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plated barbacoa
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Pressure Cooker Barbacoa

I love my pressure cooker when it comes to cooking meats that require ling cooking times to become tender! No more waiting for 4-6 hours!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Servings 6 Servings

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

Garbanzo beans are a traditional ingredient in barbacoa and birria in some regions of Mexico lie Hidalgo and Guanajuato. Mind you every family may have their own version.