Pressure cooker barbacoa! I am loving it! No more waiting for 4-6 hours to enjoy delicious tacos de barbacoa. Mom cooked beef cheek, beef tongue and sometimes the entire cow beef head when it was had barbacoa that we were hungry for. The entire cow head was strictly for when they had the small Mexican restaurant. For home it was cachete (cheek) or lengua (tongue).
Northern Mexico is Beef Loving!
Strictly sharing from my own experience, anytime barbacoa was prepared it was always beef. In some states of Mexico like Hidalgo and Guanajuato, it is lamb. Goat was reserved for birria in some states of Mexico. I have tried all three variations and enjoy them all, but beef will always be my favorite.
Why the pressure cooker?
The pressure cooker barbacoa is efficient, faster and yields deep flavors that resemble slow cooked versions. You can sear the seasoned meat and braise it on the stovetop, in the oven or in the crockpot. The cooking times will vary. On average, the stovetop and oven cooks in about 4-5 hours at heat right below medium or 325 degrees F in the oven. The slow cooker can be set on low heat for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours.
Simple but delicious!
When it comes to barbacoa, keep it simple. Choose two salsas. Preferably one spicy red and a milder green. Finely diced onion and chopped fresh cilantro are a must. Believe it or not, lime was not always a traditional garnish back in the day. But I will say it is quite tasty with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of a coarse sea salt.
Pressure Cooker Barbacoa
Ingredients
- 3 ½ lbs. Beef Cheek, Beef Chuck Roast or Boneless Leg of Lamb If using beef cheek, make sure you trim off the excess fat. Purchase extra 1 lb. to assure you will have enough cooked meat.
- Salt and Pepper to taste on the meat, plus more later in the recipe
- Avocado oil
- 1 Medium onion diced
- 8-10 cloves of garlic
- 1 large carrot sliced
- ¾ c dried garbanzo beans, optional
- 2 tsps. oregano
- 2 tsps. crush chile de arbol
- 3 chile cascabel or chile morita
- 2 tsps. fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tsps. dried onion
- 2 tsps. cumin seeds
- 1 tsp salt
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 2 ½ liters of water
Instructions
- After slicing the meat into chunks, season lightly with salt and pepper. Preheat 3-4 tbsps. of oil in a large skillet for 4 minutes at medium heat. When ready, brown the meat for 5 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Set aside when done.
- Preheat 2 tbsps. of oil at medium in the pressure cooker. When ready, add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrot, peppers, garbanzo and all the spices with bay leaves. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the seared meat into the pressure cooker. Pour in the water.
- Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and lock the lid. Turn the heat to high. Once the pressure cooker locks the safety valve and begins to release steam rapidly, reduce the heat to medium and set your timer for 90 minutes.
- When ready, carefully remove the pressure cooker from the heat and let it sit until the safety valve unlocks. Carefully remove the lid. You can remove the barbacoa and shred it for tacos or you can serve it with some of the consommé and larger chunks of barbacoa.
- Garnish with cilantro, onion, lime and any salsas of your choice.
Notes
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