Feeling the Mariachi Spirit ~ Beef Barbacoa & Steps Beyond

Beef Barbacoa is a cornerstone food in many Mexican kitchens. Made from inexpensive, and large, cuts of beef, it's a slow cooked manna from heaven! It's fabulous straight from the cookpot with the traditional Mexican Rice & Casera Beans and Corn Tortillas for the first night's Street Tacos dinner. The leftovers transform, like magic, into some of the most flavorful Beef Enchiladas that you'll ever taste. And, Chimichangas...the fried burrito on steriods! Oh, my! The decadence will amaze you! And, there's still more! Let's go see!

We'll come back to the secondaries, after we get this big hunka meat cooked! Good thing I had breakfast! This is gonna be an appetite arouser, for certain!

Beef Barbacoa can be done with a cut of chuck roast or with beef brisket. I sometimes pick up a full sized brisket and cut it in half, using half of the brisket for this slow cooked dish. For a large gathering, I'd suggest doing this in your electric roaster, then you can fit a whole brisket! Party!!!

Beef Barbacoa

• 2.5 to 3# brisket or chuck roast
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano (dried regular okay, too)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 chipotles in adobo, with adobo sauce, chopped roughly
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup beer...your favorite, you'll be drinking the other half the bottle, after all! No beer? Use beef stock.
• 1/4 cup lime juice, preferably fresh, but bottled is okay, too
• Optional...add a 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles or a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles, for extra heat/flavor.
• Optional...add a minced jalapeno for some fresh heat.

Take your garlic, chipotles in adobo, all the seasonings and the lime juice and put them in your mini chopper or food processor.

Just give them a buzz until it's all combined and the garlic and chipotles are broken down. Doesn't that look good? You can almost smell it from all the way over there, can't you?? The sharpness of the vinegar with the earthiness of the oregano, the garlic, and the smokiness of the chipotle fill your nose with the promise of good food to come!

Cut the roast or brisket into large chunks. NOTE: this may be done with the full roast left intact, if you prefer a sliced presentation. When it's cut into large chunks, the seasoning gets absorbed into more of the surface area that's exposed. The full roast will only have it on the outside surfaces, and it doesn't get into the meat quite as potently. Still good, either way! Your kitchen; your rules!

I did this version on the stove top. It can be done in a Crockpot, and I have done that before. At the time of this cooking, I was Crockpot-less, due to an accident while making overnight bone stock...another story for another blog!

When I do this on the stove, I season the meat with the salt and pepper, then sear the meat on both sides, to get that extra bump of flavor that the process gives. If I'm doing it in the crockpot, it all just goes into the crock. I may or may not use a second pan to do the sear, then load them into the crock. It's extra dishes...

While the meat is searing, chop the onion

Let the meat caramelize, then give it a flip. You might need to do it in two batches, if you have a larger roast. Crowding the pan won't allow for a good sear; the meat will steam, and lose its liquid...no bueno!

Add the onions and bay leaves when the meat's browned on both sides.

In goes the beer/stock and the blended ingredients in your mini chopper. Pardon the blur...I was overcome! And, it's the only shot I got in.

And this just cooks until it's fall apart tender...low heat, low & slow, for a couple of hours. If it starts to get dry, add some stock or water. If you're doing this in your Crockpot, go 8 to 9 hours on low; 4 to 5 on high. You shouldn't have to add extra liquid to the Crockpot, as it holds the steam in. My cast iron pot has a lid designed to recirculate the liquid, you know...those little nubbies all over the inside of the lid? As the liquid tries to evaporate, it finds itself on the nubbies (for lack of a better name), and drips back down onto the meat, or whatever is inside the pot.

The first night is always Street Tacos Night! Fresh chopped onion, cilantro and queso fresco on corn tortillas filled with the scrumptious barbacoa! I serve it with the classic, and shamefully easy, Mexican Rice and our family favorite Casera Beans.

Mexican Rice

• 1 cup long grain rice...I always use converted rice, better, healthier and it doesn't clump!
• 1 tablespoon lard, shortening or vegetable oil
• 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes & green chiles
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1 heaping teaspoon chicken bouillon (1 cube, break up)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• a couple tablespoons, to taste, of fresh chopped cilantro

Liquify the Rotel and the onion in your mini processor. Pour into a 2 cup measure, and fill the rest of the way to the 2 cup mark with water. Set aside.

My rice cooker has a Sear & Cook setting, which allows me to do this without a second pan. If you have one of these handy critters, it works astoundingly well. For the sake of everyone else, I'll give the pan directions.

Use your deep 10" skillet to sear the rice in the lard or oil, until it just begins to color. Do this over medium high heat. When it's ready, reduce the heat to medium and carefully add in the liquid. It's going to steam up and sputter at you like a mad hen...be forewarned! Add in the salt and bouillon. Bring back to boil; reduce to simmer. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Stir in your cilantro, and it's done!!

Our Casera Beans recipe has been posted by @smylie2005 already...so, here's the link to the rest of the meal...
https://steemit.com/monthlyauthorchallenge/@smylie2005/my-1st-friday-foodies-hosted-by-maryfavour-monthly-author-challenge-day-23

That's Night One!

The Enchiladas at the top of the post are a great succession dinner. Just make extra of the rice and the beans, put them up for later in the week, when you get ready to do the follow up dinners. You can use a canned red enchilada sauce, or make your own. I've done the complex ones where you toast the dried chiles, reconstitute them in boiling water, then grind them in a blender and strain them out. And, I've done an easier recipe using dried chili powder too. And, would you believe, I like the second better! I found the recipe a bazillion years ago on food.com back when it was recipezaar...do any of you remember that site? It's apparently undergone another transformation...it's now genius kitchen. Anyway, I found it, here's the link. http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/texas-red-enchilada-sauce-42094
It's flavorful and worth every 5 star vote it got! Heat is adjustable, too!

Enchiladas are easy for single dishes as they are to do in casseroles. In the restaurant, they're assembled by the serving, not all held in casserole form. Either way that works for you is what's best! Just put a small amount of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of your small or large casserole. For your filling, heat up enough of the meat, shredded, for your crew. Add in some of the enchilada sauce, if you want. Saute some onions to go in, too, if desired. Some people like sliced black olives, too...who am I to say? This is flexibly yours!

Anyway, allow for a scant quarter cup of filling for each tortilla...too much filling and it'll split the tortilla. Prep your tortillas for rolling by dipping each into a pan of shallow hot lard or shortening, stacking them as you go. Place your pinch of meat on one end, along with some cheese, if desired...roll it up and set it, seam side down, into the prepared pan with enchilada sauce. When it's full, top with more enchilada sauce and some more cheese. Bake at 375 degrees farenheit, until bubbly and melty good! Plate with a garnish of fresh Pico de Gallo, some Mexican Rice and Casera Beans and ring that supper bell!

There's another really good thing to do with your Beef Barbacoa...that's Tamales!!! I'll leave this here, as incentive for you to come back... ;) I'll post that one next...time to visit the young green growing things! Everyone have a blessed day, Steem on!