This recipe for beef barbacoa taco sliders with avocado lime dressing cooks up slow and tender, and forms the flavor base for some of the best taco sliders I've eaten. I use a flavor assist: a delicious slow-cook sauce from Frontera Foods. Drizzle with my creamy avocado-lime guac dressing. Taco nirvana.
Even though tacos seem so easy to put together, we still love to go out for really good ones. It's all about great protein options, fresh toppings and zingy sauces.
In Denver that often means Dos Santos on 17th, where sliders are served on wooden slabs with multiple toppings and sauces. I’ve been trying for something like their beef tacos and we think these are pretty darn close!
A Tasty Sauce
However, I've gotten a little help with the sauce after trying various canned and fresh chiles with fire-roasted tomatoes - these ingredients seem a given. Hurrah for Frontera’s sauce -- an excellent mix of seasonings that contains what I’d otherwise add.
But -- and this will surprise very few of you -- since I can’t stand just to use something as is, I found that additional cumin, oregano, garlic and onions make this meal pop.
Cooking Tips
I’ve tried making this barbacoa beef in the Instant Pot from start to finish. It would be so convenient! But I thought the meat came out a little chewy and there was too much liquid rendered into the sauce during the pressure-cooking.
So now I use the best features of the IP by browning the onions and searing the meat on saute, then switching to slow cook. The texture and flavor of the meat are THE BEST when finished in the slow-cooker.
You can leave the meat in chunks or shred it with forks for pulled beef.
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Enjoy these beef barbacoa taco sliders with avocado-lime dressing, and if you have a chance to make this recipe, please leave a comment!
Beth
Other recipes with Mexican flavors
Veracruz Style Steelhead or Salmon
Easy Layered Green-Chili Chicken Enchiladas
2 Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning Recipes
Kitchen items used in this recipe
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Elec...Shop on Amazon
Frontera Red Chile Barbacoa...Shop on Amazon
Mi Rancho Organic Yellow Co...Shop on Amazon
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Beef Barbacoa Taco Sliders With Creamy Avocado-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 1 small to medium yellow onion diced
- 2 lbs beef brisket or stew meat preferably grass fed, cut into 1½ to 2-inch chunks
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic 5-6 cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 package Frontera Foods Red Chile Beef Barbacoa Slow Cook Sauce (or canned
- ¼ cup water
- 1 package slider corn tortillas we like Mi Rancho organic
- fresh lime slices for garnish
- Other toppings: thinly sliced radishes green cabbage, red onion, feta cheese (or non-dairy equivalent), and creamy avocado-lime guac dressing
Instructions
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on the sauté setting.
- Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir briefly, about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the beef and sear until browned on all sides, about 6-8 minutes. Turn off sauté setting.
- Stir in the cumin and oregano, then the slow cook sauce and water. Cover the Instant Pot and set on slow cook for 7-8 hours (grass-fed beef often needs to cook longer than corn-fed).
- If the sauce is thin, remove the beef from the pot and heat the sauce to reduce it. Use two forks to pull the chunks into shreds for your tacos. Return the meat to the pot and coat with sauce.
To assemble sliders:
- Warm tortillas on a griddle or in the microwave for a few seconds and place on plate or tray.
- Drizzle creamy avocado lime guac dressing onto the tortilla.
- Place 2-3 tablespoonfuls of the cooked beef mixture in the center.
- Top sliders with thin-sliced radishes, shredded green cabbage, feta cheese and/or red onion and more drizzles of the dressing.
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Erika
This post makes my mouth water. These tacos look amazing and I can't wait to make that dressing.
Beth
Thank you so much! We really found this to be one of those "aha" recipes!
Morgan
This look absolutely delicious! Barbacoa is one of my husbands favorites so I will definitely have to give this recipe a try!
Beth
Thank you! It's become one of our favorites, too, and a batch of barbacoa makes a LOT of tacos!
Jennifer
This looks fantastic!!
Beth
Thank you so much! It's one of our favorites.
Kim
Delicious!! I love any dish that can sit in the slow cooker and be ready for me when I get home. 🙂
Beth
Oh, I'm there with you, and the aroma when you open the slow cooker is so great it makes it fun to put the tacos together.
Angela Greven | Mean Green Chef
These look so super tasty, with all of their fire roasted tomato and Frontera sauce goodness! I especially love the pop of acid from the avocado lime dressing, perfect 🥰
Beth
We agree with that, in love with the complex flavors and how the radishes and cabbage are such perfect mild toppings for the strong tastes in the sauces.
Nart | Cooking with Nart
This looks amazing, Beth! I love tacos and avocados , will have to try this!
Beth
Nart, thank you so much. The taco/avocado combination is so amazing, isn't it? We just love them.
Raquel
This looks so delicious! You had me at barbacoa then I saw the dressing and I'm definitely pinning it for later! Thanks for sharing this recipe (:
Beth
Raquel, thank you! It's one of our favorite combinations of flavors and the dressing is good on all kinds of foods. I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!