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Shredded Beef Tacos with Stew Meat
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Time to read 4 min
Shredded beef tacos made with grass-finished stew meat in the Instant Pot are one of the fastest, most flavorful weeknight dinners you can pull off with a beef share. The stew meat comes pre-cut in 1lb packages, thaws quickly, and pressure cooks in 20 minutes. This recipe from P&K Family Farms co-owner and certified GAPS practitioner Allie Kennedy is her go-to taco night dinner — simple seasoning, maximum flavor, and you'll want to double the batch every time.
Did You Know?
- Stew meat is one of the most versatile cuts in a beef share — it's pre-cut into bite-sized pieces which means zero prep time and it thaws faster than larger cuts.
- Natural pressure release in the Instant Pot allows the muscle fibers to relax gradually, resulting in more tender and juicy shredded beef. Quick release can tighten the fibers and leave the meat slightly dry.
- Grass-finished stew meat from a regenerative farm has a richer, beefier flavor than conventional because the animal grazed on diverse pastures — that flavor shines in a simple preparation like this where the beef is the star.
This is the recipe I make more than any other on a busy weeknight. Shredded beef tacos using stew meat in the Instant Pot. It's fast, it's simple, and you are definitely going to want to double or triple the recipe so you can actually have leftovers. Fair warning — leftovers rarely survive in our house.
Stew meat is one of the most overlooked cuts in a beef share. It comes pre-cut in 1lb packages, thaws quickly, and cooks in 20 minutes under pressure. It's the perfect last minute dinner when you forgot to pull something out of the freezer that morning. The flavor you get from searing those little pieces of grass-finished beef and pressure cooking them until they shred apart is unreal.
"I prefer just salt and pepper so that the toppings on the tacos also get to shine."
What You Need
Ingredients:
- However many packs of stew meat you require
- Onions
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Tallow, lard, or a high heat oil
- 1-2 cups of water, stock, or bone broth
Equipment:
- Instant Pot
That's it. Simple seasoning, good beef, and the Instant Pot does the rest.
Instructions
1. Plug in your Instant Pot and turn it to sauté. Put your fat of choice in the bottom to get nice and hot.
2. Once it's up to temp, pour in your stew meat and season liberally with salt and pepper. You can use whatever other seasonings you like but I prefer just salt and pepper so that the toppings on the tacos also get to shine.
3. Turn the pieces of meat so that all sides get a nice little crust on them — because that crust equals maximum flavor.
4. Add in your sliced onions — I prefer a root-to-tip moon cut so they maintain their shape in the final product — and minced garlic. The more garlic the better. Let those sauté for a bit and then add in one to two cups of your liquid of choice — water, stock, or broth. I like to let it sit on sauté to get the liquid nice and hot so it doesn't take as long to build pressure in the next step.
5. Turn the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 20 minutes — that's for one pound. You'll need to increase the cook time for more beef. Set it to seal and go about the rest of your dinner prep.
6. Once the time is complete, allow it to natural pressure release to ensure your meat will be nice and tender. If you don't have time for that you can release it yourself — just know it won't be as tender and could be slightly dry.
7. Shred it up and enjoy dinner.
The Next Level Move
If you have the time, take it one step further. Once you've shredded the beef, crisp up the pieces in a hot pan until they get some edges on them, then pour in a salsa verde. That is next level beef. Trust me on this one.
The beef matters. When your stew meat comes from a single 100% grass-fed, grass-finished animal raised on diverse pastures with no antibiotics, no hormones, and no mRNA vaccines — even a simple weeknight taco is a different experience.
Our beef shares come with stew meat already pre-cut in 1lb packages alongside steaks, roasts, ground beef, and everything else from the animal. One share fills your freezer for months.
Shop Beef Shares →
Further readings
- "New to beef shares? Start with our complete guide: How to Eat Through a Beef Share — Recipes and Tips for Every Cut in Your Freezer"
- Our Reverse Sear Steak Guide
The Author : Allie Kennedy
Allie Kennedy is a pediatric occupational therapist, certified GAPS practitioner, and co-owner of P&K Family Farms in Clermont, Georgia. The reverse sear is her go-to method for cooking the steaks that come out of the farm's grass-finished beef shares — and she does not provide instructions for well done.
P&K Family Farms is a regenerative family farm in Clermont, Georgia producing pastured chicken, grass-finished beef, and pastured pork with daily rotation, corn-free and soy-free feed, and complete transparency in every practice. We deliver throughout Georgia and ship across the Southeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I pressure cook stew meat in the Instant Pot?
20 minutes per pound. For two pounds, go 30-35 minutes. For three pounds, 40-45 minutes. Always use natural pressure release for the most tender results.
Can I use a slow cooker instead of an Instant Pot?
Yes. Sear the meat in a pan first to get that crust, then transfer everything to a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until it shreds easily.
What toppings work best?
Keep it simple — diced white onion, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and your favorite salsa. Avocado or guacamole if you're feeling fancy. The beef has so much flavor on its own that you don't need much.
What's the difference between quick release and natural release?
Quick release vents the steam immediately — it's faster but can tighten the muscle fibers and leave the meat less tender. Natural release lets the pressure drop gradually over 10-15 minutes, which keeps the beef juicy and shreddable. If you have the time, always go natural.
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