Beef Barbacoa – Instant Pot

Spice up dinner in a fraction of the time with this Beef Barbacoa in the Instant Pot! Chipotle and cumin make this perfect for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more!

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I can never say no to a good taco, especially when this Beef Barbacoa is involved! Some other great taco fillings are this Pork Carnitas or this Chipotle Shredded Beef.

I could eat Mexican food 3 nights a week and not get sick of it. I really do think that tacos are my love language.

So give me a tender, spice-filled beef that is easy enough to make on a weeknight, and I’m sold!

This does take longer than 30 minutes, but by using the Instant Pot, you get a tender meat in 2 hours instead of 10. And most of that time is totally hands off.

I also love that it really can be used for so many different things. Although I’ll almost always choose tacos!

What is Beef Barbacoa?

Typically, barbacoa is beef that has been slow cooked with chipotle in adobo and other spices. While the beef is usually slow cooked until it is super tender, in this version, we cut out some of that time and effort by using the Instant Pot. That way you get long cooked results in only a portion of the time!

The ingredients will vary region to region. This instant pot beef barbacoa may not be authentic barbacoa, but it is an easy way for the home cook to make it for dinner!

Ingredients

Here is what I put in my version!

Chuck Roast: Chuck roast is my favorite to use for this recipe. It has a good amount of marbling, which gives you tender beef once it is finished cooking. You could also use beef spare ribs, but I always go for the chuck roast.

Oil: You’ll use this to brown your beef. I use vegetable, but olive oil or another oil of your choice should work.

Onion & Garlic: These are for flavor – don’t skip them!

Cumin & Oregano: There aren’t a lot of seasonings in this recipe, but these both give the meat good flavor.

Broth: I use beef broth. You could also use stock, but I don’t think that’s necessary for this recipe. You don’t want to skip this, though, because the Instant Pot needs the liquid to be able to come to pressure correctly.

Chipotle Chiles: You can buy Chipotle Peppers in Adobo at most grocery stores these days. They come in a small tin. They are smoked jalapeno peppers covered in a rich adobo sauce. I like to remove the seeds because it can get too hot for my kids, but if you like the heat, you can keep the seeds in. You can add more chiles for more heat, as well.

Lime Juice: This is to brighten everything up!

Apple Cider Vinegar: This is to bring a little bit of acidity into the meat. It only takes a little bit – if you don’t like the vinegar, you could totally leave this out, as well.

Salt & Pepper: You always want to make sure it is seasoned well.

Cloves & Bay Leaves: These are for even more flavor! You only need a tiny amount of cloves to make an impact.

How to Make Beef Barbacoa

This barbacoa recipe is super simple!

1. Start by browning the beef in chunks. This will give the final dish more flavor and texture.
2. Cook the onion and garlic until they are soft, then add in the rest of your ingredients. Add the beef back into the Instant Pot.
3. Lock the lid, then cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release.
4. Once cooked, remove the beef from the Instant Pot with tongs, then shred the meat with two forks. Return the shredded beef to the Instant Pot to allow it to soak up some of that liquid in the pot.

Now it’s ready to be served! Here are some ways I like to use it:

• In tacos with some red onion, cilantro and lime juice.
• Use it in burritos.
• It makes a great filling for enchiladas.
• Make a burrito bowl with the beef, rice, cheese, and veggies.

More Mexican Inspired Recipes

Chicken Chimichanga Recipe
Beef Enchilada Casserole
White Chicken Enchiladas
Smothered Chicken Burritos
Tres Leches Cake

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Barbacoa Beef – Instant Pot

4.91 from 42 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

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Spice up dinner in a fraction of the time with this Beef Barbacoa in the Instant Pot! Chipotle and cumin make this perfect for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and more!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pound chuck roast
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 yellow onion diced (about 1 cup)
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1/2 cup beef broth
• ▢ 2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce minced (remove seeds for less heat)
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 3 bay leaves

Instructions

• Cut the roast into 4-6 large chunks, removing any large pieces of fat.
  2 pound chuck roast
• Press saute on the Instant Pot and add the vegetable oil. Once it is hot, add half of the roast chunks.  Brown completely on each side. Remove to a plate and brown the second half of the meat. Remove from the Instant Pot.
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• With the Instant Pot still on saute, add the onion and cook until it starts to become translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook an additional minute.  Pour in the broth, chipotle chiles, lime juice, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cloves and bay leaves. Stir to combine, then add the roast back into the Instant Pot.
  1 yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1/2 cup beef broth, 2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 3 bay leaves
• Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock. Select high pressure and 60 minutes.
• When the pot beeps, allow the pressure to manually release.  Once the pin has dropped, remove the lid and, using a set of tongs, remove the meat from the instant pot to a cutting board. Use 2 forks to shred the beef.  Once shredded, return to the Instant Pot and stir to coat the meat in the leftover juices.
• Serve in tacos, burritos, bowls, or whatever your heart desires!

Video

Recipe Notes:

The meat will be very wet once you stir it back into the cooking liquid. If you don’t want this, you can skip the last step and just serve it after you have shredded it. I like to use tongs to remove the beef in the liquid to let any extra drip off, but I love the extra flavor and moisture the liquid brings.

adapted from Closet Cooking

SUBSTITUTIONS: For the beef, you want to avoid any cut that is too lean. The chuck roast is perfect, or beef short ribs would work as well.

FREEZE: The finished meat freezes very well! I like to cool it completely and then freeze it in gallon or quart sized freezer bags. Lay in the freezer flat to freeze, then the bags can easily be stacked. Unthaw overnight in the refrigerator.

STORE: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8 of recipe, Calories: 280kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 3g (1%), Protein: 31g (62%), Fat: 15g (23%), Saturated Fat: 0g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 907mg (39%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%)

Keywords: barbacoa, Beef barbacoa, instant pot barbacoa, what is barbacoa