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The beauty of this Mexican Shredded Beef is it can be done in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker and either way it’s delicious!
Between my undying love for my slow cooker and my  new found adoration for my Instant Pot I may never use my oven again.
Instant Pot vs. Crock Pot
I’ve been asked whether I think the Instant Pot is replacing the slow cooker and my answer is NO! Â I love both of them and I think there is a place for them both in the kitchen. Â Although the end result is pretty much the same, delicious food, Â they serve different purposes and provide a different way for getting that delicious end result.
I use my slow cooker when I want to get dinner started early in the day so that when I walk in the door later that day, dinner is ready and waiting for me. Â The Instant Pot can make the same delicious recipe (one that normally takes 6-8 hours) and do it in under an hour but you need to be available an hour before you want to eat to get it in the pot and cooking.
So your schedule for the day would depend on which piece of equipment you use.  The Instant Pot has a slow cooker function but I haven’t used it and I’m hearing that it is not the Instant Pot’s best feature.  I still use my favorite slow cooker.
How to Make Instant Pot Mexican Beef
Meat. I use a chuck roast but you can use a top blade roast or shoulder roast. You want a boneless roast. The meat will cook quicker and more evenly if you cube it into 2 inch pieces.
Saute. One of my favorite features of the Instant Pot is the saute feature. No need to dirty another pan. Season your meat with chili powder and salt, add some oil to your Instant Pot, push saute and allow the oil to heat up and then brown your meat right in the pot. You can also saute your onions in the Instant Pot.
Cook. Add in remaining ingredients, add your lid and set your Instant Pot to the meat setting for 35 minutes. Do a natural release. Unlock lid and shred.
The flavor of this shredded Mexican Beef is spot on and my husband gave it two thumbs up. Â I love having this shredded meat on hand because I can turn it into so many things! Â One night it can be a taco, the next night a burrito or enchilada. Â It’s great put on nachos or eaten over rice.
Whether you use your slow cooker or your Instant Pot, you are going to end up with a delicious meal!
Some of my other favorite Instant Pot recipes you may want to try:
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs
- Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
This is what I use:
INSTANT POT – My favorite pot is the 6 qt. There are smaller and bigger sizes available but this one is just right! I don’t recommend the slow cooker feature though so use your regular slow cooker instead.
SLOW COOKER – My favorite one is the classic, the Rival CrockPot.  In fact, I love it so much I own three of them.  Two 6 qt and one 4 qt.
Mexican Shredded Beef Recipe
Mexican Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. chuck roast cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 cup picante sauce salsa
- 1 cup beef broth
- cilantro for garnish
- limes to squeeze over top
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine cubed meat with chili powder and salt. Toss to coat.
- Press the "Saute" button on the Instant Pot and add the olive oil.
- Add in onions and saute until softened.
- Add in tomato paste, garlic, cumin and Mexican oregano. Stir for about a minute.
- Add in seasoned meat.
- Pour in salsa and beef broth
- Cover and lock the lid.
- Press "Keep Warm/Cancel" on the Instant Pot and then press the "Meat/Stew" button to switch it to the pressure cooking mode. Set cook time to 35 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally.
- Unlock lid and remove meat. Shred with two forks. Use leftover liquid as a gravy if desired
- Add any additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Top with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Brown meat before placing in slow cooker
- Place meat and all ingredients except cilantro and limes into slow cooker.Cook 4-5 hours on high or 6-7 on low in slow cooker
Nutrition Facts:
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Tony Catalano says
Made this using the Instant Pot. We love it! We also discovered that the leftover liquid can be used to make a great tortilla soup. We store it in the refrigerator and after it has cooled skim off the solidified fat. We then add some of the beef back in with carrots and celery and cook for about 10 minutes. Then just top it off with crispy tortilla strips.
Pam Flach says
How long do you cook it in the instant pot if your chuck roast is frozen? I’ve always been told you can use frozen meat in the instant pot and it still comes out good
Leigh Anne says
You can cook frozen meat in the Instant Pot. It will take the IP longer to come to pressure if the meat is frozen. Also they recommend not putting a large piece of frozen meat in the IP It is better to cut your meat up into smaller chunks before freezing if you are going to cook it in the IP. It will cook more evenly that way. In general, IP do better with smaller pieces of meat. The frozen meat will also effect your cook time. Here is a link to a chart you might find helpful.
https://mealplanaddict.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/How-to-cook-from-frozen-in-your-instant-pot-printable.pdf