Easy Instant Pot Barbacoa

Although traditionally barbacoa is cooked in earth ovens,  it can be made in your slow cooker or in the oven -- but my favorite method is the Instant Pot. In under two hours you will be biting into the juiciest taco you've ever had! Our preferred meat is cow cheek since that is what is most common to us, but other popular meats are tongue, beef chuck or brisket (any shreddable meat). In order to stretch the meal -- since cow cheek can be pricey or hard to find-- you can mix cow cheek with beef chuck.

We choose to not trim the fat off our barbacoa. We feel it gives it lots of flavor as it cooks. As you serve the meat, you will notice some barbacoa meat is not so edible which I believe is the actual cheek tissue. Just ignore those chunks or hide them when serving. However, the next day - if you chop it up and sauté it with diced onion, tomato, sliced serrano, chopped cilantro, and serve it in a taco - you will not be able to tell that was the chewy-looking piece of meat from the day before. If this is too icky for you, just toss it, but my grandma would probably be pulling my ears if she saw any meat go to waste.

One 2.5 pound barbacoa piece will feed no more than 3 people since a lot of the fat gets cooked out + the beef cheek tissue that does not look that appetizing on the first day you cook it. I've been able to fit up to 3 pieces of meat in my 6-quart Instant Pot, which is close to 8 pounds of meat. Adjust the rest of the ingredients, of course, if you plan on cooking more pounds of meat. 


AuthorAleCategory, DifficultyBeginner

This is an extremely easy recipe made using your Instant Pot. In under two hours you will be biting into the juiciest taco you've ever had!

Yields1 Serving
Prep Time20 minsCook Time50 minsTotal Time1 hr 10 mins
Instant Pot Ingredients
 2 ½ lbs beef cheek meat
 ¼ medium onion
 3 garlic cloves
 2 bay leaves
 1 tbsp beef bouillon
 1 cup water
Garnish
 ½ medium onion, diced
 1 small cilantro head, chopped
 tortillas - flour, corn, or both
 salsa - green, red, or both
 3 limes, cut in 4 each
1

In the Instant Pot, add your meat, the 1/4 onion, the garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Mix the tablespoon of beef bouillon with the cup of water and pour over the beef.

2

Close the lid on your pressure cooker. Set it on High for 50 minutes. Slow release for 15 minutes, and then quick release.

3

During the cooking of the barbacoa, use that time to dice your onion, chop your cilantro, cut your limes, make your salsa (or use store-bought) and heat up your tortillas.

4

Remove the barbacoa meat from the Instant Pot with a large slotted spoon, leaving the broth and veggies in the pot which you can later discard. Set your table by placing the meat in the middle with all the garnishes, including salt. It is common to have under-salted barbacoa, which you then salt at the time of preparing your taco.

Notes

  • My favorite beef bouillon is Knorr Suiza but I also really like Better than Bouillon (beef flavor). 
  • Don't forget to remind your guests to sprinkle salt as they make their tacos. 
  • We like to eat barbacoa the first day as a self-serve taco buffet and the second day we live to cook it "a la Mexicana" which is how I explained above with the onion, tomato, serrano, and cilantro. If it's "a la Mexicana", you can serve it with refried beans and a simple side salad or red rice for lunch. 

Ingredients

Instant Pot Ingredients
 2 ½ lbs beef cheek meat
 ¼ medium onion
 3 garlic cloves
 2 bay leaves
 1 tbsp beef bouillon
 1 cup water
Garnish
 ½ medium onion, diced
 1 small cilantro head, chopped
 tortillas - flour, corn, or both
 salsa - green, red, or both
 3 limes, cut in 4 each

Directions

1

In the Instant Pot, add your meat, the 1/4 onion, the garlic cloves and the bay leaves. Mix the tablespoon of beef bouillon with the cup of water and pour over the beef.

2

Close the lid on your pressure cooker. Set it on High for 50 minutes. Slow release for 15 minutes, and then quick release.

3

During the cooking of the barbacoa, use that time to dice your onion, chop your cilantro, cut your limes, make your salsa (or use store-bought) and heat up your tortillas.

4

Remove the barbacoa meat from the Instant Pot with a large slotted spoon, leaving the broth and veggies in the pot which you can later discard. Set your table by placing the meat in the middle with all the garnishes, including salt. It is common to have under-salted barbacoa, which you then salt at the time of preparing your taco.

Notes

Easy Instant Pot Barbacoa
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