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Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef is made easy at home in under two hours! This Chipotle copycat recipe has tender Mexican shredded beef loaded with flavors like chipotle peppers, garlic, and spices. It is perfect for tacos, burritos, salads, and more!
For more Mexican recipes, try my Sopa de Fideo or White Chicken Enchiladas.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Chipotle Copycat Recipe – While we like stopping by Chipotle occasionally, I definitely prefer to make it myself if I can. I can control the heat level, have tons of leftovers, and save money in the process.
- Easy To Make – This is one of those recipes you’ll make again and again, partially because of how easy it is! Just sear the beef, blend up the sauce, then toss everything into the Instant Pot and let it do the rest of the work.
- Instant Pot Recipe – I love making slow cooked recipes in the Instant Pot. It gives that same tender meat as you get in a crockpot but in a fraction of the time.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Ingredient Notes
- Beef Roast – Look for a shoulder or chuck roast with great marbling, and be sure to trim off any big chunks of excess fat before cooking.
- Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – This makes the Barbacoa really delicious and adds a fantastic smoky heat.
- Brown Sugar – Optional, but balances the spicy heat nicely with a bit of sweetness.
How To Make Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
- Prep & brown beef. Cut the beef roast into chunks and season them, then sear in your Instant Pot in batches. Transfer the meat to a plate to rest.
- Make the barbacoa sauce. Create your barbacoa sauce by combining garlic, chipotle chilies, beef broth, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, and cloves in a food processor. You may also add a bit of brown sugar here for a bit of sweetness if you’d like.
- Add ingredients to the Instant Pot. Splash some beef broth into the pot to deglaze it, scraping any browned bits of beef from the bottom because that’s where a ton of flavor is. Return the beef to the pot, pour the sauce over the top, and add a bay leaf or two.
- Cook. Secure and seal the Instant Pot lid and pressure gauge. Press the Manual-High button and cook for an hour, then allow a full natural pressure release which will take about 15 minutes. Remove the lid carefully and remove the bay leaf. Shred the barbacoa beef with two forks while tossing it with the sauce.
What is Barbacoa?
Barbacoa is an authentic Mexican dish typically made with goat, lamb, or beef. It is traditionally cooked in a clay pot underground overnight, seasoned with spices, herbs, and dried chilies.
Of course, there are much quicker and easier ways to get a delicious Barbacoa on the table for your family, like this Instant Pot version! The spicy, juicy beef is a delicious filling for tacos, burritos, salads, and any other tasty Mexican recipes you can think of.
Serving Suggestions
Because Barbacoa is an intensely flavorful meat, simple toppings will pair well. I like to tuck the beef into corn tortillas, topping it with chopped red onion and cilantro and maybe some sour cream or guacamole.
Barbacoa can also be stuffed into burritos and quesadillas or served on top of nachos or Mexican rice bowls with your favorite toppings. Make it ahead of time for parties and warm in the oven or Instant Pot.
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Store leftover barbacoa beef within 2 hours of cooking. Refrigerate in a tightly sealed container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 4 months.
Recipe Tips
- No Beef Broth? Substitute chicken broth.
- Chipotle Peppers – I highly recommend following the recipe as written with the canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, but if needed you could also swap in some cayenne pepper. Just note that cayenne will add plenty of heat, but less of that smoky rich flavor from the adobo sauce.
- Adjust The Spice Level – You can easily make the recipe milder by reducing the amount of chipotle peppers, though I would recommend adding a little more of the adobo sauce for flavor. To make this Barbacoa more spicy, add in more chipotle peppers or a bit of cayenne.
- Slow Cooker Method – I recommend searing the beef first, but you can skip it if you want. Cook the beef on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Barbacoa beef should be super tender and fall apart easily once it’s done.
- Oven Method – Using a dutch oven, sear the beef on the stovetop on medium-high heat. Add the blended up sauce to the pot, put the lid on it, and place in a preheated 325°F oven for 3-4 hours or until it falls apart easily.
More Beef Recipes
- Grilled Skirt Steak with Mojo Mustard Butter
- Carne Asada Street Tacos
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast
- Easy 3-Ingredient Chili Recipe
- 27 Simple Ground Beef Recipes
More Instant Pot Dinners
Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 pounds Beef chuck roast I recommend a shoulder or chuck roast with good marbling
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 4 Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 4 cloves Garlic
- ½ cup Beef broth can substitue with chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons Lime juice
- 3 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons Ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons Brown sugar optional
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cloves
- 2 Bay leaves
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to Saute. Drizzle oil inside and heat until displays reads HOT.
- Cut the roast into 3 pieces and season with salt and pepper. Sear the chunks of beef in the Instant Pot on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Press Cancel. Remove beef to a plate and splash some beef broth into the pot and deglaze.
- Add the remaining ingredients (except the bay leaves) to a food processor and blend until mostly smooth.
- Return beef to pot. Pour chipotle sauce over the roast and turn to coat; add bay leaves. Secure lid and pressure valve. Cook on Manual High for 60 minutes, and allow a full natural release.
- Remove and discard bay leaves, then shred beef with two forks, tossing well in the sauce to coat.
- Serve in tacos or nachos, or in burrito bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
