Made with a perfectly spiced Barbacoa sauce and tender beef, Instant Pot Barbacoa uses easy-to-find ingredients to deliver the authentic flavor of barbacoa in record time!
Looking for more flavorful Instant Pot Mexican-inspired recipes to enjoy? Don't miss my recipes for Instant Pot Carnitas, Instant Pot Steak Fajitas, and Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice.
The Flavor of Barbacoa at Home
Barbacoa is a Mexican dish made with beef, goat, or lamb. Traditionally, the meat is steamed in an underground oven with a rich, nuanced sauce until it is fall-apart tender.
I don't know about you, but I don't have an underground oven! But what I do have is an Instant Pot. And because the Instant Pot uses moist heat to cook, just like an underground oven does, it is the perfect vessel to recreate the flavor of Barbacoa.
And while this recipe for Instant Pot Barbacoa may not be authentic, the flavor is spot on and it comes together with very little effort!
Notes on Ingredients & Equipment
- Chuck Roast: A chuck roast is best for making Barbacoa. Due to the marbling of this cut of beef, the meat will literally melt in your mouth tender and the fat also helps to flavor the dish.
- Cooking Liquid: I recommend using a combination of beer and beef broth, as the small amount of beer adds depth of flavor to the sauce. Use a mild, pale lager such as Coors Light or Corona. Of course, feel free to omit the beer and replace it with additional beef stock.
- Barbacoa Sauce: Made with a combination of chipotle peppers, green chiles, garlic, onion, and spices, the Barbacoa sauce is nuanced and rich and adds insanely irresistible flavor to the beef and helps to replicate the flavor in authentic barbacoa meat. While this sauce uses a lot of ingredients, most you likely have on hand.
- Instant Pot: This recipe works with either a 6-quart Instant Pot or an 8-quart Instant Pot. If you are using a 3-quart Instant Pot, it is best to cut the recipe in half but leave the cooking time the same.
How to Make Instant Pot Barbacoa
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Blend the Barbacoa Sauce. Blending the ingredients together to create the sauce, makes this dish! The flavors marry together and form a rich, luscious sauce that will permeate the beef. You can use either a blender or a food processor to prepare the sauce.
- Cut the chuck roast into large chunks. This will help the beef to become unbelievably tender and allow more surface area for absorbing the flavorful sauce. Plus it will significantly speed up the cooking time.
- Sear the beef. You can certainly skip searing your beef, however, taking the do this, will add amazing texture to your final dish. If you skip searing the beef, add 5 minutes to the total cooking time.
- Allow for a natural pressure release. This will ensure the beef stays super tender.
- Finish with lime juice. Adding fresh lime juice will make the flavors pop and turn good Barbacoa beef into great Barbacoa beef.
Serving Suggestions
Whether served on tortillas, used to make burrito bowls, or as the filling for enchiladas, Instant Pot Barbacoa is a starting point for a delicious meal. Below are a few of my favorite ways to serve Instant Pot Barbacoa.
- Serve the barbacoa and cooking liquid over Instant Pot brown rice, Instant Pot cilantro lime rice, or pineapple rice for a sweet and savory combination.
- Drain off the cooking liquid and use the shredded meat to top tortillas or serve in hard taco shells. Top with shredded cabbage or diced avocado if desired.
- Replace the shredded chicken with this shredded Beef Barbacoa for the filling for delicious Enchiladas.
Recipe Modifications
- Gluten Free: Use your favorite gluten-free beer or use beef stock in its place.
- Frozen Chuck Roast? If already cut into large chunks, cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. If you are working with a whole chuck roast, cook for 60 minutes per pound. This is one recipe that needs a longer cooking time for the best results.
Storage Instructions
- Refrigerate: Allow the leftover Barbacoa to cool, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Once cooled, transfer the beef to a freezer-safe container leaving 1 inch of space for expansion, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: If needed, defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat several servings over low heat in a heavy-duty saucepan until warmed through. Alternatively, heat individual servings in a heat-safe dish in 30-second intervals until warmed through.
More Favorite Instant Pot Beef Recipes
- Instant Pot Beef Stew
- Instant Pot Short Ribs
- Instant Pot Beef Bourguignon
- Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Instant Pot French Dip
- Instant Pot Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Brisket
- Instant Pot Italian Beef
If you tried this Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment and review below.
Instant Pot Barbacoa
Made with a perfectly spiced sauce and tender chuck roast, Instant Pot Barbacoa, delivers authentic flavor in record time with easy to find ingredients.
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Servings: 10
Calories: 276kcal
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¾ cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 chipotles in adobo sauce plus 1 tablespoon sauce
- 4 ounces chopped green chiles
- 1 small yellow or white onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano Mexican oregano if you have it
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
For the Barbacoa
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- salt and pepper for seasoning meat
- ½ tablespoon oil
- ½ cup light lager beer or additional beef broth
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 medium lime
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor fitted with an S-blade, blend beef broth with chipotle chiles, green chiles, garlic, onion, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and cloves until well combined and the onion is broken down.
- Cut the beef into 3-4 inch cubes and season with salt and pepper.
- Turn the Instant Pot sauté and pour in the oil and let heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the seasoned beef and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Once the meat is browned, turn the Instant Pot OFF and remove the beef to a plate.
- Pour in the beer, or stock, and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot. Add the meat back into the inner pot and pour the blended sauce over the meat. Add in 2 bay leaves.
- Place the lid on the inner pot and be sure the vent knob is sealed. Cook on HIGH pressure for 60 minutes. Hit Manual/Pressure Cook and use +/- buttons to adjust until it reads 60.
- Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
- Open the instant pot and remove the bay leaves. Shred the beef using 2 forks right in the inner pot, or remove and shred in a large bowl if that is easier for you. Stir the shredded meat with the cooking liquid and the juice of fresh lime.
- Serve as desired.
Equipment Needed
Notes
Beer: Use a mild, pale lager such as Coors Light or Corona. Of course, feel free to omit the beer and replace it with additional beef stock.
Frozen Beef: If using cubed chuck roast, skip searing the beef, and cook for 90 minutes on high pressure. If using a whole chuck roast, cook for 60 minutes per pound.
Skip Searing: If you skip searing the beef cook for 65 minutes on high pressure.
Serving Suggestion: If using the beef as a filling for tacos, I recommend draining the shredded meat over a fine mesh strainer so that your tacos don’t get soggy. If serving over rice or in burrito bowls, use the sauce to flavor the rice.
Chipotle in Adobo Sauce: Use 2 chipotles and about 1 tablespoon of the sauce. You can freeze the remaining chipotles and sauce in the freezer to use in future recipes.
Leftovers: Store leftover barbacoa beef in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen in an freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 4mg
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BB
This flavor is amazing. So delicious with homemade tortillas.
Brenda
This turned out soooooo yummy. Very quick and easy to make. Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for sharing you enjoyed, Brenda!
Rick Clark, MISM (Captain, FA, USRA)
Oh what to say, what to say. TASTY! I have not been too great at making items with our recently acquired Instant Pot. We found a packet of La Tortilla Factory BARBACOA sauce in our kitchen cabinet while cleaning this past weekend. I used the packet (instead of Kristen's sauce - which we plan on trying later sometime) and a 1/2 cup of Jack Daniel's Downhome Punch. I followed the recipe - which is written superbly. WOW, WOW, WOW. Thanks for the great recipe and YouTube video.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rick! Thank you for sharing (and for your service!!) I am so happy this recipe turned out well for you and I hope you find many more recipes here to make your Instant Pot Shine!
Diana Carroll
I just made this today. It was very good. Luckily I halved the chipotles in the recipe and it was still plenty spicy. Flavor was great. We served it with tortillas and pico de gallo.
Kristen Chidsey
So happy you enjoyed!
Jami
This was very good! Made per recipe with beer.
Thank you!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for sharing Jami! So happy you enjoyed!
donnaQuixote
If you use the beef stock instead of the beer, use 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of the full teaspoon. Otherwise you may find it too salty! I love this. Perfect filling for tacos! So if it's not true "barbacoa" that's fine with me. We can call it barbacoa spiced rump roast and not go there.
Kris
This is absolutely delicious! I had 1# chuck roast left in freezer - there are only two of us. Made half the sauce. It was perfection. Fabulous flavor for tacos. Enough leftover to add to tonight's veggie rice bowl (husband will smile with addition.) Thanks for another great recipe Kristen. You are my go-to for all things Instant Pot. FYI, shared this recipe with two friends new to IP.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Kris and thanks for passing along the recipe!
canela
Although I’m sure this is tasty, this is NOT barbacoa by any stretch of the imagination. Real barbacoa is beef cheek meat. It is made by wrapping a whole beef head in burlap and the ton foil, and then placed in a deep pit in the ground on a grill (lowered in to the pit with rope) over low burning coals, and then covered with a large piece of sheet metal. Sand or dirt is then placed over the cover and then burning coals are placed on top of the sand/dirt. The meat slow cooks over the coals (usually over night). When done, the beef head is brought back up and the extremely tender meat is shredded, with the cheek meat usually separated, as it is the most desired. The brains, tongue, and eyes (yes, the eyes) are also consumed, although I’ve never been brave enough to eat the eyes. As we had a working ranch when I was young, this was a delicacy my father would make when we would slaughter a steer for our personal consumption. How I miss those days of my father making a “cabeza” for Sunday breakfast. Although you can easily find barbacoa in Southwest Texas, true pit barbacoa is hard to come by these days. If you’re ever in the area, do yourself a favor and try the real thing. I know it may put some people off, but believe me, it is delicious!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Love how easy this recipe is.
Izzy
The soft yet flavorful meat that comes out of the pot when it's done is just heavenly!
Kristen Chidsey
I agree, the meat is so tender!
Delisha
Hello, I intend to make this stew but I am not calling it Barbacoa. Barbacoa is beef or etc cheek meat it where the cook seasons a cow or bulls head and cooks it till the meat falls off. Now, I am going to cook this beef dish but I not going to call it Barbacoa cause I don't want my co workers talking about me in Spanish.
Kristen Chidsey
Whatever you call it, I hope you enjoy it!
Debbie
Interested in trying this but cannot do chipotle... can it be left out?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Debbie! The chipotle adds a lot of flavor, but my guess is that it would still be delicious omitting them!