Tacos de Barbacoa

I am FREEZING!  I just had to tell you.  It is very cold here/right now and it feels like death.

Actually, the truth is that Mr. MN (Scot) has been whining about 45% more than ME about being cold.  I confronted him about this...his response:  "I know...Boulder is making me lose my thick skin".  His response was much less concise in reality, but that is the general idea.  

I am actually the master of dressing for cold weather.  It is the one situation in life where I truly know what I am doing.  We spent New Year's ice skating on a lake in the mountains and the windchill was like negative three thousand.  And I was very comfortable.  Plus, I don't whine.  I am perfect.  

Also, right now, my dog believes that the only possible place for him to sit is on my lap, under a blanket because he is so cold. If we are talking about babies, this guy can seriously not handle cold.  Anything below 10 is a struggle.  So, here is me, holding the fort and being the sole rock, keeping this family strong as we face these frigid days.  

I think I need to move on.  And I think it is obvious that I love tacos.  And as I have said before, I have a thing for tacos without cheese.  This is delicious beef barbacoa.  The meat is the star so the taco is simply topped with some chopped white onion, fresh cilantro and a generous squeeze of lime juice.  It was definitely my favorite combination of toppings because it was so fresh and flavorful, however, we also had some other options like avocado, salsa, and cheese.  

Tacos de Barbacoa

from Food.People.Want

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons lime juice

3-4 canned chipotle chiles

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt or 3 teaspoons Kosher

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 pounds boneless chuck roast, excess fat removed

3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

3 bay leaves

20 warm corn tortillas

Diced white onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

Preheat the oven to 275°.

Combine the cider vinegar, lime juice, chipotle chiles, garlic cloves, cumin, oregano, clove, black pepper and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and puree until completely smooth — about a minute or so. Transfer the spice paste to a bowl and set aside.

Dry the roast all over with paper towels, cut away any excess fat and slice the meat into 4 evenly sized pieces. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a very large pot set over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Working in batches if necessary, sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the chile puree to the pot and stir until the beef is well-coated. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the lid with tin foil and add the lid to create a very tight seal. Place the pot in the oven and braise the meat for 5-6 hours, removing the lid during the last hour or so to allow the simmering liquid to reduce slightly. Allow the beef to cool slightly, spoon off any easily removable fat from the braising liquid and then use two forks to pull/shred the beef into bite size pieces.

Taste and adjust as necessary for seasonings. Serve spooned onto warm corn tortillas topped with diced white onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish.

(Servings: 20 tacos, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 6 hrs., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  4/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5