Review: Kroger Beef Barbacoa

After being so impressed with Kroger’s Pork Carnitas I was eager to follow up quickly with other items from the same range. This Beef Barbacoa promises the same as the Carnitas – a typically complicated and time consuming meat preparation – ready in minutes.

As I write, the mercury is over 100F outside, so as much as I might want to slow cook beef all day long – there’s no way I’m heating the house up like that! Which again is why I am particular keen on products like this, if I can produce a meal that’s close to the real deal and save time, energy, mess and in the Summer – AC bills – great.

The Beef Barbacoa is very similar to the Carnitas in both presentation and cooking methods. The packaging promises fork tender beef and I’m happy to report it delivers admirably. You could easily shred this beef one handed with a spoon if you wanted. You probably shouldn’t though unless you want a Barbacoa strewn kitchen counter 😉

Flavorwise this beef is impressive too. Again, as I mentioned with the Carnitas, of course you can spend all day cooking and get better results; and you might have a local authentic restaurant that can surpass this – but that’s not the point. Using this meal kit, you can have respectable beef as the centerpiece of a dish ready in minutes. Seasoning is mild, what you’re cooking up is big hunks of hearty and tender beef; you might want to go ahead and add in a little more spice/sauce, but I didn’t feel the need to personally.

Kroger Beef Barbacoa – what’s in the box

Inside the plastic wrapped package is a vacuum sealed bag, with the pound of beef and quite a lot of sauce/marinade. The plastic container the package of meat comes in, also doubles up as a sturdy microwave container if you take that cooking path.

Kroger Beef Barbacoa cooking instructions and nutrition

Compared to the Carnitas, the Beef Barbacoa is positively healthy. Indeed, you could finish the whole package yourself in one sitting and not hit your day’s intake of salt and fat. Not that I recommend you do of course – the meal kit is probably best used to feed 3-4 people.

Cooking wise this is boil in the bag or microwave. This time around I went with the microwave option and it too delivered impressive results. I did have to cook the beef a little longer than indicated to get it piping hot, but that’s more a reflection of my microwave I am sure.

There’s quite a lot of sauce/marinade here, so after cooking I recommend emptying in a big bowl first. For me personally, there was way more liquid than I wanted to end up using in the actual final dish.

Kroger Beef Barbacoa

I used this Beef Barbacoa in a simple taco plate with skillet fajita veggies, refried beans and guacamole. Heaven! This beef would go great in everything from enchiladas to tortas to burritos and more.

Kroger Beef Barbacoa – what’s a fair price?

As a Kroger only product you’re at the whim of whatever your local Smiths might be charging. I picked these up for $7.99 which feels like a great price to me. At that price its just $2-$3 per serving of beef which is a great price.

Other Kroger products

• Mr Fowler’s Breaded Chicken Nibblers – one to skip
• Simple Truth Meatless Breakfast Patties
• Kroger Cook In Bag Peppercorn Pork Tenderloin
• Kroger Hardwood Smoked Pulled Pork
• Simple Truth Homestyle Chicken Tenders
• Kroger Private Selection Angus Beef Burgers review
• Simple Truth Italian Seasoned Chicken Meatballs review
• Kroger Breaded Onion Rings review
• Kroger Thai Chili Lime Tilapia review
• Simple Truth Plant Based Ham Style Deli Slices review
• Kroger Original Pork Sausage Patties review
• Simple Truth Emerge Plant Based Chik’N Grind review
• Kroger Salmon Burgers review
• Simple Truth Crinkle Cut Potato Fries
• Loaded veggie tots
• Three meat chilli with tater tots
• Kroger Tater Bites review
• Kroger Microwaveable Chicken Sandwich
• Kroger Indian Inspired Tikka Masala
• Simple Truth Natural Beef Burgers review
• Simple Truth Meatless Kielbasa review
• Simple Truth Emerge Plant Based Patties – a surprisingly good burger
• Review: Kroger Chicken Verde
• Review: Kroger Beef Barbacoa
• Review: Kroger Pork Carnitas

Stuart Melling

Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you!  I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC – Utah’s biggest and oldest online food magazine; I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune.  I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV shows.

I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have covered the Utah dining scene for the better part of fifteen years.   I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand.   I started Shop Smart to catalogue my adventures in the grocery store and kitchen.  Follow along on Instagram too!