zenbelly

recipes for real life

Instantpot Barbacoa

by 22 Comments

Okay let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: Instantpot Barbacoa is kind of an oxymoron, because it’s practically the opposite of the real deal. But since most of us aren’t digging pits in our backyards to cook whole goats or cow heads in, it has been adapted to be more accessible to the average home cook.

instantpot barbacoa

instantpot barbacoa

And since the Instantpot exists and people are no longer terrified of pressure cooking, we might as well adapt it even further so we can have dinner on the table even quicker. Because I’m guessing a good percentage of you don’t actually have all the time in the world.

It honestly pained me a little bit to just dump all of the ingredients in at once. No sautéing, no searing… It felt pretty foreign to me. But I had to try it, because I’m all for simplifying things when possible. I’m happy to report that the end result was fantastic- Simple wins.

instantpot barbacoa

Going all out for Taco Tuesday? Serve this with Plantain Tortillas, Strawberry Salsa, Guacamole, and Watermelon Margaritas or Palomas for sipping!

instantpot barbacoa

Print

Instantpot Barbacoa

instantpot barbacoa
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 4 reviews

So simple, so flavorful, done in under an hour!

  • Author: Simone Miller
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 65 minutes
  • Yield: 4 - 6 servings
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Mexican, South American

Ingredients

For the Barbacoa:

  • 3 pounds beef chuck, (cut into 2-inch pieces)
  • 1 medium onion, (diced)
  • 4–5 garlic cloves, (minced)
  • 1 jalapeño, (seeded and minced)
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1  tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons  chipotle powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

For the Quick Pickled Red Onions

  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 10 whole allspice
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 medium red onion, (sliced)

Instructions

To make the Barbacoa:

  1. Stir together all of the ingredients in your Instantpot.
  2. Secure the lid and set the valve to sealing.
  3. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
  4. After the cooking cycle is complete, press the cancel button and allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes before turning the valve to venting to release the remaining pressure.
  5. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and shred it using two forks or tongs.
  6. To reduce the cooking liquid: set the Instant Pot to saute and allow to reduce for about 20 minutes, or until it’s thickened and reduced significantly, to about 1 cup. (Timing on this will depend on how much liquid was created while the beef was cooking; it will vary with the fattiness of the meat, water content of onions, etc.)
  7. Stir the beef back into the cooking liquid.
  8. Serve with Plantain Tortillas, quick pickled red onions (recipe follows), and your favorite taco fixins!

To make the Quick Pickled Red Onions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients except for the onion in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.
  2. Add the onion and cook for a minute.
  3. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit and then pour into a jar. Refrigerate until very cold.

Notes

Variation: You can pickle just about any vegetable in this mixture. I added sliced carrots to the extra liquid and cooked them for a couple minutes and then added sliced jalapeño to make escabeche.

 


All of the links on zenbelly.com are for information purposes, however some are affiliate links to books, products or services. Any sponsored posts are clearly labelled as being sponsored content. Some ads on this site are served by ad networks and the advertised products are not necessarily recommended by Zenbelly.

you might also like:

Comments

  1. I love all of your recipes and usually figure out how to make them without nightshades. Can you think of any substitutions for this wonderful recipe that might make it spicy but nightshade free??? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Sheryll! Spicy without nightshades is tough… Ginger and horseradish are the nightshade-free spicy things that come to mind, but they’re not exactly the right flavor profile. Can you do seed spices? If so, the cumin and coriander add a lot of flavor and you could up the garlic and add more lime juice and fresh cilantro at the end. My recommendation would be to keep it simple and serve it with flavorful stuff, like fruit salsas, guacamole etc. I hope that helps! I wish there was a magical spicy ingredient that wasn’t a nightshade!

      Reply

  2. I made this tonight with no changes and it was very good. The meat was tender and flavorful. But the total time you have (45 minutes) is too short – it does not include time for the pot to come to pressure, 20 minutes for natural pressure release, or 20-30 minutes to reduce the sauce.



    Reply

    • thanks for pointing that out, Lauren! I will edit accordingly. This is one of the first recipes I converted to the recipe card and am still figuring it out! Thanks for the review.

      Reply

  3. If I were to double this in the instapot (this was my very first instapot recipe I made btw!) would the cook time in the instapot change? Double the cook time?

    Reply

  4. I made this today for dinner…WOW!!!! I followed the directions and measurements for the barbacoa as is and it turned out Awesome! For the pickled veggies, I used 1/2 a red onion, 2 carrots, and a jalapeño, because I like variety plus it looked pretty in your photo….tasted GREAT! I also made it with your Charred Corn Salad recipe…that’s a real winner, too!!!! Thanks for making recipes that make food taste way better than a lot of restaurants!!!!!



    Reply

  5. I have made in my crockpot with great results but lost your alternative instructions to cook in crockpot. Can you please repost crock pot instructions for this recipe?

    Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Privacy Policy