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Easy Instant Pot Mexican Beef Barbacoa
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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!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Dinner
Keyword: Instant pot
Servings: 14

Equipment

  • Instant Pot, Crockpot, or Dutch Oven

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs chuck roast, cut into 2” chunks 
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt 
  • neutral cooking oil, such as canola, for browning meat
  • 1 cup beef broth 
  • 2 bay leaves

Barbacoa sauce (blended)

  • 4 chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce (canned)
  • 1 medium red onion, cut into small pieces
  • 8 cloves garlic, peeled 
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
  • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice 
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano or Mexican oregano
  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika 
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice 
  • 4 oz diced green chilis 

Instructions

  • Instant Pot
    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.
  • 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.