Instant pot barbacoa tacos

Moist, tender beef barbacoa in less than 30 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot. Perfect for tacos with all the trimmings!

My husband did good this Christmas, real good. Like he got me an Instant Pot good. He’s probably reading this thinking, “What about the Tiffany bracelet?” Yes, I loved that too, but I really, really love my shiny new Instant Pot. I’ve used it a few times now and am convinced that every working parent trying to get dinner on the table should stop whatever they are doing and go get one. Like now. Then get some beef and make this barbacoa. And trust me, you’ll be convinced.

Dishes that used to have to bubble away for hours are now ready to go in less than 30 minutes. The first day I tried it, I made beef bourguignon and pea soup in one day! Both those recipes easily take hours if done the traditional way. But I managed both in about an hour and a half thanks to my shiny new BFF.

But back to this barbacoa. I used beef chuck roast, trimming off any visible fat before cooking. Then you simply whiz up the other ingredients in a food processor and pour it over the browned meat. The Instant Pot does the rest. 25 minutes of cooking, plus time to vent and you have melt-in-your-mouth tender beef, perfect for tacos. Top them with avocado, sour cream, cilantro and some pickled onions and dinner is done. (Several dinners in fact, because this makes enough to freeze some for another meal.)

Why are you still reading this? Go get an Instant Pot!

Instant pot barbacoa tacos

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Moist, tender beef barbacoa in less than 30 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot. Perfect for tacos with all the trimmings!

Author: Erin Berdan

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the barbacoa

• 4 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed of visible fat and cut into large chunks
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 chipotle chilies in adobo
• 1¼ cups beef broth
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1½ Tbsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• ¾ tsp salt, then more to taste
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• Juice of 2 limes

To serve

• Corn tortillas
• Sour cream
• Cilantro
• Sliced avocado
• Pickled onions

Instructions

1. Season the beef with salt.
2. Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on the Saute setting. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides. When all of it is browned, place all of it in the Instant Pot.
3. Meanwhile, combine the chipotles, broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, cloves and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until well combined.
4. Pour over the meat.
5. Seal and pressure cook for 25 minutes. Allow to vent naturally.
6. Shred the beef into a bowl using two forks. Pour some of the sauce over the meat and discard any excess.
7. To serve, pile the meat into warmed corn tortillas and top with sour cream, cilantro, avocado and pickled onions.

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