I would say I’m having a secret love affair, except it’s no secret that I’m loving my Instant Pot. And ya’ll probably know that I love Mexcian & Southwestern food. And I’ve been known to stop by Chiptole’s Mexican Grill now & then. So it was just a matter of time, eh? for this Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef.
Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef
I’ve been seriously craving Chipotle’s Barbacoa beef for a while. Already on my site, I have Braised Mexican Shredded Beef and Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef. They’re both seriously delish, but they’re different than Chipotle’s Barbacoa Beef.
About Your Copycat Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef:
If you’ve had Chipotle’s, you know none of their meats are spicy on their own. The barbacoa beef has a good, peppery kick, though, that I wanted to copycat. So off I went to Chipotle’s site where they list an Ingredient Statement for every item they serve.
The list is short & simple & in no time I had an Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef to tame all my cravings! And maybe yours, too! I wish I had that when I developed my copycat version of Chipotle’s chicken in my Tastes Like Chicken, Chipotle’s Chicken post!
You’ll want to make Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef all the time: it’s delish, easy and quick. There’s no browning the meat because Chipotle doesn’t. You’ll saute the garlic just to take the raw taste off, but that’s a but bonus: it heats up the IP & that means it will come up to pressure fast. Then let time do the work while you relax.
Rick Bayless Brick Red Mole over Shredded Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas
What to do with Your Copycat Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef:
There’s so much you can make with your Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef. If you’re wanting burritos or bowls, take a look at my Chipotle’s Cilantro Lime Rice & my Chipotle’s Copycat Pico de Gallo. The links are all at the bottom of this page.
Other ideas? Tacos, tostadas, flautas, or maybe Chimichangas, like my Steak Chimichangas with a Green Chili Verde Sauce, link at bottom of the page. Just sub out the Copycat Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef for the steak. A recipe for Beef Enchiladas is coming soon. (You’ll need about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of the Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef for enchiladas.) Update: My Rick Bayless’ Brick Red Mole with Shredded Barbacoa Beef Enchiladas Recipe is posted, just in time for Cinco de Mayo!
Steak Chimichangas with Green Chile Verde Sauce
What to do with the liquid from Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef:
The Instant Pot needs enough liquid to pressurize (usually at least a cup) so there’s usually extra liquid when the food is finished. If you’re making soup or stew or a recipe that thickens those juices into a sauce it’s no problem. In a case like Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef, strain off the juices so your tacos or burrito don’t get soggy, but don’t toss them. Flavorful juices are like gold!
These juices (about 2 1/2 cups) are intense and make a fantastic base for all kinds of Mexican soups. It would be great in a taco soup, enchilada soup, pozole or tortilla soup. I’m using mine in Caldo de Res, a Mexican Beef Stew/Soup; you’ll need to save 1 to 2 cups of the beef for the soup.
Pro Tip: When you cook in the Instant Pot and have liquid left, taste and decide how you can use it. Can it be thickened or reduced for a sauce or maybe saved to use later in a soup or gravy?
Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef. You can see juices in the barbacoa. You’ll want to strain it and save those juices.
Saving Money on Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef:
Don’t you hate it when you buy something & then it goes on sale, especially beef which can be expensive? Beef can go on sale for many reasons, and the cheaper cuts like the round, rump or sirloin usually go on sale around a big holiday. Stock up & freeze when you see these sales.
Why holidays? There’s a demand for the fancier celebration cuts and something has to be done with the rest of the beef. Even if you don’t observe these holidays, watch for sales after Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years (especially New Years) Valentine’s Day and Easter. Sales won’t be as good during the summer. Beef production is down, the cheaper cuts are used for ground beef & ground beef consumption rises with the grilling season.
I used canned Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce instead of dried Chipotle peppers like Chipotle. Dried can be harder to find & requires more prep. Put the rest of the can in a Ziploc in your freezer. When you need chipotle pepper, give it a short sit on the counter & and it will be easy to pull one or two out.
Notice the recipe calls for a cup of beef broth. If you’re planning on making soup with the juices left after the barbacoa is cooked, save the remainder of the beef broth for the soup. If not, and you don’t have an immediate use for the broth, freeze it for later recipes.
Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef
Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa
Serve this copycat Instant Pot Barbacoa in tacos, burritos, on tostadas or in bowls. This beef makes an excellent enchilada.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 80 minutes
- Total Time: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, Mexican preferred
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt (use the lesser amount if broth is salty)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 1/2 pounds beef roast (rump, round or sirloin) cut in 3 to 4 chunks
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic (2 to 3 cloves)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 chipotle peppers from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for mild, 3 for medium, 4 for hot, roughly chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
Mix together the cumin, black pepper, oregano, salt, and cloves. Rub onto the beef.
Add oil to Instant Pot and heat using the Saute function. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it becomes fragrant. Add the broth, then nestle the beef (along with any spices that might not have adhered to the beef) into the broth. Sprinkle with the chipotle peppers (do the best as you can, they might stick together, but don’t fuss with it) and drop in the bay leaves.
Cancel out the Saute function, seal the Instant Pot and set to High Pressure, 65 minutes. When finished, quick release. Shred the beef as desired right in the pot. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, optional.
Place beef in a strainer over a bowl and drain the juices. Serve. Reserve the juices if you wish to make soup.
Notes
Use leaner cut of meat like rump, round or sirloin so you won’t have to skim.
Speed this recipe up a little by heating the Instant Pot and sauteing the garlic as you prepare the beef; be careful not to burn the garlic.
Using a slow cooker? Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 4 to 6 hours.
The three recipes I made with the Instant Pot Chipotle’s Barbacoa include Rick Bayless’ Brick Red Mole over Shredded Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas and Shortcut Caldo de Res.
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I’ll be bringing my Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa Beef to Fiesta Friday #220, hosted this week by Jhuls, the NotsoCreativeCook (don’t believe that for a minute, you’ll love her blog) and moi! Yes, I’ll be visiting each post by every blogger on Fiesta Friday. Please stop by and take a peek, and if you’re a blogger, join in. We’d love to have you!
I’ll also be linking up to Share It One More Time Inspiration Party.
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