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How to make Chipotle Barbacoa recipe at home. A simple, easy recipe you could use to make Chipotle-inspired barbacoa burritos and tacos at home. A hearty shredded beef that’s ready in about 2 hours.
Going out to eat is nice, but what if you could recreate one of your favorite dishes right at home? This Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe is so simple to make. It not only tastes great, but you will feel as though you’re eating out, not in.
Knowing that in just two hours I can have a hearty shredded beef, I get excited. Sometimes I don’t even know what I’m going to cook until a few hours before dinner. This recipe is living proof that with protein and seasonings, you can make the bulk of your meal quickly.
The sauce this recipe uses is full of fresh ingredients. Once the barbacoa is complete, you can add the sauce, and then you will be amazed! Don’t be surprised if you start making this sauce for other recipes! Learning how to make meat in a pressure cooker versus the stovetop is going to change your life!
Be sure to try my slow cooker carnitas and Instant Pot loaded potato soup too!
What is Barbacoa?
If you’ve ever heard a friend refer to something as barbacoa, you may be wondering what that means. Simply put, barbacoa means barbeque in Spanish. There are a lot of meats that you can BBQ! This recipe calls for a chuck roast, but you can really use any meat you’d like and BBQ it. Traditionally, barbacoa is made out of beef, lamb, or pork.
Ingredients
You may think that Chipotle Barbacoa takes a ton of ingredients, but it doesn’t. With 7 ingredients, you can place the barbacoa in an Instant Pot and make it! Check out the ingredients below and make sure you have everything on hand.
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup beef broth
- 4 ounces green chiles
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & pepper
For the sauce:
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- ½ yellow onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon allspice
You can usually find chuck roast on sale! If you find it on sale, then make sure you freeze it, until you’re ready to use it.
How To Make Barbacoa in an Instant Pot
This Chipotle Barbacoa recipe tastes great in the Instant Pot and it’s super easy to make! In fact, Instant Pot Barbacoa is changing the way I cook my tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
- Take all of the ingredients for the sauce and blend them until they are smooth!
- Take the chuck roast you want to use and cut it into 3 or 4 large chunks. You can season it with salt and pepper.
- Turn on the Instant Pot to the Saute setting. When it gets hot enough, you are going to add a little oil to the IP and then add the beef.
- Brown the meat on both sides. Each side should cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Once you are done with that, put the meat to the side.
- Take everything out of the pot and turn the pot off.
- When you take everything out of the pot, add in green chiles and tomato paste, and give it a stir.
- Place the chuck roast back in the pot, pour the sauce over it and then add the bay leaves.
- Put the lid on the IP and set to sealing. Set the roast on manual mode for 60 minutes.
- When the time is up, allow it to naturally release for around 15 minutes.
- Throw the bay leaves in the trash. Shred the beef and then add everything back into the pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Making Chipotle Barbacoa in the Crockpot is pretty simple. You are going to place the chuck roast in the crockpot, along with the olive oil, beef broth, green chiles, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Everything is going to cook at a slow pace for about 8 hours and by the end of the day, this slow cooker barbacoa is going to be ready for you!
For this recipe, you are going to use a chuck roast. However, you can also use beef, goat, or lamb for the official recipe.
For this recipe, barbacoa sauce is made of beef broth, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, yellow onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, ground cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, lime juice, and allspice.
Biting into barbacoa for the first time, you would feel as though you were tasting something very savory. There are a lot of spices that go into this dish. The beef is going to be very tender. As you bite into it, you may taste a little tanginess and a little sweetness from the variety of flavors. When something cooks in the slow cooker all day, it’s going to be so tender!
Carnitas and barbacoa are both slow-cooked, usually. Carnitas is pork shoulder and barbacoa can be beef, pork, or lamb. Once carnitas are done though, you can pan fry them in a skillet until they are crisp.
How To Store Barbacoa Beef
Anytime you have beef that you need to store in the fridge, always make sure it’s cooled down before placing it in the fridge.
Take an airtight container and place the barbacoa beef inside of the container. Place it in the fridge and consume it within 3-5 days after making it.
How to Freeze it
Making this Chipotle Barbacoa Recipe is a good idea because once you make it, you can shred it with two forks, and then you can freeze it.
- Make sure the meat is cooled down.
- Place it in an airtight container.
- Place the barbacoa in the freezer for 3-6 months
The meat is best consumed sooner, rather than later.
What To Serve With Barbacoa
Serve with warm tortillas, shredded or crumbled Mexican cheese, diced tomatoes, onions, or your favorite taco toppings. Also, try serving it with the dishes below for a meal the entire family will love.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use a can of chipotles - If you don’t have fresh chipotles on hand, you can use a can!
- Change up how you serve the meat - You can serve the meat in tacos or burritos. You can also serve it with rice and beans.
More Mexican Inspired Dinners
- Mexican Grilled Corn Salad (Esquites)
- Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Pulled Pork Tacos
INGREDIENTS
For the meat:
- 3 pounds chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup beef broth
- 4 ounces green chiles
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & pepper
For the sauce:
- ½ cup beef broth
- 2 chipotle peppers
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- ½ yellow onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon allspice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all of the ingredients for the sauce in a blender and blend them until they are smooth.
- Cut the roast into 3 or 4 large chunks. Season with salt and pepper.
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute. When hot, add oil and the beef. Brown on both sides for about 3 to 4 minutes each side. Then remove meat and set aside. You may have to work in batches if your roast is large.
- Turn Instant Pot Off. Deglaze the pot with beef broth, scraping up any cooked-on bits. Add in green chiles and tomato paste, and give it a stir.
- Place beef back into the pot. Pour sauce from the blender over the beef and top with the bay leaves.
- Secure Instant Pot lid. Make sure it is set to Sealing. Set pot to Manual mode for 60 minutes.
- When finished cooking, allow for a Natural release for 15 minutes. Then quickly release any remaining pressure and open the lid.
- Discard the bay leaves. Shred the beef and return it to Instant Pot. Taste and add salt if needed.
NOTES
- Use a can of chipotles - If you don’t have fresh chipotles on hand, you can use a can!
- Change up how you serve the meat - You can serve the meat in tacos or burritos. You can also serve it with rice and beans.
Nutrition
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