Easy Instant Pot Mexican Beef Barbacoa

This Easy Instant Pot Mexican Beef Barbacoa recipe comes together quickly and easily with the help of your instant pot and blender, for delicious  Barbacoa meat in under 2 hours- ready for tacos and more! If you were wondering how to make Mexican Barbacoa, this is the fastest and easiest way!

JUMP TO RECIPE

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Easy, tender and delicious Instant Pot Mexican Beef Barbacoa

This delicious Barbacoa beef is made quickly and easily in the Instant Pot (or pressure cooker), and can also be made in a Dutch Oven or Crock Pot (directions below and in recipe card).

Made with seared and seasoned cued beef chuck roast and a flavorful and blended sauce, this beef is fork tender, super flavorful, easily shreddable, and made even better by tossing with the cooking liquid and briefly broiling for a crusty exterior.

Serve this tender Mexican Beef Barbacoa in tacos, burrito bowls, salads and more! To make easy weeknight Barbacoa taocs, serve the beef piled high in warm corn tortillas with all your favorite tacos fixings! I love a bit of Cotija cheese, some thinly sliced radish and jalapeno, and a bit of tangy chipotle sauce.

Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Ingredients

To make this simple, delicious and versatile Beef Barbacoa, you'll need:

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2” chunks. Traditionally, for an authentic barbacoa recipe, the Barbacoa meat is made with beef cheeks, but beef chuck roast is just as flavorful and delicious, and more widely available.
• Fresh ground black pepper and coarse Kosher salt, for seasoning the meat before browning.
• Neutral cooking oil, such as canola, for browning meat. You'll do this step right in the Instant Pot, using the sauté feature.
• Beef broth, to deglaze the pot after searing the meat, and scrape up all the delicious brown bits, aka flavor.
• 4 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce (canned). You can find these in most grocery stores, with the Mexican/Hispanic food section. The leftover chilis can be used to make Chipotle sauce, or be frozen in an airtight bag for up to 2 months for another use! You can add or remove the chilis, depending on your spice preference.
• 1 medium red onion, cut into small pieces.
• 8 cloves garlic peeled.
• A bit of tomato paste, for richness.
• Worcestershire sauce, for a tangy little umami flavor.
• Fresh squeezed lime juice.
• Apple cider vinegar. I prefer the organic type.
• Dried oregano. You can use regular dried oregano, or Mexican oregano for this recipe.
• Smoked paprika, cumin, and a touch of allspice. These serve as kind of a Barbacoa seasoning in the sauce.
• A small can of diced green chilis.
• 2 bay leaves. You'll add these in right before setting the Instant Pot to high pressure. You can use dried bay leaf, or fresh.

How to make Mexican Barbacoa in the Instant Pot

Here are step by step directions to make the Barbacoa in the Instant Pot. If making in a Dutch oven or Crock Pot, see below, or view the recipe card!

1. Turn Instant Pot on sauté, and add about 2 tablespoon neutral oil to the pot. 
2. Cut beef into 2” cubes, and toss well with coarse salt and pepper. 
3. Working in batches, brown the meat for 3-4 minutes a side, setting aside on a plate as you go, until all pieces are browned. You can add more oil as needed if it gets too smoky as the pot gets hotter they may brown mores quickly. 
4. Once all meat is browned and removed from the pot, deglaze the pot by pouring in the beef stock, and scraping up the brown bits on the bottom with a wooden spoon. 
5. Puree sauce ingredients, and add to the pot with the stock. Add the browned beef and bay leaves, and stir to combine. 
6. Close the lid, and set Instant Pot to 60 minutes at high pressure. 
7. After 60 minutes, do a manual release. 
8. Discard bay leaves, and remove meat to a baking sheet and shred, discarding any excess fat. 
9. Toss shredded beef with 2 cups of cooking liquid, and broil on the top rack of your oven’s broiler for 3-5 minutes, until top is crisp. 

What to serve with the Barbacoa

Here are some different ways to serve the Beef Barbacoa:

• Serve it as Barbacoa tacos, with flour tortillas or corn tortillas.
• In a Barbacoa Burrito Bowl. Add the shredded beef, black beans, fresh cilantro, cilantro lime rice, and some cheddar, queso fresco or cotija cheese! Grab my Burrito Bowl recipe here! Add some sour cream or chipotle sauce for a little extra zing!
• In a Quesadilla with shredded cheese.
• Over taco salads.
• As a filling with cheese in empanadas.
• Over cheesy nacho fries.
• As a topping for some sheet pan nachos.

Alternative cooking methods

Dutch Oven

To make the Barbacoa in a Dutch oven, you'll preheat the oven to 325 degrees, sauté the beef in the pot with oil as per the instant pot directions, deglaze with the beef stock, and add the pureed sauce. Cover the pot, transfer it to the preheated oven, and bake for 3-3.5 hours, until beef easily pulls apart with a fork.

Crock pot

To make the Beef Barbacoa in a crock pot, you'll first need to sear the beef in a cast iron skillet or pan. Deglaze the pan with the beef stock, and transfer the beef and accumulated juices/stock to the crock pot. Add the pureed sauce ingredients, and stir well to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until beef is easily shredded.

Storing the Beef Barbacoa

Store the leftover shredded beef in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the Barbacoa in an airtight freezer bag for up to 2 months!

Want to save this Instant Pot Barbacoa recipe for later? Pin it!

Made this Easy Instant Pot Mexican Beef Barbacoa recipe? Leave a review and rating below!

© Jawns I Cooked. All images & content are the sole property of Jawns I Cooked. Please ask permission prior to using my photos. If you would like to share one of my recipes, please link back to this post and re-write the instructions in your own words.