barbacoa

noun

bar·​ba·​coa ˌbär-bə-ˈkō-ə How to pronounce barbacoa (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Or the lamb barbacoa with a biryani tamal, kachumbari and achaar grapes. — Food Editor, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026 Bases loaded nachos, topped with your choice of barbacoa beef, pork carnitas or vegetarian fajitas. — Eddie Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 17 Mar. 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 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 See All Example Sentences for barbacoa

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of barbacoa was in 1953

Rhymes for barbacoa

See All Rhymes for barbacoa

Browse Nearby Words

barback
barbacoa
Barbadian
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Cite this Entry

“Barbacoa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbacoa. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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