Burrito Bowl – Slow Cooked Barbacoa

This slow cooked barbacoa burrito bowl is packed with tender, flavorful beef, fresh toppings, and bold spices—all layered over rice for a customizable, better-than-takeout meal that’s perfect for meal prep or busy weeknights.

If you’re looking for a bold, flavor-packed dinner that’s easy to customize and even easier to love, this Barbacoa Burrito Bowl is it. Perfect for meal prep, family dinners, or a quick weeknight meal. It layers juicy, slow-cooked beef with rice, fresh toppings, and my favorite cilantro lime dressing for a hearty and satisfying bite every time.

The star of the show? My Easy Barbacoa Beef Recipe—a melt-in-your-mouth, chipotle-spiced beef that comes together with minimal effort and delivers maximum flavor. Just set it in the slow cooker and let the magic happen while you prep the rest of your bowl.

Whether you’re building a bowl for Taco Tuesday or trying to upgrade your lunch game, this is the kind of meal that checks every box: easy, delicious, and full of real, wholesome ingredients.

For the Barbacoa Beef you’ll need a pork shoulder, olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, dried leaf oregano, ground cumin, ground cloves, bay leaves, garlic cloves, chipotle peppers (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), adobo sauce, the sauce from the can of chipotle peppers, a white onion, and water

For the Burrito Bowl you’ll need black beans, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, corn, long-grain white rice, coconut milk, water, a lime, cilantro, Chihuahua cheese, a jalapeño, and flour

For the Pico de Gallo you’ll need roma tomatoes, red onion, a jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, lime, salt, and pepper

For the Cilantro Lime Dressing you’ll need garlic cloves, a lime, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, cilantro, salt, and pepper

HOW TO MAKE THIS SLOW COOKED BARBACOA BURRITO BOWL

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s sizzling, brown your beef on all sides. You’re just looking for a good sear here to lock in all that flavor — it doesn’t have to be fully cooked yet!

Once your beef is browned, transfer it straight into your crock pot. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt, oregano, cumin, and just a pinch of cloves. Toss in a couple of bay leaves (don’t worry, those will be removed later), followed by the minced garlic, chopped onions, chipotle peppers, and a spoonful of adobo sauce from the can.

Next, pour in the water, pop the lid on, and let the slow cooker do its thing. For the most tender, fall-apart beef, cook it on low for 8 to 10 hours — this is my favorite method. If you’re short on time, you can crank it up to high and cook for about 5 to 6 hours.

Once the beef is done, remove the bay leaves and use two forks to shred the meat right in the pot. It should fall apart effortlessly!

While the beef is finishing, get started on your burrito bowls.

In a medium pot combine the rice with coconut milk, water, lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring it to a boil, then drop the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it do its thing for 20 minutes. Once the timer’s up, take it off the heat and keep it covered until you’re ready to serve.

In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Toss in your corn and let it roast, stirring occasionally, until it’s nice and charred—about 15 to 20 minutes. If it starts popping like popcorn, just place a splatter screen or lid loosely on top. Set it aside when it’s golden and blistered in spots.

In that same pan, add another quick drizzle of oil and toss in your black beans. Season them up with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Let them simmer gently for about 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the liquid has mostly cooked off and the flavors are concentrated.

Thinly slice your jalapeños into ½-inch rounds and dust them lightly with flour. Heat a small layer of oil in a skillet—once it’s shimmering, gently lay in the jalapeño slices. Let them fry for about 5 minutes, flipping if needed. Watch closely—if they start to brown too fast, pull the pan off the heat. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

To make the pico de gallo, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salt, and pepper, and mix well to combine.

To make the cilantro lime dressing, toss all of your sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

To assemble the bowls, start with a base of coconut-lime rice, then layer on the charred corn, seasoned beans, and slow cooked barbacoa. Spoon some pico de gallo onto each bowl then sprinkle a big handful of cheese on top, pile on as many crispy jalapeños as your heart desires, and finish it off with a generous drizzle of cilantro lime dressing. Add a little extra fresh chopped cilantro if you’re feeling fancy.

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Burrito Bowl – Slow Cooked Barbacoa

This slow cooked barbacoa burrito bowl is packed with tender, flavorful beef, fresh toppings, and bold spices—all layered over rice for a customizable, better-than-takeout meal that's perfect for meal prep or busy weeknights.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the Slow Cooked Barbacoa Beef

• 3 lbs. Beef Chuck
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 chipotle peppers minced from a can of chipotle peppers
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce the sauce from the can of chipotle peppers
• 1/2 white onion diced
• 1/2 cup water

For the Charred Corn

• 15 oz can of corn kernels

For the Black Beans

• 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Crispy Jalapeños

• 1 jalapeño sliced thin
• 1 tablespoon flour

For the Rice

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

For the Cilantro Lime Dressing

• 2 small garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice from one lime
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup Mayonaisse
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the Pico de Gallo

• 2 roma tomatoes diced
• 1/4 cup red onion diced
• 1 jalapeño diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• Juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4-1/2 cup cilantro chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For Assembling

• 1 cup Chihuahua cheese shredded
• Cilantro chopped, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s sizzling, brown your beef on all sides. You’re just looking for a good sear here to lock in all that flavor — it doesn’t have to be fully cooked yet!
• Once your beef is browned, transfer it straight into your crock pot. Sprinkle the pork generously with salt, oregano, cumin, and just a pinch of cloves. Toss in a couple of bay leaves (don’t worry, those will be removed later), followed by the minced garlic, chopped onions, chipotle peppers, and a spoonful of adobo sauce from the can.
• Next, pour in the water, pop the lid on, and let the slow cooker do its thing. For the most tender, fall-apart beef, cook it on low for 8 to 10 hours — this is my favorite method. If you’re short on time, you can crank it up to high and cook for about 5 to 6 hours.
• Once the beef is done, remove the bay leaves and use two forks to shred the meat right in the pot. It should fall apart effortlessly!
• While the beef is finishing, get started on your burrito bowls.
• In a medium pot combine the rice with coconut milk, water, lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Keep covered until you're ready to serve.
• In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Toss in the corn and let it roast, stirring occasionally, until it's nice and charred—about 15 to 20 minutes. Set it aside when it's golden and blistered in spots.
• In that same pan, add another quick drizzle of oil and toss in the black beans. Season with cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Let them simmer gently for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has mostly cooked off and the flavors are concentrated.
• Thinly slice your jalapeños into ½-inch rounds and dust them lightly with flour. Heat a small layer of oil in a skillet—once it’s shimmering, gently lay in the jalapeño slices. Fry for about 5 minutes, flipping if needed. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• To make the pico de gallo, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, salt, and pepper, and mix well to combine.
• To make the cilantro lime dressing, toss all of your sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
• To assemble the bowls, start with a base of coconut-lime rice, then layer on the charred corn, seasoned beans, and slow cooked barbacoa. Spoon some pico de gallo onto each bowl then sprinkle a big handful of cheese on top, followed by the crispy jalapeños, and finish with a generous drizzle of cilantro lime dressing. Add fresh chopped cilantro on top and enjoy.