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Revamp taco night with a kick of spice with these Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef Tacos. This flavorful meat is deliciously seasoned and cooked until perfectly tender. Layer it in tortillas with all your favorite toppings your next taco night!
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Did you get gifted an Instant Pot this holiday season? The Instant Pot is a single appliance that does the job of seven (yes, seven!) different kitchen appliances. It can handle the tasks of a slow cooker, electric pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté/browning pan, and a warming pot. Think of all those appliances taking up space in your kitchen that can be replaced by one.
Don’t be intimidated by this new appliance. Read up on these 7 Things You Need to Know About Your Instant Pot before you get started.
What is barbacoa?
Barbacoa refers to the method of cooking meat. Barbacoa is an authentic Mexican dish typically made with a cut of beef head meat, like beef cheek. When cooked long and slow it becomes extra tender. It is traditionally seasoned with dried chilies and spices and slowly cooked.
Barbacoa is now used to refer to a seasoned beef, that has been slow-cooked.
Choosing lean beef
Forget about sacrificing taste for nutrition. These lean beef cuts are chock-full of flavor and 10 essential nutrients. Beef can only be claimed as “lean” if the cut of beef is less than 10g total fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat and less than 95 mg of cholesterol per 100-gram serving.
Beef chuck
Beef chuck is a primal cut that comes from the shoulder area and yields cuts known for their rich, beefy flavor. Beef chuck is ideal for slow cooking to yield tender beef.
Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef Tacos
- Yield: 6
- Category: meat
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: mexican
Description
Revamp taco night with these Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef Tacos! This flavorful meat is deliciously seasoned and cooked until perfectly tender. Layer it in tortillas with all your favorite toppings your next taco night!
Ingredients
For the beef barbacoa:
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 chipotle peppers (from a can in adobo sauce – reserve sauce), chopped
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 pounds beef chuck, fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
For the tacos:
Tortillas, soft or hard shells
Sliced avocado
Pickled onions
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
Instructions
- Press the “saute” setting on the Instant Pot. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until heated and shimmering. Add the onion and garlic, saute for 1-2 minutes until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Press “cancel” to turn off the heat.
- Remove contents from the Instant Pot into a food processor and add beef broth, apple cider vinegar, and lime juice. Pulse until smooth and set aside.
- Press the “saute” setting on the Instant Pot. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until heated and shimmering. In batches, add beef and brown all sides. Be mindful not to overcrowd the pan. Repeat until all beef is browned. Press “cancel” and turn off the heat.
- Add all the beef, bay leaves, and reserved sauce in the Instant Pot. Stir well to combine. Close lid securely and set vent to “sealing”. Press “manual”, then press “Pressure” until the light on “High Pressure” lights up, then add 60 minutes of cook time.
- When cook time is complete, very carefully, turn the vent to “venting” for quick release, and wait until all of the steam has released.
- Remove the lid and discard the bay leaves. Using two forks, shred the beef into bite-sized pieces. Stir shredded beef with the juices so it can soak up all the flavor.
- Assemble tacos by layering beef barbacoa on a tortilla and top with avocado, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. Serve with a lime wedge on the side.
Keywords: beef, tacos, barbacoa, instant pot
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Other ways to use beef barbacoa
This Instant Pot barbacoa beef is so flavorful and tender, and it’s so versatile!
- Tacos
- Burritos (wraps or bowls)
- Salads
- Nachos
- Quesadillas
- Enchiladas
- Or just about any other use, you can think of for spicy shredded beef
Ooh, this looks really good. I’ve been in a food rut with my instant pot and my children are pretty opposed to roast beef. But they recently discovered Chipotle….so maybe this would go over well. I hope so! I look forward to trying this recipe.
I just made my first instant pot recipe – such an amazing tool to use!
LOVE instant pot recipes. These sounds amazing. Can’t wait to try!
What a delicious recipe! I just got an instant pot right before Christmas so I cannot wait to try this one out
★★★★★
My kids will love these tacos! And momma loves that they can be made in an Instant Pot 😉
I’ve somehow never cooked with adobo! Will have to get some for taco night next week 🙂
These tacos sound so yummy! Love that they’re made in the Instant Pot!
This looks so delicious! I really like barbacoa better than ground beef in tacos
I love the smoky flavor that adobo imparts. These tacos sound amazing!