Instant Pot Barbacoa
My Instant Pot Barbacoa lies somewhere between traditional fire pits covered with agave leaves and the chow line at Chipotle. This amazing weeknight friendly meal is authentic(ish), super tasty, and so quick ~ taco night will never be the same.
Servings: 10 servings
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
- Vitamix blender, food processor, or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 2-2 1/2 lb boneless beef brisket, cut in large chunks. You might also use a chuck roast.
- 3 bay leaves
marinade
- 3 Tbsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I like to puree the contents of the can first)
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp whole cloves
sauce
- 3 dried guajillo peppers
- juice of 1 large orange
- juice of 1 large lime
- 1/2 cup beer
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp each salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Toss the meat chunks with the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or zip lock freezer bag, making sure to coat all surfaces of the meat well. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Do this in the morning before work if you like.
- Soak the dried peppers in very hot water for 15 minutes, then pat dry. Toast them in a hot dry pan just until they start to take on color, this happens fast, about a minute or so. Trim the stem ends and slice them into pieces. Add to a blender with the rest of the sauce ingredients and puree until very smooth.
- You'll brown your meat right in the Instant Pot (we're not pressure cooking yet.) Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pot, and press the SAUTE button. Set it to MORE, which is the hottest saute setting. Different machines do this differently, but basically you want to be sauteeing on the highest temperature. Note: you do not use the cover when you saute. When the pot is hot, brown the meat, working in batches. Brown on all sides and then remove the browned meat to a plate.
- Press CANCEL to turn off the machine. Pour in the pureed sauce and stir to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back into the pot and combine well. Add the bay leaves.
- Cover and lock the lid. Set the vent to SEAL. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 60 minutes.
- When the machine beeps done after 60 minutes, switch the vent to VENT and wait for the pressure to come down. Remove the meat to a plate to cool a bit. Remove and discard the bay leaves. I like to thicken my sauce at this point. Just press SAUTE and set it to the highest temperature. The sauce will bubble away and thicken up. Taste it to add more salt or any other seasoning. Note: you do not use the cover when you saute.
- Shred the meat with 2 forks. Add back to the sauce and stir to combine. Your barbacoa is ready! Serve with corn tortillas and toppings of your choice.
- Some say barbacoa is even better the next day, so feel free to make this ahead.
Notes
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce come in a small 7 ounce can. I like to puree the contents for easy measuring. Be aware that this stuff is hot and spicy, so go easy until you are familiar with them. Freeze any extra in a zip lock baggie for next time.