Although I would be happy to skip fast food for the rest of my life, my son recently asked me to make him a batch of shredded beef from his favorite Mexican fast food joint. He brought me a copycat recipe, so I followed it to the letter, and he said that the finished product was very close. On my second test batch, I adapted the recipe to the Instant Pot, since that is a big time-saver, and after mixing the sauce ingredients, adjusted the spices to personal tastes (i.e., it had too much vinegar for my taste and amounts of some of the spices needed to be changed). This was a bit of a stretch, since I have never tasted the barbacoa beef from this particular fast food chain (and probably never will), and the following Instant Pot Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa Beef is the result. I do not represent that this recipe is just like the chain, but it tastes good, freezes well, and is very versatile.

This is a fairly easy dish to make, and it makes a huge amount – actually it is a module where serving-size portions can be stored in the freezer for use when it’s convenient. The meat can be used to make tacos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. Just like at the fast food joint, it can be topped with lots of Mexican ingredients to individualize dozens of different dishes.

24 Servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 to 8 pounds chuck roast, cut into large chunks

1 cup beef broth
4 bay leaves

Sauce
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
9 cloves garlic
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Heat the vegetable oil in the Instant Pot on Sauté.
2. Add the chunks and brown on all sides.
3. Remove the chunks from the pot and add the beef broth; bring to a boil and scrape the bottom to remove the crispy bits.
4. Return the meat to the pot and cover with the bay leaves.
5. Measure the sauce ingredients into a blender or bullet blender; whizz until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture over the meat and stir.
7. Cover the pot, set the valve to sealing, and set the pot to manual for 1 hour 30 minutes.
8. Let the pressure come down naturally.
9. Pour the juices through a strainer, put them in the fridge so that the fat coagulates on the top.
10. Let the meat cool until warm enough to shred.
11. Shred the meat, removing all fat and gristle.
12. When the fat has hardened on the top of the juices, discard it and pour the juices over the meat.
13. Measure the meat into 1 or 2 cup portions into freezer bags. Label and Freeze.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 187 Calories from Fat 71
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 38% Protein 57% Carb. 5%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 8 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Cholesterol 80 mg
Sodium 377 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 27 g

Vitamin A 17% Vitamin C 33% Calcium 0% Iron 20%