Instant Pot Birria Tacos
Instant Pot birria tacos give you pulled juicy beef tacos in a fraction of the time! Instead of slowly braising the beef in a slow cooker or in the oven, the Instant Pot cuts the time down without sacrificing the bold flavors and tender texture you’ll love.
Tacos are on our menu a lot.
Like at least once a week.
And while my boys love a good old classic ground beef taco, I need some variety once in awhile to keep it interesting.
These Instant Pot birria tacos are just the thing!
They are hearty and beefy with zesty flavor from aromatics and two different kinds of chili peppers.
A big hit for sure!
How are birria tacos different from regular tacos?
Regular tacos tend to rely on seasoned ground beef for the filling.
Birria tacos are a type of taco featuring braised meat or meat stew.
Some birria tacos may be goat meat, but mostly you will see them using a braised piece of beef roast.
Braising just means the beef gets cooked in liquid so it is nice and tender and pulls apart.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Butter– To sear the meat with.
- Chuck roast– A 3-4 pound roast cut into 5-6 pieces.
- Salt and pepper– To taste
- Aromatics– Sliced white onion and peeled garlic cloves
- Chili peppers– Both ancho chili peppers de seeded and guajillo chili peppers de seeded
- Beef broth– The cooking liquid
- Seasonings– Cumin, oregano, and chili powder
- Taco fixings– Corn tortillas, shredded cheese, avocado, lime, diced onion, pico de gallo, cilantro, etc.
How to Make
The Instant Pot turns these birria tacos into a pretty easy meal that you can make almost any night of the week.
To do it, turn the Instant Pot to saute mode and melt the butter in the inner liner of the pot.
Season the meat with salt and pepper and sear all sides of the meat in the pot, working in batches if needed.
Set the meat aside.
After removing the meat from the pot, saute the onions and garlic in the pot until the onions are softened.
Pour the beef broth into the onions and garlic and use a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
Then add the meat pieces, ancho chilies, and guajillo chilies to the pot.
Season with with the cumin, oregano and chili powder.
Secure the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure to set the vent valve to “sealed.”
Pressure cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.
Once the pot beeps, let the steam release naturally for 10 minutes and then vent remaining steam and remove the lid.
Remove the meat to a separate plate and shred it into pieces.
Use an immersion blender to blend the cooking liquid until smooth.
Strain any remaining lumps from the liquid.
Reserve one cup for serving, then place the remaining liquid into a wide shallow dish
Dip the corn corn tortillas into the strained cooking liquid then saute in a lightly greased pan over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the dipped tortillas with shredded cheese before topping them with shredded meat.
Fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shape, then continue cooking until the tortilla is crispy.
Repeat until all tortillas have been filled and are crispy.
Serve with reserved cooking liquid to dip, topped with onion, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice if desired.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
If you plan to have this for more than one meal, I recommend setting aside a portion of the cooked meat and refrigerating it in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
While you could store assembled leftover tacos, they will not be at their best after being refrigerated as the tortillas will get sort of soggy.
Are birria tacos messy to eat?
Because they are so juicy, they can be a little messy (but so worth it!).
Just have lots of napkins handy and make sure you’re not wearing white and you’ll be good to go!
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t skip searing the beef. It caramelizes the exterior and adds extra flavor while keeping it juicy.
- Make sure to really work the brown bits off the bottom of the liner when you add the broth. Leaving anything stuck to the liner will have you skipping lots of flavor but also puts you at risk of getting the burn notice on the Instant Pot.
- To keep these mild to medium make sure to remove the chili pepper seeds.
Other Mexican Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot birria tacos are a delicious way to make taco night more exciting.
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other Mexican Instant Pot recipes?
Try these:
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
- Instant Pot Jalapeno Cheddar Chicken
- Instant Pot Taco Pasta
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
If you’ve tried these INSTANT POT BIRRIA TACOS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Instant Pot Birria Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3-4 lbs chuck roast cut into 5-6 pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- One white onion sliced
- Six cloves garlic peeled
- 2 ancho chilies de seeded
- 2 guajillo chilies de seeded
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Corn tortillas
- Shredded cheese avocado, lime, diced onion, cilantro for topping, optional
Instructions
- Set the instant pot to saute, melt the butter then sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and sear all sides in the pot. You will need towork in batches to brown all the meat. Set aside.2 tablespoons butter, 3-4 lbs chuck roast, Salt and pepper to taste
- Add the onions and garlic to the pot, then cook until the onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.One white onion, Six cloves garlic
- Add the beef broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom, then add the meat pieces, ancho chilies, and guajillo chillies. Sprinkle the top with the cumin, oregano and chili powder.2 ancho chilies, 2 guajillo chilies, 1 cup beef broth, 2 teaspoons cumin, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Close the instant pot, making sure to set the valve to “sealed”, then set to high pressure for 60 minutes. Allow a 10 minute natural pressure release, then vent remaining steam and remove the lid.
- Remove the meat to a separate plate, and use two forks to shred into pieces.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the cooking liquid until smooth. Strain any remaining lumps from the liquid. Reserve one cup for serving, then place the remaining liquid into a wide shallow dish
- Dip the corn corn tortillas into the strained cooking liquid then saute in a lightly greased pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, then top with shredded meat. Fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shape, then continue cooking until the tortilla is crispy. Repeat until all tortillas have been filledCorn tortillas
- Serve with reserved cooking liquid to dip, topped with onion, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice if desired.Shredded cheese
