Delicious Mexican barbacoa-style beef on a weeknight is possible with this simple recipe for Instant Pot barbacoa beef! Use it for tacos, bowls, burritos, salads, and more. (gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free)
Tender, flavorful shredded barbacoa beef on a weeknight? Yes! Thanks to the genius of an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, you can absolutely make this delicious Mexican beef any night of the week. It's perfect for feeding a large group, or for having leftovers to use throughout the week.
What is Barbacoa?
The word 'barbacoa' means 'barbecue' in Spanish, and refers to cooking large, tough cuts of meat from beef, lamb, or goat over an open flame or in a pit dug in the ground until tender. The meat is then shredded and served in tortillas or with a consumé made from the drippings. It's mostly associated with Mexican food now, but the method may have originated in the Caribbean. While not the most traditional, this version of barbacoa made with beef roast in the pressure cooker is both flavorful and easy!
Why You'll Love Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
If you love the flavors of barbacoa beef, but don't have a whole cow or an in-ground pit for roasting it, this is the recipe for you! Using a beef roast and a pressure cooker makes barbacoa achievable in your own kitchen - even on busy weeknights! The beef is so flavorful and tender, and it's so versatile. I like to make tacos with it for a simple weeknight meal, but it's also delicious on taco salads, burrito bowls, in enchiladas, or just about any other use you can think of for spicy shredded beef.
The Ingredients
- Beef roast - I use a chuck roast. You could also use brisket or stew meat.
- Garlic
- Onion
- Apple cider vinegar
- Beef broth
- Spices- cumin, chipotle powder, Mexican oregano, cloves, salt and peper.
- Bay leaves
How To Make It
- Cut the beef roast into chunks (about the size of a baseball). Pat dry with paper towels.
- Using the Sauté mode of the Instant Pot, heat the oil and sear the beef on all sides until nice and brown. This gives it more flavor.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot and give it a stir. Close the lid and vent. Pressure cook on high for 50 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally.
- Shred the beef using two forks (or your stand mixer). Add some of the liquid from the pot back into the meat to make sure it stays moist.
Tips and Tricks
- If you're using pre-cut pieces of stew meat, reduce the cook time to 35 minutes.
- If you have a stand mixer, you can use the paddle attachment to easily shred the beef.
- Store leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Can It Be Made In The Slow Cooker?
You can make this barbacoa beef in the crock pot if you'd like. Just brown the meat and then add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and cook for 6-8 hours on low.
Try These Other Delicious Taco Recipes
- Healthy Crock Pot Carnitas
- The Easiest Chipotle Shrimp Tacos
- Healthy Coconut Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa
- Charred Zucchini Black Bean Tacos
- Pulled Quail Street Tacos
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintEasy Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
Delicious Mexican barbacoa-style beef on a weeknight is possible with this simple recipe for Instant Pot barbacoa beef! Use it for tacos, bowls, burritos, salads, and more. (gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 lb beef chuck roast (or beef stew meat)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ small white onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- If using a roast, cut it into roughly baseball-sized chunks. Pat beef dry with paper towels.
- Turn Instant Pot to Sauté mode on high. Heat oil in the bottom of the pot.
- Add meat and brown well on each side.
- Add remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Close and lock the lid, sealing the vent. Turn to Pressure Cook mode on High Pressure setting. Set timer for 50 minutes (35 minutes if you're using small pieces of stew meat).
- Once timer goes off, let pressure release naturally before removing the lid.
- Remove bay leaves and shred meat. Stir in some of the juices from the pot to keep the meat moist.
Notes
- To easily shred the cooked meat, you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Two forks also works.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Keywords: instant pot barbacoa, easy instant pot barbacoa beef, pressure cooker barbacoa beef
This post was originally published June 2018 and has been updated.
CD says
I made it with deer neck meat. Turned out great.
Fort Worth Texas says
Wow! I stumbled across your recipe during a search for beef stew meats-cuts recipes. I followed your recipe and it was spot-on for my Mexican partner and his friend! It came out very, very tender and flavorful. I didn’t have chili powder so opted for Bay’s seasoning instead, which might have tempered the flavor. Regardless, very, very delicious recipe (I would not miss out on Apple coral vinegar!)
★★★★★
Kaleigh says
Sp glad you like the recipe. Thanks for the review!
Cynthia Sue Lee says
I made this recipe, it was very good in my instant pot.
Kat says
I made this today and oh my goddd did it hit the spot! So flavorful and perfectly spicy, and I didn’t even have beef broth (just used water.) This is going to become my go-to for ultra fast barbacoa when that carnivore craving hits!! Thank you!
Kaleigh says
Thanks for the review, Kat! I'm so glad you liked it!