Instapot Mexican Shredded Beef

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Mexican Shredded Venison Tacos

Its time for a recipe ladies and gentlemen. Let me start with my philosophy on recipes, I believe that a recipe should be an outline not an absolute. For instance, if you are spicy food averse than I would recommend removing the jalapeño and reducing the amount of cayenne. Follow the procedure but the ingredients can always change to your liking. This recipe is designed for a pressure cooker to make easy and delicious shredded meat to be used in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or whatever your heart’s desire.

We have an abundance of roasts left in our freezer from the quarter beef and two deer I harvested last year. Anyone who has bought meat in bulk knows this dilemma. We have a habit of hand picking all the good cuts first, just to be inundated with ground meat and roasts at the end. I personally am not a huge fan of a crock pot and even though a slow braise is divine, it does take an extraordinary amount of time. [This recipe will reduce cook time by at least ½.] The Instapot has been a game changer for our household, I was very hesitant to purchase one because I have a tendency to prefer classic techniques, but that being said I highly recommend them now and talk about it frequently to anyone who will listen to me babble.

Let’s cut to the chase, this shredded meat recipe will produce tender, moist, shredded meat to be used in multiple applications. We personally used this for taco night with my parents, and it left no one disappointed.

 [Instapot] Mexican Shredded Beef (or Venison)

Ingredients

“1         2-3 lb Boneless Beef or Venison roast
½     Yellow Onion (Sliced)
4      Cloves of Garlic (Rough chop)
1-2  Jalepeno *depending on spice tolerance* (Rough chop)
2         Celery Stalks
2         Cups of beef broth
1         Tbsp Paprika
1         Tbsp Cumin
½     Tbsp Turmeric
½     Tbsp Onion Powder
½     Tbsp Garlic Powder
1         Tsp Cayenne Pepper
2         Tbsp Olive Oil
1         Tsp Salt
1         Tsp Ground Black Pepper”

Seared roast ready for pressure cooking.

Instructions

1.       Season your roast with salt and pepper. Let rest for 15 – 30 minutes.

2.       Microwave 1 ½ cups of beef broth for 30 seconds. Whisk in spices. (Retain remaining 1/2 cup)

3.       After letting the salt and pepper absorb into roast. Add oil to pan/pot and allow to warm to a shimmer. Sear in cast iron pan or using Instapot’s sauté function, 3 minutes per side. (Allow for a dark brown crust to form).

4.       Combine remainder of ingredients in to Instapot. Pour spice and broth mixture over top of roast and vegetables. Use remaining ½ cup of broth to capture the spice mix left in the measuring cup).

5.       Set Instapot to “Pressure Cook” “High” for 1 hour and 30 minutes. (2 hours if roast is still partially frozen *Yes you can cook this recipe from near frozen to frozen.)

6.       Let Instapot naturally release pressure for 20 minutes. Manually release any remaining pressure.

7.       Remove roast from pot and place on clean cutting board. Shred with forks.

8.       The most important step of all, Enjoy!

Notes

                This recipe is great for use in tacos, enchiladas, or burritos. We top our tacos with chopped cilantro, diced onions, and cotija cheese. [If you haven’t discovered Cotija cheese please do yourself a favor and make a trip to the store. It provides a rich, crumbly, and salty element to tacos that is a real game changer.]

                If you are in need of a last-minute dinner, this recipe can be cooked from frozen. Just make sure you add more time as noted in the instructions.

                The remaining cooking liquid in the Instapot can be placed on sauté, allowed to reduce, and used to glaze over the shredded meat. Doing this ensures your roast is juicy and full of flavor.

                When storing leftovers, I always ladle cooking liquid into the Tupperware to ensure that it doesn’t dry out in the refrigerator.

Follow us through the blog and on Instagram @OurLibertyHouse for more recipes! And as always feedback is greatly appreciated!

Lucas