The Instant Pot was one of the many blessings I discovered at the beginning of the 2020 lockdown. This silver lining in stressful times has been the gift that has kept giving even now. Alongside my Instant Pot I have discovered many Instant Pot cookbooks with a plethora of delicious recipes. One such cookbook is The Complete Instant Pot Collection, where I found this recipe for Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 lb. (1.5 kg) boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbs. canola oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped, plus more for serving (optional)
- 1 cup (240 ml) beef stock
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbs. ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
- 4 chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 2 Tbs. sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
For serving
- Warmed corn or flour tortillas
- Steamed white or brown rice
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Prepare
- First, pat the beef cubes dry with a paper towel and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Select Sauté on the Instant Pot and heat the oil.
- Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
- Transfer to a plate as browned. Add the onion and 2 Tbs. of the stock and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and scraping up any browned bits, for 3 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic, cumin and oregano and stir to combine, 1 minute.
- Press the Cancel button to reset the program.
- Add the remaining stock, the chiles and their sauce, lime juice, sugar, cloves, bay leaves, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper, and stir to combine.
- Return the beef and its juices to the pot, nestling it in snugly. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing. Press the Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 30 minutes at high pressure.
- Let the steam release naturally, or for at least 15 minutes, before turning the valve to Venting to quick-release any residual steam. Carefully remove the lid and use tongs to transfer the beef pieces to a plate.
- Press the Cancel button to rest the program and then select Sauté. Using tongs, transfer the beef to a large bowl and, using 2 forks, shred the beef.
- Then bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Transfer to a bowl and use a spoon to skim the fat off the top.
- Transfer to a blender and blend at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sauce to the beef and stir.
- Finally, serve in tortillas with cilantro and additional chopped onion, if using, with lime wedges alongside. Serves 6 to 8.
