If you're craving bold, flavorful Mexican-style beef, this Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef is a must-try! Packed with tender, juicy beef that’s slow-cooked in rich spices, chipotle peppers, and a zesty lime sauce, it’s the perfect filling for tacos, burritos, or rice bowls.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Authentic Taste: This Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef captures the rich, smoky flavors of traditional barbacoa.
- Effortless Cooking: The Instant Pot does all the work, making it easy even for beginners.
- Versatile Meal: Serve it with tortillas, rice, or salad for a variety of delicious meals.
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for this Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa recipe:
- Beef Chuck Roast: A tender cut of beef that becomes incredibly flavorful and succulent when slow-cooked.
- Chipotles In Adobo Sauce: Infuses the beef with a smoky, spicy, and slightly tangy flavor.
- Beef Broth: Provides a savory cooking liquid that enhances the meat's taste and tenderness.
- Minced Garlic: Adds a punch of aromatic flavor to the dish.
- Cumin: Brings a warm, earthy spice that complements the beef well.
- Smoked Ancho Chili: Adds depth and a smoky undertone to the barbacoa.
- Mexican Flavor Bouillon: Enhances the overall taste of the dish with its concentrated flavors.
- Oregano: Contributes an earthy flavor note, adding complexity to the dish.
- Salt & Pepper: Enhance the natural flavors of the beef.
- Ground Cloves: Adds a subtle warmth and depth to the dish, complementing the other spices.
- Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice: Provides a tangy freshness that balances the rich flavors of the beef.
- Bay Leaves: Infuse the dish with an extra layer of herbal flavor during cooking.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- Broth: You can use chicken broth instead of beef broth to make barbacoa beef. Some people find that using chicken broth gives the dish a slightly sweeter and more complex flavor, while others prefer the savory richness of beef broth.
🔪How To Make Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
- Step 1: Add olive oil to your Instant Pot. Turn the saute button on and brown the chuck roast on both sides. Deglaze the Instant Pot with a small amount of beef broth and use a wooden spatula to remove any bits from the bottom.
- Step 2: In a blender or food processor, add the chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves, beef broth, Mexican flavor cube, and lime juice, and blend until smooth. Cover your chuck roast beef in the pureed sauce, and add the bay leaves to the inner pot.
- Step 3: Close the Instant Pot lid to the locked position. Turn the vent to ‘sealing ' and set it to the manual setting. Pressure cook for 55 minutes at High Pressure, then naturally release for 15 minutes. This should give the meat more time to cook through and become tender.
- Step 4: When your Instant Pot barbacoa Beef is finished, shred it using two forks. Garnish the shredded beef with sliced fresh limes, and serve with cilantro lime rice, tortillas, or your favorite side dish.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Natural Release: Be sure to follow the natural release instructions to make the barbacoa beef tender.
- Cheese: There are many different types of cheese that pair well with barbacoa beef. We like to use cotija cheese, pepper jack cheese or crumbled queso fresco.
💭 FAQs
Barbacoa typically has a rich, smoky flavor with hints of cumin and chili powder. The meat is typically braised in a mixture of broth and spices. This spicy dish tastes delicious and flavorful.
If you’re not used to speaking Spanish, you may wonder how to say barbacoa correctly. In English we would say bar-bah-kay-ah.
Adobo sauce is a popular Mexican seasoning made from a blend of chilies, vinegar, and spices. It is used to season meats in many popular Mexican dishes, including barbacoa beef.
Adobo sauce tastes great on its own, or you can add it to your favorite dishes for an extra boost of flavor.
If you prefer a more low-key cooking method for your barbacoa beef, you can try slow cooking your beef barbacoa. To slow-cook Barbacoa Beef, place the chuck roast in the bottom of your slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
Add the remaining ingredients (chipotle sauce, beef broth, minced garlic, cumin, ancho chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper, cloves, and fresh lime juice) to the slow cooker.
Cover the slow cooker and slow cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
If you have any leftover meat after making your Instant Pot Barbacoa beef, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. To keep your beef fresh, transfer it to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. You can also freeze cooked barbacoa beef for longer storage, just make sure to let it cool completely before transferring it to the freezer.
Serving Suggestions
You can’t just eat shredded meat for dinner. Check out these Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef Sides for suggestions of what goes with barbacoa beef.
- Instant Pot Refried Beans: Refried Beans are a classic side dish for beef barbacoa, and they pair perfectly with the spicy and savory flavors in this dish.
- Burrito Bowls: If you want to turn your barbacoa beef into a full Burrito Bowl meal, try serving it with rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, and sour cream.
- Homemade Guacamole: Guacamole is another great option to serve with Instant Pot barbacoa beef. It's packed with healthy fats, and it adds a rich flavor that complements this dish perfectly.
- Mexican Rice: This classic Mexican side dish offers a nice textural contrast to the tender shredded meat in your barbacoa. Serve Mexican Rice hot or cold for an extra burst of flavor.
- Roasted Vegetables : If you're looking for a healthy and filling side dish to go with your barbacoa beef, try Roasted Vegetables. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in vegetables, making them perfect paired with this savory meat.
- Creamy Skillet Corn: If you're looking for a creamy and rich side dish to serve barbacoa beef with, try making some Honey Butter Skillet Corn for an indulgent treat.
- Instant Pot Jalapeno Corn Dip: Jalapeno Corn Dip is the perfect spicy and savory side dish for barbacoa beef. This corn salsa dish will help balance out all of the rich, hearty flavors in this dish, making it a perfect pair to take your meal to the next level.
No matter what sides you choose to serve with your Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef, you're sure to love this comforting and delicious dish!
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Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Beef Chuck Roast
- 1 Can Adobo Sauce
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Ancho Chilli
- 1 teaspoon Mexican Flavor Bouillon
- 1 tablespoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ¼ cup Lime juice 2 limes
- 3-4 Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Add olive oil to your Instant Pot. Brown the chuck roast on both sides, in your Instant Pot on saute’.
- In a blender add the chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves, beef broth, mexican flavor cube, and lime juice, blend until smooth.
- Cover your beef in the sauce, and add the bay leaves.
- Close the lid to the lock position. Turn the vent to ‘sealing, set it to manual setting. Set the timer for 55 minutes at High Pressure.
- When the cooking time is up, natural release for 15 minutes.
- When your Instant Pot barbacoa Beef is finished, garnish with cilantro.
Notes
Nutrition
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