This Instant Pot Venezuelan Shredded Beef is beyond delicious! Made quick and easy in the Instant Pot, this shredded beef is fantastic for tacos, arepas, burritos, empanadas, quesadillas, sliders, or just served on rice or mashed potatoes.

This Instant Pot Venezuelan Shredded Beef recipe has been one of the most requested recipes by readers, so there is no better time to share it than now, when the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month has begun.
Food is an important part of the culture. The food we eat expresses where we come from and how we are. And for me, food is the perfect way of preserving my culture no matter where I am. But most importantly, food brings us together.
So, let’s celebrate this month with food from every Hispanic corner of the world! To start la fiesta… Venezuelan Shredded Beef!!!
This Venezuelan Shredded Beef recipe has been in the family for many years, so I decided to make it in the pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time significantly and adapt it to the busy lifestyle we all have these days.
This delicious meat is the star of the traditional Venezuelan Pabellón Criollo, but it’s also perfect for tacos, arepas, burritos, empanadas, quesadillas, sliders or just served on rice or mashed potatoes.
Let’s get started!
Venezuelan Shredded Beef Ingredients
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and instructions (scroll down).
- Skirt Beef
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil
- Onion
- Green pepper
- Garlic
- Beef broth
- Tomato paste
- Tomato sauce
- Worcestershire sauce
- Cumin
- Dried oregano
- Bay leaves
What Is The Best Cut Of Meat For Shredded Beef?
The best cut of meat to shred is Skirt and Flank steak. Chuck and Rump Roast are also used to shredded, but they are too tough – in my opinion. So, if you want really moist and tender shredded meat, I highly recommend using my favorite: Skirt!
How To Make Shredded Beef In The Instant Pot Step-by-Step
- Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn the pressure cooker on and, select “Sauté” mode, adjust to more. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear the meat in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
- Add onion, green pepper, and garlic; sauté, constantly stirring, until tender and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add beef broth, tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves; mix until well combined. Secure the lid and close the pressure-release valve.
- Select “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and adjust the time to 45 minutes. When the time is over, let the pressure release on its own for 5 minutes. Then, carefully turn the valve to “Venting,” to release any extra pressure that might still be in there. Then remove the lid. Press “Cancel” and discard the bay leaves.
- Use 2 forks to shred the meat, discarding the fatty bits. Toss to coat with the juices.
- Serve hot.
Looking for more Venezuelan recipes?
- Venezuelan Mondongo Soup [recipe+video]
- Instant Pot Venezuelan Oxtail Soup [Sopa de Rabo][Video]
- Venezuelan Asado Negro
- Venezuelan Pabellon Bowl [Video]
- Eggless Venezuelan Tequeños
- Venezuelan Flan Quesillo
- Browse more recipes…
Recipe Card 📖
Instant Pot Venezuelan Shredded Beef
Ingredients
- 2 lb Skirt Beef
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 cup green pepper, chopped into small cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 2 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Trim visible fat off of the meat, if necessary. Cut the meat into 4 equal pieces. Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste.
- Turn the pressure cooker on and select “Sauté” mode, adjust to more. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear the meat in batches until golden-brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add onion, green pepper and garlic; sauté, stirring constantly, until tender and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot by adding 1/4 cup of the broth and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits. Press “Cancel”.
- Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the pressure cooker. Add the remaining beef broth, tomato paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano and bay leaves; mix until well combined. Secure lid and close pressure-release valve.
- Select “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” and adjust time to 45 minutes. When the time is over, let the pressure release on its own for 5 minutes. Then, carefully turn the valve to “Venting,” to release any extra pressure that might still be in there. Then remove the lid. Press “Cancel” and discard the bay leaves.
- Use 2 forks to shred the meat, discarding the fatty bits. Toss to coat with the juices.
- OPTIONAL: You can reduce the cooking juices, is desired. After the meat is shredded select “Sauté” mode, adjust to normal, and cook for 10 – 15 minutes until the juices are reduced and thicken to your liking.
- Serve hot with white rice, black beans and plantains.
- Venezuelan Mondongo Soup [recipe+video]
- Instant Pot Venezuelan Oxtail Soup [Sopa de Rabo][Video]
- Venezuelan Asado Negro
- Venezuelan Pabellon Bowl [Video]
- Eggless Venezuelan Tequeños
- Venezuelan Flan Quesillo
- more
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rumba Meats. All opinions are entirely my own.
I have made this several times with skirt steak and it is wonderful!
We are trying to cut back on our red meat and curious if you have ever tried this recipe with chicken?
Hello Dana!! Yes, I have…it’s delish too. If you use chicken, you can cook it for only 20 minutes since chicken is more tender and cooks faster. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Really really good- my local store didn’t have skirt steak so I subbed a 2 lb chuck roast and it turned out great. Loved this recipe thanks for sharing!!
Hello Kara! Great to hear that it was a hit! Thanks a lot for the review and good feedback.
Would this work with sirloin steak? How would the cook time adjust?
Hello Jessica! For this recipe is best to use a cut of meat that can be easily shredded. I recommend skirt or flank steak. Hope that helps! Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
How much is one serving? How many grams or ounces are you considering to be 1 serving? (for your nutritional facts calculations)
Hello Meli! Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate, and it can vary depending on the products used, so I would highly recommend using your own tools to calculate it. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Used flank steak instead of skirt as that is what I had on hand, otherwise followed this recipe exactly as written. Easy and delicious! Will be adding this one to our rotation. Thanks for posting!
Hello Cristina! This a family favorite… so happy you enjoyed it too. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know!
Hola Oriana.
Soy nueva en la cocina y aún más nueva en Instant Pot , así que me encanta encontrar recetas de platos tradicionales que puedan hacerse en esta maravillosa olla y que reducen el tiempo ( que es escaso) en los fogones.
Ayer preparé esta receta. No tenía a mano salsa de tomate y la sustituí por diced tomatos. Y le agregue pimentón rojo.
Me quedó riquísima de sabor, aunque con más líquido del que esperaba.
No reduje el líquido como sugieres porque había mucha hambre en esta casa, pero lo guardé porque supongo algo se podrá hacer con el.
Tu página es muy amigable.
Saludos
Hola Beatriz! Que bueno que te gusto esta receta. A mi también me encanta usar el IP, me ayuda a ahorrar tiempo de cocción. En el IP puedes hacer asado negro, sancocho, carne guisada, etc… Déjame saber si tienes alguna pregunta. Un abrazo =)
Okay, I want to make this for a large group for a house party. It will be around 20 people, so i dont think my instant pot is big enough. Can i make this in the oven and if so, what temp and cook time would you suggest?
Hello Camilla! I would not recommend the oven, however, you can use the stovetop or slow cooker. You can follow the instructions in this recipe: https://mommyshomecooking.com/venezuelan-shredded-beef/ Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
What happened to this recipe? I did it a couple of times and loved it so saved the bookmark, now it doesn’t load anymore
Hello Ernesto! I am sorry for that, it must have been a glitch. I just checked and the recipe is working fine now.
Hi, this recipe isn’t showing up for me either and I really want to try cooking it! Can you please check it again? Thanks!
Hello Shelly! Thanks so much for letting me know. It just checked and updated it. Please let me know if the problem recurs.
Hi, I’m not sure what’s happening but I still can’t see the recipe. I was at least able to find a copy on the Internet Archive though. I can’t wait to try it!
Hello Shelly! I just checked again and It’s working fine on my end. Do you have an ad blocker installed? I consulted with my tech guy and they said that it could be the problem. I am glad you could get the recipe though. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
You’re correct, it is related to the adblocker. I disabled the option and I can see the recipe. pretty weird though because the other recipes on your page load fine. But anyways I’m pretty happy it’s solved, now I’ll cook it again 🙂
Great!! I am happy to know we figured out. Enjoy the carne mechada =)
If I double the recipe does it double the cook time? New to instapot
Hello Carley! You don’t need to double the cooking time. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
I’m new to the Instant Pot. If I use flank steak, will the cooking time be shorter? We tried skirt steak on a mongolian beef recipe the other night and while the flavor was delicious, the beef was still too tough. We tried flank steak in the same recipe and it was perfect.
Hello Heather! Flank steak is usually thinner so it could be done faster, however, since you have to shred the meat I would suggest keeping the same cooking time to make sure you have super tender meat. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
I live in the Canary Islands and used this recipe to make “papas locas”, which is the mechada put on a bed of chips, with diced ham and cheese. The family especially my two teenagers loved it, so it will be a regular from now on. I use my pressure cooker a great deal so this was ideal for me. Thanks.
Hello Colin – YUM…”papas locas” sounds delicious! I will try this soon. So glad everyone enjoyed it!!Thanks so much for your feedback and for trying my recipe.
Dying for my fave Venezuelan restaurants food but I’m on a budget and can’t eat out too often. This was so delicious!! I did add a can of adobo sauce for a smoky version with a bit of heat. The flavor is amazing. Thank you for making this so simple!! ❤️
Hello Tammy! Your addition de adobo sauce sounds like a great idea. I will try next time. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to come back and let me know!
Definitely sweet potatoes and dressing. My grandmother made these dishes all the time and they were delicious!
Beef roast with carrots and potatoes remind me most of home!