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Love beef barbacoa but hate how long it takes to make? What if I told you that you could make DELICIOUS beef barbacoa in a fraction of the time when you use a pressure cooker! This is true one-pot cooking at it’s finest!
Oh barbacoa how I love you… almost as much as I love pressure cooking in general. Ever since I had the mother of all nachos I became a HUGE barbacoa lover. Sure I’ve had it at that fast food chain quasi-mexican place (is it even considered Mexican?) but it was just ‘meh’. But when I had it at that one Tex Mex place I was in love. I shared my Chicken Barbacoa pressure cooker recipe and you guys went nuts over it. I’m not sure which you loved more – the flavors or the fact that it only took 10 minutes. LOL But you loved it and that’s what matters to me.
Now this recipe takes more than 10 minutes as beef always takes longer in the pressure cooker than chicken. But trust me, it’s well worth it and so friggen good! I’m actually making up a huge pot of it and putting it all in the freezer. I want to make sure both Mr. Fantabulous and I have food to eat while I’m out having surgery. But who knows maybe he’ll surprise me and actually make a pot on his own. *wink*
With graduation season in full swing now and 987 backyard cookouts mix it up this year and serve barbacoa instead of pulled pork. This is what will set you apart from everyone else. People may expect the same ol’ same ol pulled pork (which rocks) but serve them beef (and chicken) barbacoa and you just stepped up your cookout game in a big way!
You can totally turn this into nacho topping, sliders, ‘pulled’ sandwiches. See all that juice in the pot – just reduce that and turn it into a sauce just like you would for bbq sauce. Easy, huh? Plus HELLO… this is made a pressure cooker which means you’re not heating up the house with the oven nor do you have to wait 8 hours for the crock pot to work its magic. Why wouldn’t you reach for the pressure cooker?
Parties are meant to be enjoyed! Let this recipe take the stress out of it all!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to hit up the market and pick up the ingredients to make this. It’s the Stanley Cup Finals (GO PENS!!!) and I want to make sure I have all of my eats ready for the game!
If you don’t have a pressure cooker then I HIGHLY suggest one of these!
For stove top go with: For Electric go with either: or
PrintDelicious Pressure Cooker Beef Barbacoa
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 65
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Category: Beef, Mexican
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Beef, Mexican
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Ingredients
- 4lbs chuck roast
- 2 Tbl olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 Tbl tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 Tbl lime juice
- 2 chipotle peppers
- 1–2 tsp adobo sauce (more means it’s hotter)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 cup beef stock stock (or water)
- 3–4 Tbl chopped cilantro plus additional for garnish
- 1 4 ounce can, chopped green chilies
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a blender, combine the vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, pepper, salt, lime juice, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, sugar and stock. Blend to combine.
- In a 6qrt pressure cooker or larger, add the oil and turn on the brown/sautee feature. Once the oil is hot add the beef (if it doesn’t completely lie flat, cut it up into pieces and add the pieces in intervals). Sear all of the sides until it forms a nice brown crust.
- Next, add the bay leaves, green chilies, and the liquid from the blender. Lock the lid, set the timer for 65 minutes on high. When the timer is done, shut the pressure cooker off and let it perform a natural release.
- Once pressure is released (~10-15 minutes), using tongs, take out the beef pieces placing them either into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or on a plate. If using the mixer, turn it on and mix just until the beef is shredded (leave some chunks). If doing it by hand, use 2 forks and shred the beef. Remember you want some bigger pieces.
- With the liquid still in the pressure cooker, remove the bay leaves (discarding them) and place the shredded beef back into the liquid. Add in the cilantro, stir and let it rest in the liquid for 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the beef and serve or place in a lidded container. *If you want, prior to serving you can pop the beef under a broiler to get some charred ends. Broil for 1-3 minutes.
- With regards for the liquid, you can discard or, after straining the fat out, freeze it for later uses. It’s great as a liquid for dirty rice, pasta dishes and quinoa.
Keywords: Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa, mexican shredded beef
FYI… these ROCK as nachos!!
Made with 1.5 # pre-cut/packaged beef for tacos using 1/2 the quantities and simmering in a pan on the stovetop for about 1 1/2 hours. Didn’t have green chiles so subbed some salsa. Served in flour and corn street taco tortillas with diced tomatoes, thin sliced red cabbage, and feta. Fantastic flavor! A keeper.
oops forgot to rate the recipe in my review
★★★★★
The husband wanted spicy beef and this recipe did not disappoint the picky one (he loved it!) and it also wasn’t too spicy for me. This is definitely going in the rotation!
★★★★★
I’ve made it numerous times and it’s just as amazing reheated. Thank you!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Susan!!!
Best Kitchen Wishes!