Barbacoa

Last night my Community Group girls made Mexican food for dinner. I brought the barbacoa - shredded braised beef - for tacos. I found a Chipotle copy-cat recipe online and tried it, and it was spot on! I love Carnitas too but sometimes you just need beef. When that happens, try this recipe!

Barbacoa Beef

Ingredients:

1/3 cup cider vinegar

3 Tbs. lime juice

3 canned chipotle chiles

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

3 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

3-4 lbs. boneless chuck roast, excess fat removed

3/4 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

3 bay leaves

Directions:

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. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a very large pot set over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Sear the beef on both sides until deeply browned, about 3-4 minutes on either side. 

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.
Place the meat and liquid into a crock pot and cook on low 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.