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!
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!
- Start by browning the beef in chunks. This will give the final dish more flavor and texture.
- 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.
- Lock the lid, then cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow the pot to naturally release.
- 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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
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!
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 907 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: Beef barbacoa, barbacoa, what is barbacoa, instant pot barbacoa
Jenny says
What will happen if I quick release instead? Will the meat not be as moist?
Anonymous says
Excellent instant pot recipe. I don’t like to stir the shredded meat back into the pot as that seems too greasy. So I did my usual adaptation: put shredded meat in broiling pan, spoon some of the sauce over it, then put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Perfect combination of moist but not greasy. Save some of the liquid to spoon over leftover s for the next night.
★★★★★
Jenny says
Very tasty, I used a 2.5 lb Chuck roast and the flavor was great without changing anything else. I used 3 Chipotle peppers with the seeds but I almost felt like 4 with the seeds would have been even better (and I don’t usually like spicy at all). Great recipe! Can’t wait to make it again when I have friends over or for a potluck ☺️
★★★★★
Maria says
I just served this for a party of 35! Everyone was raving about this dish! I doubled the recipe and made it three times. Thank you!
★★★★★
Deborah says
Wow – I feel so honored that it was a hit! Thanks so much, Maria!
Teresa Caldwell says
Can a bottom round roast be used in place of the chuck?
Deborah says
You could definitely sub it in, but I tried several different cuts of beef and the chuck was by far our favorite. But others will work as well!
Bianca says
Hi, how long should I cook it if I’m doubling the recipe? Thanks!
Dan says
Really great recipe! Thanks!
I’ve been cooking this in my Instant Pot (following recipe exactly…with a little more garlic and lime juice 😉 ) and it just comes out perfect every time.
I’ve made this about 6-8 times now, and I have experimented with several different cuts of meat. London Broil, Chuck Roast, & bone roast, Tri Tip, etc.
You choose which sounds best, because they were all delicious, and I couldn’t choose a favorite if I tried.
For leaner cuts, look for marbling that will render into a delicious, moist, potroast-like flavor. For fattier roasts, trim off a bit of the blubber and save a bit of time when it’s time to shred. Don’t worry, it’ll still be moist.
I like to shred the meat on in a large shallow bowl and then pour some of the cooking liquid into it.
(*tip: Use a stock/gravy separator to skim off a good bit of the fat. Then use the delicious ‘jus’ to moisten the meat. Also, save a little and use the next day when warming up leftovers!)
After that my barbacoa goes on little street taco sized flour tortillas with avo slices, cilantro, and some red onions! Oh, and I discovered that it ROCKS on toasted cibatta rolls with some cheese, too.
Simple, delicious, and really easy to make enough to graze on throughout the week (my wife LOVES this, so I have to make ~3lbs when I cook it, lol.) I really dig this recipe, and have put it into our weekly rotation.
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad you love it (and your wife, too!) and I love the tips you shared!
Denise Gendreau says
Looks great, id serve with rice and mild guacamole.
Debby Hurtado says
This goes into my favorites menu ! Full of flavor…I’m still thinking about it hours later. I made it into a bowl dish with rice, red kidney beans, corn, avocado pieces and topped with cilantro and a dash of lime juice over top. It did not need salsa..
★★★★★
Charlene Blengino says
Holy Chipotle! This was delicious! A huge hit with the hubby who said this recipe is “Money!”
★★★★★
Deborah says
Love it!!
Faye says
You say, “Allow the pressure to manually release.” I’m not sure what you mean by that. Do you mean to manually release the pressure (i.e. quick release) or to allow the pressure to release naturally?
Deborah says
I am so sorry about that – that was the worst instruction ever! I have changed it in the recipe card, but you will let the pressure naturally release. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!
Lisa Hoffman says
Approximately how long does it take for the pot to naturally release?
coco says
I just bought my first insta pot and this was my first recipe I made. This was absolutely delicious! I used a pot roast cut of beef about 2.5 lbs for the 4 of us and had some leftover. The flavors are fabulous and the recipe is so easy to make! Thanks so much for sharing. It was a big hit!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad your first Instant Pot recipe was a hit! You’ll love having it!
kiran says
i made this recipe yesterday and it was so good.i definitely recommend it. This looks absolutely fabulous, and I love that it’s so easy to make!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Lapu says
I cant tell what to do with the apple cider vinegar
Deborah says
You add it in in the same step where you add the broth.
Lana says
Can this recipe be made in a crockpot or Dutch oven. I’m trying to avoid getting another appliance in my kitchen. I know everyone raves about the instant pot but would like to see if there’s another option.
Deborah says
I’m sure it could be! I haven’t tried it myself so I couldn’t say times, but it should translate to the Dutch oven or crockpot fairly well.
Sasha Jamison says
This was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and made no changes. Another one of your recipes has pleased my family. Thank you for sharing!
Nina Davis says
Dear Deborah, I followed your instructions exactly as the recipe said and I cooked it for exactly 65 minutes in the Instant Pot. Perfection! Mouth watering barbacoa and it was so easy to make! Thank you so much for this great recipe!
★★★★★
Deborah says
Thanks, Nina – I’m so glad it was a hit!
Jaxx California says
Of the dozen or so IP recipies ive made in the past 2 months this is by far my entire familes favorite. So amazing. The flavors are incredible for only an hour cook. Already passed this one on to all my IP frienda.
I used 2.5 pound chuck that i trimmed all the big fat off and it came out amazing. No time adjustments. Also, i added about a tablespoon of the adobo paste from the can to the cooking liquid.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Deborah says
I’m so happy you have loved it!!!
Nick says
This is a great recipe! I made it exactly as described and it turned out perfect. To top it off, I made a homemade pico de gallo and diced avocado. Mmmmmm!
★★★★★
Deborah says
The pico and avocado are a perfect addition – so glad you liked the recipe!
Nick says
I have a chuck roast that’s 3.5 lbs. Would this change anything in the recipe?
Deborah says
I would probably increase the rest of the ingredients by 50%. And the cook time will depend on how thick the roast is. Usually a bigger chuck roast is just longer instead of thicker, so the cook time should stay the same. But if it is thicker than most, you might need to add on a bit more cook time.
Nicole says
Best thing I have ever made in my Instant Pot! My husband and I loved this. It was perfect amount of spice and flavor. (Although it was too spicy for my kiddo but she’s picky anyway!) Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Karl says
My buddy Marcus sent me this recipe. I made it once for the fiancee and we both loved it! Making again to share with the family tonight for GOT and Mother’s Day, and I’m sure it will be a hit. I like to add some of the adobo sauce (and a couple more peppers) but other than that it needs no changes. Best barbacoa ever! Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Erica says
This recipe was delicious and easy! My roast ended up being around 1.5 lbs so I set my timer for 50 minutes (instead of 60) and did a 15-minutes release (instead of natural). The meat was so tender! It was like I had left it in the slow cooker all day. Will be my go-to barbacoa recipe for sure!
★★★★★
Jules says
My first time cooking it and it has a lot of flavor. My husband like Mexican food so I’m always looking for easy and fast recipes and this is one of them. Thank you for sharing
★★★★★
Samantha M. says
My husband is from Mexico and he said the best barbacoa he’s ever had was from there. Now he is saying this recipe is now the best he’s ever had! It’s very easy to make and delicious!
★★★★★
Vicky S says
If I’m only making one pound of meat in the instant pot, do I need to change the cooking time? I made barbacoa with chuck roast with a different recipe and the meat was dry somehow! Trying to avoid that this time…
Sean John P says
I love this recipe, thanks for the great share.
Anna La Mexicana says
Barbacoa is just steamed beef and the only ingredients are beef, salt, and bay leaf. If you’re going to educate, please state where barbacoa is made this way and or how you’re upping the recipe, but the original recipe is plain.
Yusuf says
Can you use the same recipe but with lamb roast instead?
★★★★★
Rodney Crouse says
This recipe was super easy in my Instant Pot and was absolutely delightful!
★★★★★
Nancy says
I came across your recipe while looking for barbacoa to make in the instant pot, and selected it because the ingredients weren’t too extensive…all I can say is WOW it did not disappoint. The meat was SO tender I could barely pick it up with my fork. It paired so nicely with some cilantro lime rice and corn salsa…and satisfied my chipotle craving for the week. This will now be a staple in my recipe rotation. I don’t typically leave recipe reviews but I felt I had to because it was just THAT good. I followed the recipe exactly and would not change a thing aside from doubling or tripling it next time, so I have more leftover…
★★★★★
Alejandro says
I´m planning on making barbacoa on the IP soon, but want to share the perfect garnish for it: Finely chopped cilantro and red onions, lime juice, some finely sliced cabbage and radish and a hot red salsa made with chile de árbol, garlic, some green tomatoes and onions.
★★★★
Deborah says
That sounds absolutely perfect!
Kimby Benavides says
Barbaco is cow tongue… Not just any beef meat… I usually leavinsantin the oven for over 6 hours .. And about to try it in the instantpot…
Ann Baker says
Only my second time using my new Instant Pot and this was AHHHHHMAZING! Better than the Barbacoa I’ve done in my slow cooker, actually (and I’m a huge alow cooker fan). Great flavors and melt in your mouth tender. The whole family loved!
★★★★★
Sarah A says
This was so easy and tasty. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Julie S says
FABULOUS!!!
★★★★★
Maria Santiago says
This recipe is ahhhhmazing!!!! Just tried it tonight and my whole family devoured the whole thing! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. It’s definitely a keeper!
★★★★★
Victoria Cook says
I made this recipe last night for a gathering with friends. It was a HUGE hit. So flavorful! This will be a staple rotation in my Mexican cuisine. I added 4 or 5 of the peppers so it had a bit more zing, but even the kids ate it. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
★★★★★
Elle Shell says
Hi everyone. I cooked Barbacoa for the first time and I used my IP. Followed directions. I added a little liquid smoke and a little brown sugar. Yummers! Also the only cut of meat I had available was a pork sirloin roast, so i used that. I think if i had shortened the time the pork maybe, maaybee have been a little juicier. Next time I’m going to use the cut of meat you have in your recipe. And maybe a scouch more apple cider vinegar. But all in all it was terrific. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Becca says
This recipe is a keeper for life! I followed the recipe for the shredded beef exactly and it turned out so full of flavor and the perfect amount of spice. I used 3 adobo Chile peppers but we could of used up to 4 like the recipe said in order to make it a little spicier, but really depends on how spicy of a mood I’m in. I made a Mexican cole slaw and topped with a few bites of avocado and cotija cheese in corn tortillas. My son and I really loved this recipe and I am excited to make it for others! Thank you!!
★★★★★
Katie K says
This is one of my go-to favorite recipes!! I have shared it with many friends and family members who have all loved it just as much as me. It has so much flavor and is very easy. Staple in our household! I do only add 1-2 chipotle chiles since some members of my family are not spicy fans, but besides that I keep everything else the same.
★★★★★
Rufus says
I feel in love with barbacoa in Mexico, so when I got my InstantPot, I decided to try your recipe, I was very disappointed by the results. Using canned chipotle chiles and apple cider vinegar resulted in vinegar-flavoured meat. When you leave out the arbol and guajillo chiles, which are essential in most traditional barbacoa recipes, the results were bland to say the least. Reminded me of what I dislike most about store-bought salsas outside of Mexico – they taste mostly of vinegar. Why do we feel the need to dumb-down or change classic Mexican recipes? It’s a lot easier to get the required ingredients than in the past. I would suggest making this dish without it, and lowering the cooking time, which also resulted I believe in quite a bland flavour (and is more than twice as long as similar meat IP recipes I’ve tried for similar amounts of meat) .I also doubled the recommended amount of chipotle chiles and could barely detect any spice, another great disappointment.
★★
Kim says
I can honestly say I will be making this recipe for the rest of my life! It’s easy enough to make to enjoy as a casual meal, but is so DELICIOUS you’ll want to serve it to company. It’s that special. I wrote the recipe down on a recipe card because I am terrified someday I won’t be able to find it online. THANK YOU ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
★★★★★
Brandie k says
My sister in law made these for dinner the other night and they were delicious! I had to ask for the recipe per my husbands request. They are in my instant pot as we speak. My house smells amazing. Nothing better than an easy instant pot recipe that tastes like it took all day.
★★★★★
Brandie says
Sooo good!!! Just the right amount of spice and I can always appreciate a dinner that’s easy to make! Thanks for sharing…. Adding it the the regular menu.
★★★★★
Megan McCready says
This is so flavorful and a great thing to make for a crowd. I have made it several times now and it gets better every time. Served last weekend with cilantro lime rice, homemade pico de gallo and guacamole, and queso. Rave reviews and a new family favorite.
★★★★★