Mexican Shredded Beef Brisket Tacos

Shredded beef brisket made easy with the Instant Pot

The Mexican Shredded Beef Brisket salad, also known as Salpicón de res, is a classic Mexican dish that is popular during family gatherings and dinner parties. You can enjoy on its own or pair it with crunchy taco shells or a tortilla wrap for a hearty lunch to go. For this recipe, we used an Instant Pot to help cut down on the cooking time, enabling us to get dinner ready quicker on busy nights. Beef brisket typically needs to go through a long and slow-cooking process but with the help of the Instant Pot’s pressure-cooking feature, it becomes tender in no time at all. The beauty of cooking with the Instant Pot is that you can leave the beef brisket to cook while you prep the other ingredients, so you will have everything ready by the time the beef brisket is done.

Mexican Shredded Beef Brisket Tacos Recipe:

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 70 minutes | Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 5 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp dried oregano, divided
• 2 lb beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 2 to 2 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup lime juice, plus lime wedges to serve
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
• 1 medium head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped (6 cups)
• 6 Radishes, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced

Method:

1. START: On a 5.7L Instant Pot, select Normal/Medium Sauté. Heat up 1 tbsp of oil, then add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion is golden brown, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, the bay leaves, 1 tsp oregano and 1 cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Add the beef in an even layer, slightly overlapping the pieces if needed.
2. Fast: Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 45 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 15 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, carefully open the pot and let the contents cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. FINISH: While the beef is cooking, in a large bowl whisk together the lime juice, the remaining 5 tbsp oil, the remaining 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp of salt and pepper each. Set aside. Once the meat is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat and onion to a medium bowl; do not discard the liquid remaining in the pot. With two forks, shred the beef into bite-size pieces. Whisk the dressing to recombine. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing, the olives and 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking liquid to the shredded meat, then toss to coat. Let cool to room temperature. Whisk the remaining dressing once again. Add the lettuce, radishes and cilantro to it, then toss to coat. Transfer to a platter and top with the beef and the avocado. Serve with lime wedges.

TIP 1: It is best to shred and dress the beef while it is still warm as it allows the beef to easily absorb the flavours from the dressing. TIP 2: Do not discard the delicious liquid from cooking the beef. It is packed full of flavours and once strained, will make a great beef broth or stock for your next stew. Recipe Source: Instant Pot Recipes

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Next Read: Top 6 Instant Pot Recipes

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