Beef Barbacoa
A great addition to any Taco Night!
Ingredients
- 8 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 plum tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- Kosher salt
- 2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and cook, pressing them down with a spatula, 10 seconds per side; transfer to a plate. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are charred in spots, about 10 minutes.
- Peel the garlic and transfer to a blender along with the tomatoes and onion (reserve the skillet). Tear the chilies into pieces and add to the blender along with 1/2 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt; pulse until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the skillet, pressing it through with the back of a spoon.
- Add the beef to the skillet and turn to coat in the chile sauce using tongs. Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until a crust starts to form on the meat, about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and cook 1 more minute. Meanwhile, puree 2 1/2 cups water, the cilantro and thyme in the blender; add to the skillet along with the bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and gently simmer until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours, adding up to 1 1/2 cups water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and black pepper. Shred beef and serve with sauce