This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Pressure cooker barbacoa. This is my favorite, homemade shredded beef recipe made pressure cooker or instant pot-friendly! Serve the shredded meat in tortillas or turn it into a burrito bowl!
Pressure Cooker Barbacoa is what you need to put on the menu!
This is the I need a flavorful dinner without having to work too hard meal.
Start with instant pot barboca. Sear the beef, toss it in the pressure cooker with the blended sauce and sit back.
Let your rice cooker make you a batch of rice, or make homemade cilantro lime rice if you’re wanting to make a Chipotle Barbacoa beef bowl.
And then simply top it with your favorite toppings. Use salsa verde, blender salsa, pickled red onions, a black bean and corn salad, shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream – the sky is the limit.
Want to make quesadillas? Do it. Want to use the beef to make enchiladas? What are you waiting for!
My husband and I made this and it came out absolutely delicious! We had enough to have it two diff nights! I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you for sharing!
Ingredients for Instant Pot Barbacoa recipe:
- Beef: Barbacoa is made from the head of a cow, mainly beef cheeks and tongue in parts of Mexico and South Texas. Since this isn’t something we can find in mainstream grocery stores, I use chuck roast, bottom, round or mock tenders here instead.
- Vinegar: apple cider to be specific
- Lime Juice: adds acid
- Garlic: add in whole cloves
- Onions: give the onions a rough dice
- Seasonings: you’ll need ground cumin, oregano, cloves and kosher salt and black pepper.
- Beef Broth: or use 1 cup water and some beef bouillon instead
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce: find them in the international food aisle
- Tomato Paste: just a squeeze
- Oil: to sear the meat
- Bay Leaves: toss in when the meat pressure cooks
Recipe Tips
- Blend the sauces so the spices and flavors are distributed. If you don’t have a blender, use a food processor
- Pressure cook on high pressure to ensure that the meat cooks in the time listed
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or you can pop the cooked meat in the freezer for later.
- You can braise this in the oven too. Sear the meat in a large pot, then braise at 300ºF for 3-4 hours. I also have a slow cooker recipe.
Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion see notes
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2-4 chipotle peppers to preference
- 1 cup beef broth
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2½ pounds chuck roast or bottom round, trimmed of excess fat
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- BLEND: Add the onion, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers, beef broth, cumin, oregano, cloves, and tomato paste to a blender and blend until smooth.
- SEAR: Cut the chuck or round bottom roast into 3-4 large pieces. Season the meat with a good pinch of salt and pepper on all sides. Heat ½ the oil in the pressure cooker or instant pot and sear the meat for 7-8 minutes per batch (in two batches.)
- PRESSURE COOK: Add all the beef back into the pressure cooker along with the blended sauce and bay leaves. Cover the pressure cooker. On the instant pot, hit the 'beef/stew' button and let cook for 60-70 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat (mine took exactly 65 minutes).
- RELEASE PRESSURE: Allow the pressure to release naturally or turn to the 'vent' setting if you're impatient like me. Allow it to vent completely before attempting to remove the lid.
- SERVE: Discard the bay leaves and use two forks to shred the beef. Toss the beef in the juice, cover and allow the beef to soak up the juice for another 10 minutes or so. Serve as tacos, enchiladas, burritos, nachos, burrito bowls or however you like!
Notes
- Oven Braising Method: Follow steps 1 and 2 on the recipe card. Then pour the sauce over the seared meat with the bay leaves. Cover with an oven save lid. Then place this in a 300ºF oven for 3 hours. Check to see if the meat is done around 2.5 hours. It should shred with some resistance. Cook for another 30 minutes. Then, turn off the oven and leave the meat in there for 1 hour. Remove, discard bay leaves, shred and serve as desired!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This? Leave a comment & rating below!
This dish was my intro to insta pot. Just made it for the second time!
This is the first thing I’ve made in my Instant Pot. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe! It was so easy to follow!
Oh dear. I’m making this for TOMORROW night’s dinner, mainly because l wanted to have it with tortillas and need to buy some and some fresh vegetables for condiments. I’m supposed to be cooking pizza tonight and have already prepped the ingredients, made the sauce and thawed the dough. I thought l’d be clever and make this while l was doing other things in the kitchen. Trouble is, l made the mistake of tasting the barbacoa when it was ready. About 20 times. With a very large spoon. Pizza is starting to look very doubtful at this stage.
All joking aside, this is excellent. An unusual flavour combo (for me) but, I’m loving the cumin and the sour of the vinegar and lime. Google said l could substitute smoked paprika and chilli flakes for the chipotle peppers which are difficult to find here in Aotearoa/ New Zealand so, l’m not sure how authentic the taste is but, it’s certainly good. Thanks for sharing it.
very good recipe! Doubled the meat and ingredients, added 1T smoked Paprika and used cheek meat rather than chuck. It was a huge hit!
I just tried this recipe for the first time. My husband and I love it! I made provolone cheese shells as I am low carb and they were the most amazing thing ever. I am going to make omelets with this meat. My husband is going to make rice bowls with the meat. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
Wow it was perfect
Used less than a pound to half of the sauce and ninja foodi pressure cook on low for the time specified saving the rest of the sauce for a later barbacoa date! Plenty of leftovers for two✌️husband said SAVE THAT RECIPE ❤️
I can’t wait to try this. BTW, I used to have a plant shelf in my living room. My husband called it ‘death row’.
I have made this 4 or 5 times. I love it! The only change I made was to omit the tomato paste as I don’t care for it. This time I added a tomato instead. Thanks for this great easy and tasty recipe!
Hi! I just bought my Instant Pot last night and am looking forward to cooking this! Mine does not have a “beef/stew” button, would you have a recommendation for a different button? My options are Pressure Cook, Slow Cook, Steam, Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Broil. Thank you!!
Hi Laura! I suggest using the ‘pressure cook’ button, on high pressure. Hope you enjoy the barbacoa!
This is the third time I make it and it is on point .Takes way less then half the time as the OG barbacoa but just as delicious.
Thank you much!
Literally sooo good! I followed the recipe exactly, but added 1/4 cup of brown sugar during the 10 min soak. We have made this about 10 times, including tonight, and could not be happier with it each time.
Sooo good! I’ve shared this recipe with lots of friends, especially those new to pressure cooking. My 14yo mini-giant loves it and requested it for dinner tonight. I crisp the beef in a super hot iron skillet for a couple of minutes instead of the broiler. It crisps better and stays moister.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Love the idea of crisping the meat in a skillet, thanks for sharing!
Made it tonight it’s excellent. I have a normal pressure cooker not a instapot. Thanks for the secret to making great beef!
So happy to hear you gave it a try! 🙂
Would a tri top roast work for this recipe? That is what I have on hand.
Just a reminder here: if your roast is tied with string, be sure and remove the string before you shred with your mixer. From experience here!!! Trying to find all the little pieces of string now so we can eat. Do you know how much little pieces of string look like beef when all soaked with juices?! I do!! LOL!
Oh no! I don’t trust myself with string for that very reason ? Hope you still enjoy the barbacoa!