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Texas, my Texas. How wonderful and great you are. Thank you for inspiring these Instant Pot Texas-Style Brisket Tacos.
Texas has given me so many things in life that I am so grateful for– and these Brisket Tacos are one of them. If you’ve never visited Dallas, Texas before– I encourage you to hop on the next flight and head straight to Mia’s for its brisket tacos. Holy yum!! Mia’s Tex Mex is a Dallas staple and arguably the best in town but it’s especially known for its brisket tacos.
Mia’s won’t let me forget about the brisket tacos, lightly toasted flour tortillas topped with Monterey Jack, sautéed onions, poblano peppers and brisket bathed in its own gravy. Two tacos come to an order, surrounded by refried beans, rice, and a simple shredded salad. The best part? The side of that brisket gravy that sits in the center for dipping. Woah. Word on the street is that in the 90’s these were actually an off-the-menu item only served on Wednesdays. They’d serve them until they sold out and it wasn’t until customers lined out the door for brisket tacos that they finally added them to the menu. Thank goodness they did that! [Source: Dallas Observer]
So, yeah, you know me. I have an admiration to recreate dishes like these in my own kitchen to healthify it up on a regular old weeknight. No way will I ever try to compete with my beloved Mia’s, but I will say they turned out absolutely fantastic!! And I know you and your family will just love this dish!
If you are using grain-free tortillas (I always use my favorite Siete Foods Cassava Tortillas) these Instant Pot Texas-Style Brisket Tacos are 100% paleo-approved. Or, if you are doing a Whole30, opt for lettuce cups to keep this dish compliant! It’s clean and absolutely delicious!!
Instant Pot Texas-Style Brisket Tacos
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
For the Brisket:
- 3 lbs flat cut brisket
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the Tacos:
- 2 medium sized poblano peppers, sliced
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- tortillas, for serving
- 2 tbsp cilantro, freshly chopped, for serving
- 2 limes, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
Make the Sauce:
- In a bowl, combine all of the for the sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
For the Brisket:
- Trim excess fat from brisket and cut into 3 even large chunks. Season with kosher salt and pepper on all sides.
- Set Instant Pot to the "sauté" function. Once it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the brisket in batches, so as to not overcrowd the IP until a golden brown crust has formed on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned brisket to a plate. Continue searing brisket until all pieces browned.
- Once all the brisket is browned, turn Instant Pot to "off". Pour the sauce into the Instant Pot and nestle the brisket into the sauce. Lock lid onto the Instant Pot, making sure the vent is sealed. Press the "manual" and then set the time to 60 minutes. Walk away from the IP and let it do it's thing! ( Note: If your IP doesn't have a manual button, set it to 'high pressure').
- When the cook time is complete, release the pressure manually by carefully turning the valve. When all of the pressure has been released, remove the lid and transfer brisket to a rimmed baking sheet (do not discard the remaining liquid in the IP). Using two forks, shred the brisket.
- Ladle about 3/4 cup of the remaining juice from the Instant Pot over the meat and toss to coat. The brisket will start to absorb the liquid. Add an additional 3/4 cup of liquid to the meat and toss to coat one last time.
- With the remaining liquid still in the Instant Pot, set the Instant Pot to the "sauté" function and bring to a rapid boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens and reduces, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use for serving.
For the Tacos:
- During the last 10 minutes of the brisket cook time, sauté the peppers and onions. Heat a skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium high heat with olive oil. Once hot, add the poblano peppers and onions. Saute, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender, about 7 minutes.
- Assemble tacos by filling warmed tortillas with the brisket, poblano peppers and onions. Top with freshly chopped cilantro and a slice of lime and serve with a side of the gravy and a wedge of lime.
Notes
- In a bowl, combine all of the for the sauce ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Trim excess fat from brisket and cut into 3 even large chunks. Season with kosher salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat a large pan over medium high heat with oil sear the brisket in batches, so as to not overcrowd the pan until a golden brown crust has formed on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned brisket to crockpot. Continue searing brisket until all pieces browned.
- Once all the brisket is browned, set crockpot to low for 6-8 hours. Pour the sauce into the crockpot and nestle the brisket into the sauce. Place the lid on top and let it cook.
- When the cook time is complete, remove the lid and transfer brisket to a rimmed baking sheet (do not discard the remaining liquid in the crockpot). Using two forks, shred the brisket.
- Ladle about 3/4 cup of the remaining juice from the crockpot over the meat and toss to coat. The brisket will start to absorb the liquid. Add an additional 3/4 cup of liquid to the meat and toss to coat one last time.
- Transfer the remaining 2 cups of liquid from the crockpot to a small pot. Bring liquid to a rapid boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the gravy thickens and reduces, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use for serving.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made A LOT of your recipes but this one was INSANELY delicious. I used a Chuck Roast and did the Crock Pot Method for 7 hours. It was so tender, so juicy, so savory and the smell in my house is epic! This is a new family favorite. Will 100% make these any time we crave them. My 1 year old also loved it. I served her plate quesadilla style so she got the shredded meat with some cheese on a Siete Tortilla and she ate 2 of them!
Hi! My butcher was out of brisket today. Would chuck roast be a similar comp? And anything you would change? Thanks!
yes that would be a great alternative here or flank steak.
Hi! Would the cook time change at all if using flank steak instead of brisket?
I would do just 45 mins in the Instant Pot! other than that, the same!
I followed the recipe exactly and used a crockpot. After six hours on low there was hardly any liquid left and the meat is tougher than expected. I see this issue mentioned a couple of times above. What are we missing?
This recipe has great flavor, but it turned out WAY TOO SALTY. I used half the amount of meat but kept the rest of the ingredients the same, which could have accounted for the extra saltiness. Is there a way to ensure this doesn’t happen again–perhaps cutting the coconut aminos in half and adding extra broth or using a low-sodium beef broth instead?
Hi! yes, definitely half the other ingredients (especially the salt) if you half the meat. 1.5 lbs of meat with 2 tsp of salt is *a lot* so that’s definitely why you had that issue here!
I’m obsessed with these tacos. Thank you for sharing them!
I am so excited to make this! I was hoping to make it in my dutch oven on the stovetop instead of a slow cooker – what timing would you recommend?
Made this recipe via the crockpot version and it did not turn out at all. Meat was dry leather. Followed recipe verbatim. Sadly, this one was a miss.
Do you saute the onions and poblano peppers?
We made this recipe tonight in our crock pot and it was absolutely delicious. The only thing we changed was the portion of brisket itself. We cut a 3lb trimmed brisket flat in half and used 1.5lb of meat while keeping all other ingredients the same. It made plenty of meat for our family and we still have leftovers.
I have made this recipe for the last few years and it is hands down the most requested by my family!!!! I add a dash of liquid smoke to mine. Thank you so much for creating such an amazing recipe! ❤️
When it’s too cold out to use the smoker, this is great way to get your brisket craving satisfied, in about one tenth the time too. My only change was to chop/cube and then pan sear the brisket at the end. Adds some crispy bits to your tacos. Think burnt ends!
heck yes sounds amazing!
Thank you for the delicious recipe! I made this in the crock pot and it was so yummy. Even my two picky preschoolers ate it and liked it. The only question/issue I have is about the liquid after cooking. I only had 1 cup liquid total and had to make an extra batch of sauce with a roux to make gravy. It turned out fine but I’m confused as to why I had so much less liquid than I was supposed to! I did trim off a good bit of the fat before cooking. Would this explain it? Thanks again!
Best recipe on Pinterest. (At least of the many I have tried.) made once exactly as described and it was perfect. Made it several more times “, often with the wrong kind of mustard, 1/4 boullion cube instead of broth, and soy sauce instead of aminos and just eyeballed all the measurements. Still tasted great. Have used both small and large briskets with same amount of sauce. That works too!