This scrumptious beef barbacoa tacos recipe is made quickly in the pressure cooker and served with homemade pickled onions. Perfect for dinner and parties.
Thank you, Rubbermaid Brilliance for sponsoring this delicious post
Amazing Pressure Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos
Move over, Mexican fast food chain, these delicious beef barbacoa will tantalize your senses with so much flavor in one bite. The sauce is spicy, with deep smokey flavor.
To give it some freshness, I insert my beef in a toasted corn tortilla and top it with cilantro, jalapeno slices, and homemade pickled onions. Perfect for parties and celebrations.
My husband wants to celebrate his Birthday party at home this year. He has invited 20 of his Tri-Athlete friends and my job is to come up with a menu to feed them all.
But, here’s the catch: Tri-Athletes eat triple the amount of food a regular person does. I once cooked for them and being a Jewish girl, I exaggerated in the amounts. Low and behold, the meal came and the food lasted 20 seconds!
These people ate once, then again, and poof, gone.
For my husband’s Birthday, I wanted something that will fill their bellies without emptying my wallet. These beef barbacoa tacos were exactly the answer.
Not only can you feed a lot of people, it doesn’t require spending all day in the kitchen, and is a fun meal. Everybody can build their own tacos the way they please.
The secret to hosting a stress-free party is to prep in advance. That’s why I love the new Rubbermaid Brilliance food storage containers.
They are stackable, 100% leak-proof, stain resistant, and has a great crystal clear design that allows me to see what exactly is in my container.
I cooked my beef barbacoa in the pressure cooker and chopped the rest of the ingredients. They remained in the fridge until I was ready to use them.
The homemade pickled onions were made inside a Rubbermaid Brilliance container. Since it’s leak-proof, I didn’t have to worry about spilling in my fridge.
The day of the party, all I need to do was toast the corn tortillas en heat my beef. With Rubbermaid Brilliance, you can heat the food with the lid on and latches open to help reduce splatters.
So tri-athletes, bring your appetite! I am ready! (Of course, for them, I quadrupled the recipe you will see below)
I hope you can try these delicious pressure Cooker Beef Barbacoa Tacos at home. If you do, please upload a pic on Instagram and tag me @Livingsweetmoments or use the hashtag #LivingSweet. I promise to repost it.

This scrumptious beef barbacoa tacos recipe is made quickly in the pressure cooker and served with homemade pickled onions. Perfect for dinner and parties.
- 3 lbs Chuck Roast fat trimmed
- 2-4 Chipotles in adobo sauce*
- 1 can Chopped Green Chiles
- 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Fresh Lime Juice
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1/2 Large Red Onion
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Oregano
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Salt + Pepper, to taste
- 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 10-12 Corn Tortillas
- 1-2 Sliced Jalapeno optional
- 1/4 cup Cilantro leaves optional
- 2 cups Fresh Guacamole optional
- 2 Limes, sliced optional
-
Slice beef into large chunks. Season with salt and pepper and place in the pressure cooker
-
Place all the sauce ingredients in the blender, with the exception of the bay leaves. Puree
-
Pour sauce all over the beef, add the bay leaves
-
Place lid on pressure cooker and cook on manual high pressure for 35 minutes
-
When the pressure cooker beeps, release the pressure (Quick Release) and when ready, open the lid
-
Remove the beef from the pressure cooker and with 2 forks, shred
-
Place the beef with the sauce on a container until ready to use
-
Place onions, vinegar, and sugar in a container. I used Rubbermaid Brilliance. Shake the container and place in the fridge for 2-3 hours, or until onions soften
-
Toast the corn tortillas
-
Place beef on top of the tortilla and top with your favorite toppings
-
Enjoy!
They are spicy, add more 3-4 if you like it super spicy, or 1-2 if you want the sauce mild.
You can also make this recipe in the slow cooker. Simply cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
You may also like:
I NEED to get a pressure cooker, or Instant Pot I guess is the trend now. Anyways, these sound amazing and so easy to make!
Thanks Danielle! You can also make these tacos in the slow cooker 🙂
Am I missing something? I don’t actually see the recipe on this page. Please direct me.
Hi Amber, there’s a glitch in the recipe software. My apologies. I am fixing it asap
I laughed so hard when you mentioned that Tri-athletes eat triple the amount of food of a regular person.
Can I use yellow chillies instead? They are hotter than green chilli and I love spicy food.
Yes, you can! of course! any type of chillies you may like