barbacoa

noun

bar·​ba·​coa ˌbär-bə-ˈkō-ə 

plural barbacoas

: a flavorful Mexican dish of shredded meat (such as beef, lamb, or goat) made by slow-cooking the meat in a marinade

Barbacoa as we know it today evolved in Mexico, where the most classic barbacoa is made in a natural oven dug into the ground, lined with heated rocks that cook meat enclosed in agave leaves, which keep the meat moist as it cooks.

—Andee Gosnell

… lunch on … barbacoa tacos of unctuous shredded beef packed into soft corn tortillas.

—Jane and Michael Stern

also : a food item made with barbacoa

For a greasier fix, try the barbacoas: beef tacos in a fried shell.

—Erika Stark

Examples of barbacoa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Primarily a taqueria known for birria and barbacoa, but also serves Mexican comfort food like enchiladas and soups and a popular breakfast. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2026

One of their most popular dishes, the lamb barbacoa biryani, combines Mexican barbacoa with the 1,600-year-old dum biryani technique. —Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

The tacos brim over at this longstanding Harlem spot, a treasury of meats, among them cecina, suadero, barbacoa with caramelly edges, and the zenith, al pastor, flame-red pork shorn off the spit, with a slab of pineapple tucked in. —Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Sit down for barbacoa tacos at Gish Bac, run by barbacoa queen Maria Ramos; bite into crispy fish and shrimp tacos from Tacos Baja's four outposts; or pull up a red plastic stool at El Ruso, known for its carne asada. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026

Kristen Wile of Unpretentious Palate kindly offered me a bite of her toothsome barbacoa entree, wrapped in a collard leaf and served with mayocoba (a creamy, yellow-green canary bean) and a red and green salsa duo. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026

The restaurant voluntarily discarded the barbacoa. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Or the lamb barbacoa with a biryani tamal, kachumbari and achaar grapes. —Food Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026

Weaver let Sunday barbacoa and tortillas be his spiritual guide. —Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Mexican Spanish, "barbecued meat, meat roasted in an earthen oven" — more at barbecue entry 2

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for barbacoa

• quinoa
• boa
• noa
• noah
• shoah
• toa
• bryozoa
• metazoa
• polyzoa
• protozoa
• spermatozoa