Not Really Chipotle’s Barbacoa Beef

On the road, we’ve been known to drive out of the way (unheard of!) to find a Chipotle’s and wolf down the barbacoa. In an online forum recently, we discovered we weren’t the only ones. So here we are: a copycat recipe for the IP. There are three secrets to success — which happen to be three simple ingredients: 1) lots of garlic (seriously!), 2) canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (for the smokiness), and 3) apple cider vinegar (for zip). We upped the game a bit by using olive oil for a slightly sweeter finish and by giving the stew a heavy splash of soy sauce for greater umami flavor. A new can of chipotles in adobo sauce should have about the 2 tablespoons sauce you need here. If you’re using a can you’ve already opened or if your can is scant on sauce, you can make up the difference with a chipotle-flavored hot sauce like Cholula. If you skip the hot sauce and use a reduced amount of adobo sauce from the can, you must make up the liquid difference with more broth.

Cuisine

Mexican, Modern

Course

Dinner, Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

1-2 hours

Cooking Technique

Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

1-2 hours, 4-6 servings, adobo sauce from the can or a chipotle-flavored hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, boneless beef chuck, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, canned chipotle chilesadobo sauce, contributed, cook 90 min, dinner, easy, ground black pepper, ground cumin, instant pot beef recipes, lime juice, main course, mexican, mild paprika, modern, olive oil, onion powder, prep 15 min, pressure cook, regular or low-sodium soy sauce, sauté, up to 6 medium garlic cloves

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

90 min

Servings

4-6 servings

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
2 lbs boneless beef chuck
Up to 6 medium garlic cloves
2 canned chipotle chilesadobo sauce
1 tbsp mild paprika
3 tsp ground cumin
4 2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp adobo sauce from the can or a chipotle-flavored hot sauce
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp regular or low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup beef broth

Instructions

Press Sauté and set for Medium, Normal or Custom 300°F. Set the time for 10 minutes.
As the pot heats, warm the oil in the insert set in a 5- or 6-quart Instant Pot. Add the meat and cook, stirring often, until it browns, about 6 minutes. Get good color on some of the pieces (although there will be a lot of boiling juices in the pot). Stir in the garlic and minced chipotle until aromatic, just a few seconds.
Stir in the paprika, cumin, onion powder, and pepper. Warm by stirring a few times, then stir in the adobo sauce, vinegar, lime juice, and soy or tamari sauce. Scrape up any browned bits on the pot’s bottom and turn off the heat. Stir in the broth until uniform. Lock the lid on the pot.
Pressure Cook: Set the Instant Pot for Pressure Cook or Manual and set the level to High. The valve must be closed. Set the time for 35 minutes with the Keep Warm Setting off.
--OR--
Slow Cook: Set the Instant Pot for Slow Cook. Set the level to High. The valve must be open. Set the time for 4 hours.
When the pot has finished cooking under pressure, turn it off and let the pressure return to normal naturally, about 35 minutes. Whichever cooking method you’ve used, unlatch the lid and open the cooker.
Use two forks to shred the beef right in the pot. Stir it into the sauce and set the pot aside for 2 to 3 minutes so that the meat continues to absorb the juices. Serve warm.

Notes

Other Pots
• For a 3-quart Instant Pot, you must halve almost all of the ingredient amounts except you must use 1/2 cup broth.
• For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you must increase almost all of the ingredient amounts by 50 percent except you must use 1 1/4 cups broth.
• For a 10-quart Instant Pot, you must double almost all of the ingredient amounts except you must use 2 cups broth.
Beyond: serve in flour or corn tortillas with hot sauce (or salsa), sliced avocado, sliced radishes, and/or diced mango.

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