Instant Pot Brisket with Pasilla-Morita Adobo

Meltingly tender beef (thanks to the electric pressure cooker) and sweet-smoky scratch-made adobo made with loads of roasted veggies make for a fan-freakin-tastic taco recipe.

Course Main Dishes

Cuisine Mexican, North American

Keyword adobo, brisket, chilies, instant pot, tacos

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Resting Time 30

Total Time 1 45

Servings people

Calories 278kcal

Ingredients

Adobo

4 pasilla chilies
2 morita chilies
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 medium tomato
1 medium sweet onion (~250 g)
3 cloves garlic unpeeled
1 tsp piloncillo or brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 inch piece cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground (see note)
1 tsp allspice berries or 1/2 tsp ground
1/2 tsp cumin seeds or 1/2 tsp ground
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Brisket

1.4 kg beef brisket fat trimmed (about 3 lbs)
1/2 cup beer
1 cup stock beef or vegetable, preferably a low-salt variety
1/4 cup pasilla-morita adobo

Rajas

3-4 medium poblano peppers

To Serve (All optional but recommended)

salsa verde
cotija cheese or other salty, crumbly cheese
pickled red onion
corn tortillas toasted, and kept warm

Instructions

Adobo

Soak the morita and pasilla chilies in very hot water for 10 minutes. After this time, carefully remove the stems and as many of the seeds as you can manage. Reserve the softened chilies and the soaking liquid.
Preheat the broiler of a stove or an outdoor grill. Roast the onions, tomatoes, and garlic until moderately charred (on an outdoor grill, the garlic took about 2 minutes, the tomatoes about 5, and the onions about 7). See also the instructions for the rajas below.
Place the charred vegetables and softened chilies in a blender, along with all of the remaining adobo ingredients and 1/2 cup of the chili soaking liquid. Blend until the adobo sauce is smooth.

Rajas

Roast the poblano peppers under a broiler, over a gas flame, or on an outdoor grill (the latter is my personal favorite way to do this). Turn the peppers occasionally until the skins are blackened all over. Place the roasted peppers in a large bowl and cover tightly (a fitted lid or plastic wrap works well). Set aside for at least 20 minutes, and up to several hours.
Before serving, peel, seed, and slice the poblano peppers into long strips.

Brisket

(Instructions are for the Instant Pot brand of pressure cooker - for other brands, see the notes below). Sear beef. Add beer, then add adobo and stock.
Cook for 1 hour. Let the pressure release naturally, or (if you're pressed for time) let stand for 5 minutes then release the valve manually.

To Serve

Load up a corn tortilla with some brisket, a little extra sauce, and a few raja strips. Top with cheese, salsa verde, and onions. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

Use TRUE cinnamon if possible. If using cassia, use a little less.

If you're using another brand of electric pressure cooker, simply refer to the instructions for that brand before adapting the recipe. Make sure to cook at high pressure, and for approximately the same amount of time. Because there are no presets being used here, it should be fairly easy to adapt.

Nutrition