If you love Chipotle, you’re going to love this Instant Pot beef barbacoa recipe made with simple sauce ingredients. From start to finish it only takes 60 min to make in the pressure cooker. This beef recipe is so tender it tastes like it’s been cooking all day!
This is the BEST Instant Pot barbacoa shredded beef I have ever tried – super tender beef, juicy, EASY and bursting with rich flavors! Enjoy this delicious meal for dinner for the entire family or serve it for large crowds or make ahead meals and makes the best tacos, burritos, nachos, salads, etc! We love serving our Chipotle Corn Salsa with it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You can serve this traditional Mexican dish in so many ways. My favorite ways are making barbacoa tacos in corn tortillas or burrito bowls with cilantro lime rice.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our Instant Pot beef barbacoa, you need the following ingredients:
- Protein: you will need to get a beef chuck roast that is trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes or bite-sized pieces
- Oil: to get the perfect serve on the beef roast use olive oil you already have on hand
- Cooking liquid: all you will need is water to pair with the other sauces
- Sauce: get your favorite brand of enchilada sauce and Worcestershire sauce
- Chilies: a can of mild diced green chiles will work perfect
- Chipotles: mince up chipotle chiles in adobo sauce to add heat levels and flavor
- Juice: add lime juice for fresh flavor
- Vinegar: using apple cider vinegar helps boost the savory profiles of this shredded barbacoa
- Sugar: add brown sugar to pair perfectly with the little heat from the chipotle chilies
- Smoke: adding a little bit of liquid smoke (depending on how “smoky” you like it) can be a great option for adding robust flavor
- Seasonings: use a combination of ground cumin, dried oregano, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and bay leaves
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa
- Push SAUTE button on the Instant Pot.
- Add olive oil to the pot and let it heat up. Add cubed beef and sear on all sides of the meat (takes about 5-6 minutes).
- Pour in the water and “deglaze” the bottom of the Instant Pot with a wooden spatula to prevent the “burn” notice from happening.
- Dump in the rest of the ingredients on top of the beef and stir to combine.
- Push CANCEL button to stop the saute.
- Put the lid on and turn the knob to SEALING. Set the timer for 30 minutes.
- When it is done cooking, do a QUICK RELEASE of the pressure. Remove beef to a cutting board (do NOT discard juices), and shred if desired.
- Add meat back to Instant Pot and toss with juices.
- Remove beef with a pair of tongs to serving bowl or strain in colander so that it doesn’t make your food soggy.
- We love to serve this over cooked rice with your favorite toppings, but it’s also delicious on tacos, nachos, salads, or in enchiladas.
Expert Tips
- For even more flavor, replace the water with beef broth.
- Turn this into a slow cooker recipe by using our slow cooker Chipotle barbacoa beef recipe.
- Don’t miss the searing of the meat as it is the best way to make tender barbacoa.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Fridge: Place any leftover shredded beef into an airtight container and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: To reheat the tender meat, place it in the microwave for 1 minute, and then 30 second increments until you have reached your desired temperature.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this recipe with our Mexican Street Corn Salad, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, and Slow Cooker Refried Beans. You can find more Mexican-inspired recipes here.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the best results, you will want a fattier cut of meat with connective tissue, like a chuck roast or beef shoulder.
Our preferred shredded beef taco toppings include the following: sour cream, chopped red onion, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, fresh lime juice, and chopped romaine lettuce.
The number of chipotle peppers you use in this easy chipotle barbacoa recipe will determine how spicy the meat turns out. If you prefer less spice 2-3 will do. If you embrace the spice, use 4-5 of the chilies.
Enjoy More Delicious Beef Main Dishes
The possibilities for delicious beef main dishes are endless, from cuts of meat like steak or roast, to family-friendly ground beef dishes, explore our comprehensive collection of beef recipes.
- Instant Pot Beef Tips and Gravy
- Instant Pot Chili Beef Burritos
- Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
- Instant Pot Italian Beef Roast
- Instant Pot Mama’s Pot Roast
- Instant Pot Pepper Steak
- Instant Pot Steak Fajitas
Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 3-5 pound beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into cubes or bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup mild red enchilada sauce
- 8 ounces canned mild diced green chiles
- 2 chipotles in adobo sauce, (more or less to taste), minced
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1-3 teaspoon liquid smoke, (depending on how "smoky" you like it)
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon ground oregano
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Push SAUTE button on the Instant Pot.
- Add olive oil to the pot and let it heat up. Add cubed beef and sear on all sides of the meat (takes about 5-6 minutes).
- Pour in the water and "deglaze" the bottom of the Instant Pot with a wooden spatula to prevent the "burn" notice from happening.
- Dump in the rest of the ingredients on top of the beef and stir to combine.
- Push CANCEL button to stop the saute.
- Put the lid on and turn the knob to SEALING. Set the timer for 30 minutes.
- When it is done cooking, do a QUICK RELEASE of the pressure. Remove beef to a cutting board (do NOT discard juices), and shred if desired.
- Add meat back to Instant Pot and toss with juices.
- Remove beef with a pair of tongs to serving bowl or strain in colander so that it doesn't make your food soggy.
- We love to serve this over cooked rice with your favorite toppings, but it's also delicious on tacos, nachos, salads, or in enchiladas.
Notes
Nutrition
Video
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This tasted just like the Chipotle version, and it was so easy to make!