Instant Pot Barbacoa

Enjoy restaurant-quality Instant Pot Barbacoa anytime you like with this simple Chipotle copycat recipe! Beef chuck roast is pressure cooked in a flavorful chipotle sauce until tender enough to fall apart. This Mexican dish can be served as an easy weeknight dinner in tacos or burritos, on rice, and so much more!

They say that patience is a virtue, but when it comes to getting moist, tender beef barbacoa, I’m happy to say it’s not a necessity.

I have no hesitations with making barbacoa in the slow cooker, of course. The final result in homemade Barbacoa Tacos is absolutely worth the effort!

But why wait for hours on end, when you can easily have this Mexican classic on your table in less than half the usual time?!

Many would argue that cooking low and slow is the key to getting the perfect taste and texture out of tougher cuts of beef. However, thanks to the pressurized method of cooking, you can get all the rich flavor of juicy, fall-apart meat without the wait.

Slowly pressure cooked in a spicy chipotle sauce, flavored with ingredients like lime juice, molasses, and adobo sauce, I’d dare to call this dish even BETTER than the barbacoa from Chipotle!

Ingredients

The simple ingredients you need to make this Instant Pot Barbacoa recipe include:

• Beef. About 3-4 pounds of chuck roast is used. Be sure to trim off as much fat as possible, as it will render off the meat and dilute the sauce. 
• Chipotle chiles. Dried chipotle chiles in adobo sauce add a spicy, sweet, tangy depth of flavor. The sauce has a lot of heat, so only add it if you want extra spice.
• Beef broth. Either reduced-sodium or regular beef broth will do, but vegetable or chicken broth can also be subbed in.
• Lime. Fresh lime juice adds acidity which cuts through the richness of the dish, and is slightly sweeter than lemons.
• Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be used interchangeably to add flavor and tenderize the meat while cooking.
• Molasses. Brown sugar can also be used, but molasses brings a deep, rich taste without a ton of added sugar. The sweetness helps counteract the acidity of the lime and vinegar, keeping the dish from being sour. 
• Garlic. Freshly minced garlic is best, but ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder may be substituted as an alternative.
• Spices. Cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper add a simple, well-rounded depth of flavor to the sauce.
• Onion. Either a white or sweet variety of onion will work.
• Green chiles. Canned or freshly-diced green chiles bring an additional subtle spiciness to the dish. This can be left out for a milder flavor.
• Bay leaves. The lightly bitter, herbal flavor of bay leaf balances out the heaviness of many beef stew-like, barbacoa included.

How to Make Instant Pot Barbacoa

These are the steps to follow to make this Barbacoa recipe. Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.

Trim the Fat

It’s incredibly important that as much fat as possible be trimmed from the chuck roast before cutting it up. 

Excess fat will render off of the meat into a liquid form, which dilutes the flavor of the sauce. It also runs the risk of making the dish too heavy and greasy.

After trimming, the roast should be carved into roughly 10-12 large, 2-to-3-inch chunks. 

Much smaller, and the meat can’t be shredded to the right consistency after cooking. Much larger, and the tough connective tissues won’t break down enough to yield a tender, fall-apart texture.

Sear the Beef

Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to the sauté function, and add 1 tablespoon of oil to begin warming.  

When the oil is heated enough to shimmer and sizzle, add the chunks of beef and season them with salt and pepper. 

Sear the meat on all sides, for a total of 4-5 minutes, turning the pieces occasionally to ensure each side browns properly. Be careful not to crowd the beef, so that rendered liquid has space to evaporate.

Searing prior to cooking helps to caramelize the natural sugars in the meat. This forms a rich brown crust on each piece, bringing out the beefy flavor, which seasons the rest of the dish.

Note: The beef may have to be browned in 2-3 batches, if all the meat does not fit in a single layer with space between each piece. If the meat is simmering in its own rendered liquid instead of searing, it’s too crowded together.

Sauté and Deglaze

As each batch of meat is browned, remove it to a separate plate and set it aside. 

To the empty pot, add more oil and the diced onion. Sauté it for 2-3 minutes, or until softened and translucent.

At this stage, there should be a layer of crispy brown residue clinging to the bottom of the pot, which is FULL of flavor. Pour the broth into the pot to deglaze it, and use a whisk or wooden utensil to scrape the bottom.

Deglazing the browned bits and incorporating them into the sauce helps to bring that delicious, concentrated beef flavor throughout the entire dish.

Make Chipotle Sauce

In a high-speed blender, add all of the ingredients for the chipotle sauce. Blend the mix for 30 seconds, or until smooth, and pour it back into the pot with the diced chiles. 

Stir the mix well, until the onions, deglazing liquid, and chipotle sauce are fully combined. 

At this stage, the sauce may be tasted and tweaked for seasoning and spice level. Keep in mind that the flavors will change and mellow out slightly as they soak into the meat.

Cook in Instant Pot

Add the beef back into the pot, making sure to coat and at least partially submerge the meat in the sauce. Place the bay leaves on top of the meat, where they can easily be retrieved later. 

Place the lid onto the Instant Pot, and ensure the pressure release valve is sealed. Set the pot to a manual pressure cooking function at high pressure for 60 minutes. 

When the hour is up, quick release the pressure as soon as the timer goes off. Pressure cooking meat tenderizes it fairly quickly, but leaving it too long can cause it to go tough and chewy.

Shred and Serve

The texture of dried bay leaves can be very unpleasant, so they should be removed from atop the meat at this stage, still whole. 

For best results, once the lid is removed, the meat can sit untouched in the pot for 5-7 minutes. This gives the beef time to rest and redistribute its juices throughout each piece, ensuring a more moist and tender bite.

When ready, shred the beef inside the pot using two forks, or another utensil of choice. The more finely the meat is shredded, the more it will soak up the flavors of the sauce.

Stir well, completely coating the meat in the sauce. 

The meat should be served immediately in your method of choice, whether on a toasted tortilla, in a burrito, or served atop a bed of rice. Popular toppings for barbacoa include sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, queso fresco, lettuce, chiles, cilantro, even pickled onions!

Note: If too much liquid remains in the pot after cooking, the Instant Pot may be set to the sauté function for 4-5 minutes. This cooks off some of the excess liquid, making for a thicker sauce.

Meal Prep and Storage

• To Prep-Ahead: The chipotle sauce may be made and the meat cut and salted ahead of time, up to 3 days in advance. 
• To Store: Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
• To Freeze: Beef barbacoa may be frozen in a sealed freezer bag or freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
• To Reheat: Leftovers may be warmed in the microwave, or at a medium-low heat in a pot or the Instant Pot, just until heated through. To avoid the meat going tough, frozen barbacoa should be thawed in the fridge before reheating.

Dietary Modifications

The recipe you’ll find below is already gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb as written. Here are some adjustments and substitutions you can make to help it fit your other dietary requirements:

• Keto: Omit the molasses or brown sugar entirely, make or omit the adobo sauce to avoid added sugars, and serve the beef with a low-carb side such as cauliflower rice.
• Whole30: Omit any added sugars, and avoid serving the meat with grains, brans, or dairy products. 
• Paleo: Use grass-fed beef, substitute the oil for avocado oil, and serve the meat without grains.

FAQs

Expert Tips and Tricks

• Salt the beef. Cut and generously salt the meat at least 1 day in advance to get a head start on tenderizing it. 
• Dry the meat off. Especially when pre-salted, beef pieces should be patted dry with a paper towel prior to searing, to encourage browning. 
• Keep it fresh. Using fresh ingredients like limes, garlic, and green chiles will yield far better tasting results than processed versions.
• Give it room. While searing, work in small batches and leave a bit of space between pieces of meat to evaporate excess moisture.
• Cut with the fat. While cutting the meat, slice with the grain of the internal fat where possible to trim some of it away too.

Sides to Serve

This tender, flavorful protein wouldn’t be complete without some classic accompaniments to round out the experience:

• Lime Crema
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Instant Pot Mexican Rice
• Tomatillo Salsa Verde
• Roasted Tomato Salsa
• Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Homemade Guacamole

More Instant Pot Entrée Recipes 

Try even more incredibly delicious main dish recipes, made quick and easy through the use of a pressure cooker:

• Instant Pot Tacos al Pastor
• Instant Pot Shredded Salsa Chicken
• Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
• Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Instant Pot Ground Turkey Chili