What's for Dinner [Barbacoa Beef]

Santa brought an Instant Pot for Christmas and I have to tell you, I'm in love.  We have the 6 quart version and so far it seems to be the perfect size.  We've used it for corned beef, pot roast, broth, soup, rice, and beans.  While I'll be sharing all sorts of recipes soon, today I'm sharing this delicious barbacoa beef.  Chipotle is a favorite in this hive, and although I've tried to recreate it in the slow cooker, I've been unsuccessful.  This, however, is incredibly yummy and makes a ton for nearly the same price as a couple bowls.  Add in the beauty of the Instant Pot - you really do just throw it all in the pot and let it go.

Barbacoa Beef
Ingredients:

• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion (or one whole small)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 T cumin
• 1 1/2 T oregano
• 1/2 t ground cloves
• 2-4 T chipotles in adobo sauce, to taste (I've found they differ in spice from can to can.  Add a bit, taste, and just add more as needed.) 
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 3 lb chuck roast
• salt and pepper, to taste
• olive oil

Directions:

• Put first 7 ingredients in food processor and pulse until smooth (ish).
• Cut chuck roast into 3 inch cubes, salt and pepper to taste.
• Turn on the saute setting on high on the Instant Pot.  Add a swirl of olive oil and brown meat in batches as necessary, setting aside as you finish.
• Deglaze the pan with the beef broth making sure to scrape all the stuck bits from the bottom of the pan.  
• Return the beef to the pot, add the mixture from the food processor and the bay leaves.
• Seal the Instant Pot accordingly and set on manual high pressure for 60 minutes.  I typically allow it to release naturally for 10 minutes or so.  Meat should shred easily with two forks when cooked through.
• Serve with cilantro-lime rice (recipe to come soon, I promise!) and desired toppings.  We like fajita peppers and onions, pico, corn, black or pinto beans, cheese, and fresh cilantro.  Hubby also loves sour cream and guac.  

 While I really do love the Instant Pot, I did quite a bit of research before Santa found it as Amazon's Black Friday Deal of the Day.  This Cuisinart version (here at Crate and Barrel or here at Amazon - different descriptions) really does get good marks and tends to be found on sale cheaper than the Instant Pot version (other than Black Friday, apparently).  We really are loving discovering different recipes or even old recipes that just take less time.

Happy Cooking!