Instant Pot Barbacoa
I recently made this super tender and flavorful Instant Pot Barbacoa (Mexican Shredded Beef) dish and it was so good! This unbelievably tender beef dish is so versatile! I like to make a batch of this meat and then eat it with some rice and veggies, or use it for tacos, burritos, or even to make a super stuffed grilled cheese!
I used easy to find ingredients (stew meat, herbs, and citrus) and then let them cook together in either an Instant Pot or a slow cooker!
What is traditional barbacoa made from?
Barbacoa is actually a method of cooking meat. It is normally slowly cooked that produces tender and juicy results. I used my Instant Pot to achieve a “slow cooked” result in a fraction of the time.
What meat is Barbacoa?
Traditionally, barbacoa is made with beef from a cow’s head, but you can use other cuts of meat, if that’s not your thing. I used Beef Stew Meat, but you can also use a Beef Chuck Roast and cut it into smaller pieces. Cutting it into smaller pieces makes it cook faster.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Barbacoa:
- Beef Stew Meat (or Beef Chuck Roast cut into 2 inch pieces)
- Cooking Oil
- @GourmetGarden ™ Garlic Stir-In Paste
- sea salt
- cumin
- Black Pepper
- Chipotle Pepper Powder
- oregano
- beef broth (low sodium)
- orange or whole lime (juiced)
- Dried Cilantro
Instant Pot Barbacoa
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Beef Stew Meat (or Beef Chuck Roast cut up into 2inch pieces)
- 2 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
- 1.5 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Chipotle Pepper Powder
- 1/2 tsp Oregano
- 3/4 cup Beef Broth Low Sodium
- 1/2 Orange (juiced) Or Whole Lime
- 1/2 tbsp Dried Cilantro
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Put all ingredients in the Instant Pot® EXCEPT for broth, orange juice or whole lime, and dried cilantro. Mix ingredients and hit sauté button!
- Brown the meat on all sides then turn off sauté.
- Add beef broth and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Once it is finished cooking, manually release the pressure.
- Stir in citrus juice and dried cilantro.
- Lightly shred your meat, serve over rice, or add a tortilla and serve w/ sides for a taco spread. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Follow steps 1 and 2 above, except you will brown your meat with spices and oil in a pan on the Stove.
- Transfer meat to a slow cooker and add broth. Cook on high for 4 hours or cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Lightly shred the meat and add in citrus juice and dried cilantro. Mix and enjoy!
Oooooo yummm