Authentic Mexican spicy shredded beef is fall-off-the-bone tender and full of flavor and is Whole 30 friendly!. Serve it over rice, on tacos, in enchiladas or flautas with your favorite toppings and salsa.
Well it's that time of year again! El Cinco De Mayo! And just for the record, El Cinco De Mayo is NOT Mexico's independence day. Go look it up. But anything is worth celebrating when you have some good food, especially good Mexican food!
In college, I majored Spanish and did a good amount of traveling, including a semester in Mexico. I learned a ton! I became fluent in Spanish during that semester and learned so much about good, authentic Mexican cooking and Mexican food.
Mexican Shredded Beef can be called Barbacoa or Birria, or Machaca
Mexico knows how to do food! Here is one of my takes on Mexican Shredded Beef. This can be used so many different ways, you can make this into shredded beef tacos, eat it over rice with some amazing toppings, or use it in flautas (a rolled, fried corn tortilla with meat in the middle).
Can I freeze Barbacoa?
I usually make this authentic mexican shredded beef (AKA machaca and barbacoa) recipe and served it with rice, and then I take the leftovers and either make quesadillas (gringas) or flautas the next night. It is freezer friendly, so if you want you CAN freeze it, but in my family, we eat it til it's gone.
Take a look at how tender this beef is after cooking!
How do I serve and eat Barbacoa?
Let's take a moment to talk about toppings. Toppings for everyone can be very different. When I lived in Mexico I was converted to the standard Mexican toppings which are cilantro, onions, lime and salsa, as well as avocados. I would consider an American taco to have shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheddar cheese as the toppings, however I don't prefer it that way.
You can either do this in a pressure cooker (I use and instant pot) or a slow cooker, cooking times will vary.
And one disclaimer, THIS IS THE ONLY RECIPE YOU WILL EVER SEE FROM ME THAT CALLS FOR JARRED SALSA! And the only reason I use jarred salsa is because it's cooked in with the beef. For the toppings though, I beg you on my knees, to use homemade salsa. Check out my Everyday Salsa Let's get started on how to make easy Mexican style shredded beef!
Check out these other easy Instant Pot Meals:
What kind of meat should I use for Mexican Shredded Beef?
I used about a 3.5 lb rump roast and put it in the crock pot (or instant pot). Smash 6 cloves of garlic and throw them in. They don't have to be chopped up or anything. Don't be shy, use all 6 or 7 if you dare.
Coarsely chop the onion and green pepper, adding them to the pot. Add in the jar of salsa along with the spices and beef broth.
If you are using an Instant Pot, manually set it to 90 minutes and place the valve in the "sealed" position. Let it naturally release for at least 10 minutes before releasing the pressure when the time is up.
If you are using a slow cooker, set it to high for 8-9 hours. When it's all done, shred it up and put it back in the juices and serve with your toppings of choice!
I'll be posting some ideas to use this in leftovers as well. One of my favorite ways? Flautas!
Check out these other popular recipes from A Pinch Of Adventure!
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📖 Recipe
Mexican Shredded Beef (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 3.5 lb Rump Roast or any beef roast
- 1 Onion
- 1 Green Pepper
- 6-7 cloves Garlic
- 1 jar Salsa
- 1 cup Beef Stock
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teas Ground Cayenne Pepper
- 3 teas salt
- ½ teas pepper
- Franks Red Hot Sauce a few dashes
Instructions
- Place the roast in the instant pot or slow cooker
- Remove the skin from the garlic and smash the cloves, put them in with the roast
- Coarsely chop the onion and green pepper adding them into the pot
- Add the spices and the rest of the ingredients on top of the roast
Slow Cooker
- Set the slow cooker to high and let it cook for 8-9 hours
- Shred the meat and return it into the slow cooker with the juices
- Serve over rice with desired toppings, or on tacos
Instant Pot
- Set the valve in the sealed position and manually set the Instant Pot to 90 minutes
- Let the pressure naturally release for at least 10 minutes
- Shred the meat and return it into the pot with the juices
- Serve over rice with desired toppings or on tacos
Pam
Yum! I love a delicious and easy slow cooker recipe!
Kirsten
This looks really yummy. Wishing I'd picked up some beef today at the store...will have to tadd it to my to make list!
Beth Shields
Love this recipe. Thank you for both the slow cooker and the instant pot. I am getting used to my new-to-me instant pot. So looking forward to trying this. It looks amazing and pretty easy. Thanks!
Erin
I'm really wanting to make this RIGHT NOW!! Looks absolutely fantastic, especially with that gorgeous avocado!! We make an Italian beef with Peperoncini peppers, but I'll have to try this one for sure!! Thanks!
Brenna
Love easy simple meals! This sounds delicious!
Tammica
You rock! I just got an Instant Pot a couple weeks ago (I’m so late to the game), and this is exactly the kind of recipe I need...yummy and simple. Can’t wait to try it!
Emily A
Awesome!! This is a great recipe for when you star using your instant pot!
Adrienne
I love these recipes that I can fix and forget about until dinner. Thanks for sharing, I can't wait to try this one.
Casandra
Slow cooker recipes are where it's at right now! Being in the kitchen all day every day lately, I love to just throw everything in and walk away. Looks delicious.
Emily A
Yes, I agree!
Jessica M.
My husband would LOVE this! Gonna share this with him.
Chantelle
Yep! I’ve been thinking of this all day since I saw it on twitter. Happening tomorrow!
Rachel
Um, this looks amazing! I am brand new to using my Instant Pot, but this looks doable. Thanks for sharing!
Emily A
It's a great recipe to start out with!
Eva Keller
This looks great! We love finding new recipes to use with our slow cooker.
Cindy
I don't have an instant pot but I am starting to think I need one. I see so many great posts about them.
Emily A
I love my instant pot!!!
Elaina
Love slow cooker recipes, this one looks delicious!
Tara Hallie
This looks delicious! Thank you for the idea - I love new Instant Pot recipes!
Emily
What jarred salsa did you use?
Emily A
Hey I used something like Pace. you can use chunky or spicy or medium or mild. All depending on what you want!
Barbara
THIS looks great! I saved the recipe! Thanks!