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Mexican Shredded Beef is a staple filling for tacos and burritos.  The restaurant chain Chipotle took this style of beef to the masses under the name Barbacoa.  This is our recipe for Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef.

Go To Recipe

We first came across the term Barbacoa in our Sunset Mexican Cookbook dated 1991.  This was long before we ate at Chipotle, which was founded in 1993.  Our recipe, which evolved from the Sunset cookbook is based more on the recipe for Enchiladas de Ropas Viejas.

Ropas Viejas is Spanish for old clothes and more of a Cuban dish.  Meanwhile, Barbacoa is Spanish for barbecue.  So, we have settled on Mexican Shredded Beef.  This is how most Mexican restaurants in the San Diego area refer to this filling.

With the Instant Pot, this is an incredibly easy dish to make.  You simply brown the roast.  Add the ingredients and cook at high pressure for 50 minutes and allow to natural release. As always I add about 40 minutes for the Instant Pot to build up and then release pressure.

The spice level on this dish is on the moderate side.  You can add more chili powder to increase the heat.  You can also substitute a can (or two) of diced jalapenos for the green chilis.  I like to use our homemade chili powder made from dried chilis.

Cole Cooks: Homemade Chili Powder

Chili powder is an essential ingredient in many recipes.  Of course, it is convenient to buy pre-prepared chili powder in the store.  However, this is an easy spice to make on your own.  Our homemade chili powder will improve your recipes and also save you money in the long term. Go To Recipe The key […]

We use this recipe in many dishes.  A 2-pound roast should provide enough filling for 8 burritos, 20 tacos or 30 tamales.

Of course, making tacos and burritos are easy.  If you want to make tamales using our Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef be sure and check out our full guide.

For a different take on this recipe see our beef birria.  Birria is more of a stew and can be made with several types of meat (in Mexico goat is very common).

Cole Cooks: Guide to Instant Pot Tamales

Tamales are one of those Mexican dishes you don’t find in many restaurants.  This is because they are labor intensive.  However, with proper planning, you can make your own tamales that are better than most any you can buy commercially.  This is our guide to Instant Pot Tamales. The good news is that by planning […]

Make sure and check out our Top 10 Instant Pot Recipes.

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The Instant Pot is an incredible tool.  This is a guide to Fun Diego Family’s top 10 Instant Pot Recipes. Overview For basic information on an check out our guide to top 10 Instant Pot tips. We primarily use the Instant Pot as a pressure cooker.  It also works as a sauté pot.  Most of our […]

Which Instant Pot to Buy

There are quite a few variations on the Instant Pot.  Our recommendation is to keep it simple and buy the basic 6-quart version.  This is what we own and we do not use all the features.  More expensive versions have additional functions, but we like to keep it basic.  Our version was $100 but we can usually find it for about $70.

Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef

Dave Cole

This version of Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef is similar to the Barbacoa beef found at the Chipotle chain.  It is a common filling for burritos, tacos, tamales and other Mexican dishes 

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8 burritos

Ingredients

  

• 2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cups beef broth
• 2 4 ounce cans diced green chilis can substitute diced jalapenos for extra spice
• 1 onion diced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat oil in a skillet or Instant Pot. Add roast and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow to natural release.
• Remove meat to plate and shred with two forks. Remove bay leaves and add meat back to the sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Serve or refrigerate for later use.

Keyword Instant Pot Mexican Shredded Beef

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