Barbacoa question

It is my daughters birthday on Saturday and we are throwing a party for about 30 people.  I was thinking of slow cooking barbacoa.  The recipe I have says to cook it for 6 hours, and leave an hour to shred (7-71/2) hours total.  Can I cook this the day before, then reheat  in the crockpot the day of?  Or will this make the meat tough?

Here is the recipe I have.  I am going to double it, and omit the jalapeno because there will be little kids eating this :

Yield: Makes about 10 cups
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Ingredients

• 1  pound  onions, peeled and diced
• 1  pound  firm-ripe tomatoes, rinsed, cored, and chopped
• 4  cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3  ounces  fresh jalapeño chilies (about 4 total), rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise
• 2  dried bay leaves
• 1  cup  fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  lime juice
• 2  tablespoons  white wine vinegar
• 2  teaspoons  dried thyme
• 2  teaspoons  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  dried Mexican or regular oregano
• About 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  coarse-ground pepper
• 1  boned, tied beef chuck or boned pork shoulder or butt (4 to 5 lb.)

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Preparation

1. In a 9- by 13-inch pan, mix onions, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeños, bay leaves, chicken broth, lime juice, vinegar, thyme, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Rinse meat, place in pan, and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or up to 1 day, turning meat occasionally. Seal pan with foil.

2. Bake in a 300° oven until meat is tender enough to pull apart easily, 4 to 5 hours. Supporting with 2 slotted spoons, transfer meat to a platter. Pour pan juices through a strainer into a 12-inch frying pan or a 5- to 6-quart pan (discard bay leaves; reserve remaining vegetable mixture); skim and discard fat. Boil juices over high heat until reduced to 1 cup, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. When meat is cool enough to handle, in about 10 minutes, discard string. Use 2 forks or your fingers to pull meat into shreds; discard fat and connective tissue. Add meat and reserved vegetable mixture to pan with juices. Stir occasionally over medium heat until steaming, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Also, any suggestions you have to improve the dish would be most appreciated!

Thanks,

Ellie

 

Wonderful!  Thanks for the reply! 

I am off to the store!