simmer with the charred onion, garlic and pepper; about 2 minutes.
• Pour tomato mixture into blender and add cumin, smoked paprika, salt, ground ancho pepper, oregano, agave nectar, and apple cider vinegar. Pulse until smooth; Set aside.
• Lightly salt and pepper both sides of your chuck roast. sear over direct heat on the grill; about 1-2 minutes per side.
• Place chuck in a disposable roasting pan over indirect heat. And pour over tomato mixture. keep temperature around 200-225F and cook for 3-4 hours until meat easily pulls apart with a fork.
• Optionally, you can add some wood chips in the last hour, to add some extra smokey flavor to your barbacoa. When the barbacoa is done. let it rest for about 5 minutes, then pull apart.

For the Chimichurry

• Add cilantro, parsley, oregano, salt, vinegar, cumin, fresno pepper, olive oil and garlic to a food processor; pulse until smooth. Now you're ready for the tacos!
• Add the barbacoa to the taco and pour over a healthy serving of the chimichurri. Enjoy!