I have lived in Texas for about 7 years now and I am proud to live in this beautiful state, we have lived in three of the major cities. I have a child born here and my first born is practically a native, we moved here when she was 5 months old. I have lived in several states and Texas is where my heart is, my girls even say they never want to leave.

I have always been intimidated by brisket, it is such a Texan staple and is regarded as the quintessential Texan BBQ item. And let me tell you, I have tried many a gorgeous smoked brisket, I knew I was not going to match that so I wanted to get a little more into the Mex of TexMex. I love the rich history of Texas and the blending of cultures to create something unique and beautiful. There is one item I learned about Texas history last week when I was listening, learning, and trying my best to put effort into supporting the Black community after these trying times. Juneteenth is this week and I wanted to make something Texan to celebrate our blended culture here in Texas.

If you are unfamiliar with Juneteenth, I suggest you read about it here, but in short, it is the celebration of the real end of legal slavery. Two and a half years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, word finally reached Texas on June 19th 1865 and slaves were finally freed. This is a date that many Black Americans celebrate the end of slavery. I was never taught this in school, in fact, there are so many historical events, I had never been taught. Maybe our kids will learn about it here in Texas because they have two years of Texas history, and if they don’t, they will learn it from us. History is so important and I understand the importance and celebration this holiday represents. So many make this and learn and teach your family about important events like this one.

Back to the food (history was by far my favorite subject in school so I love to learn new things!). I recently was gifted an Instant Pot and I offically obsessed with this massive electronic item. I was very hesitant about it, pressure cookers just seemed like a pointless kitchen gadget, I could use one of my 5 slow cookers or my big dutch oven to slow braise meat. But then I heart you can cook fully frozen chicken in this thing! I am sure you are like me, and forget to thaw the meat for dinner sometimes and have to scramble last minute to figure out what to eat. A brisket is a perfect thing to put in the IP, it usually takes 500 years to get tender, in the IP, its about a hour and a half! This is Whole30, low carb, keto, gluten free, dairy free, and no added sugar. We love tacos so I made those but it would make incredible enchiladas, I used leftovers to make epic burrito bowls, and would make a killer texas hash for breakfast!

Instant Pot Texas Brisket

3-3.5 pounds brisket
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/3 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons chipotles in adobo
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons oil

- Cut the brisket in half to fit better in the IP, remove any excess fat (leave the fat back intact but no thicker than 1/2 inch). Pat the meat dry with a paper towel.

- In a small bowl, combine all the dry spices, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Rub it all over both sections of the brisket, all sides, you will use all of it.

- Preheat the IP on the Saute function with the oil. Once hot, sear each side for 2-3 minutes or until the sides have a crust. Repeat with the second half of the brisket. Press Cancel when the searing is completed.

- Fit both pieces in the bottom of the IP. In a measuring cup, combine the sauce, broth, tomato paste, vinegar, chipotles, and garlic. Pour over the brisket and cover with the top, ensure the vent is closed, and seal it in.

- Select Manual and set High Pressure for 70 minutes.

- Let it release naturally for about 20 minutes, then release any excess pressure with the vent.

- Remove the brisket and shred. Leave the remaining sauce in the IP and select the Saute function to reduce it. Let it reduce for about 10-15 minutes or it has reduced by half. Turn off and use the sauce over the meat when serving.

I like to have all my components prepped so I can just go! Pull out that Instant Pot that you are too scared to use and make this. Trim the brisket, make the dry rub, and mix up the sauce.

You want to split it in half so it is easier to fit in the IP and you can get a better sear. Also you need to trim any excess fat other than the fat back on the other side.

Use that simple rub to get intense flavor in your brisket, it will literally sear the flavor in.

You want to press that rub in on every surface of the beef and any excess you can add to the IP when you are done searing.

Heat up the oil in the IP on Saute mode and once it is nice and hot, you start searing the brisket.

See that nice crust? That is exactly what you are looking for, you will do this for every side of the brisket, including the edges. take your time and do other things.

Finish the first half and then move on to the second one, same exact process.

Now hit cancel and nestle in both halves, they should fit snugly, and sprinkle any remaining dry rub on top.

Mix up the sauce and pour it over the top, so easy.

And now you are ready for the top!

Seal it with that classic bada-boop and set for Manual High Pressure for 70 minutes. I know that seems like forever but if you were braising it, it would be an all day thing, smoking it would take overnight.

You will want to naturally release it for about 20 minutes (that means you don’t touch the scary vent) after that amount of time, you can open the valve and there will be limited steam left.

And here it is all done! Take them out and place on a cutting board or in a baking dish to shred up.

While you shred it up, turn on the Saute mode and start reducing the sauce.

It will get a rolling boil going, just let it cook and reduce until it has half the volume you started with. This is pure FLAVOR and you want to concentrate it as much as you can.