The days dwindle down, and so do the budgets. Not only is the weather cooler and the dark coming earlier, but all of us also seem more interested in saving our pennies. Cooking at home, of course, is one of the best ways to do that, but there are lots of folks who are just entering the world of budget cookery.
I lived in the tight-budget world for many, many years. One of the things I learned is respect for the seemingly lesser cuts of meat. Time to start paying attention to those weekly supermarket ads. I’ve been surprised how many younger cooks have no idea of what to do with chuck roast. You’ll see it, in different parts of the country, as arm roast or blade roast, but it’s the same cut of beef, more or less, its rich, flavorful meat marbled with fat.
Yes, fat. Don’t worry; we’ll discard it in the process of the recipe. This is basically a pot roast to shred and use as filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, or even omelets. I first came across it as something to go into scrambled eggs for breakfast burritos.
About the ingredients: Use a brisket instead of a chuck roast, if you wish. The size of the roast isn’t a matter of critical importance. Four pounds is fine, you’ll cook it a little longer. Just make sure you have a lidded dish that will hold the meat. I cook this in the oven, but you can let it simmer on top of the stove. (The cooking time will be about the same.) And if you’ve wondered why there are tomato paste also comes in tubes, this recipe is a good example.
On the subject of chiles, fresh ones are a lot easier to buy than they once were. I like two Anaheims, which are largish and relatively mild, and a couple of jalapenos or the small, intense serranos. You can always crank the heat up later, so err on the side of mild if you’re hesitant. The ground chiles can be harder to come by. This is not chili powder, although if I had nothing else, I’d use it. It’s also not cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Better to look for ground chiles at some place like La Tropicana or Global Market. You can also use dried chiles, the tops torn off, seeds shaken out, the peppers torn up and tossed into the spice grinder. Last winter I bought a ristra, or string of chiles at a roadside stand outside of Tucson, Ariz., and used a couple of those. I have no idea of what the variety of chile is, but the smell in the grinder was almost flowery, although there’s a fair kick to them.
Beef Filling for Tacos
1 3-lb. Chuck roast or beef brisket
1 Tbs. + 1 Tbs. cooking oil
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 Tbs. ground chile
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or put through a press
3 bay leaves
water
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 med ium tomato, diced
4 fresh chiles, hot and/or mild, seeded and chopped
salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Choose a covered Dutch oven-type pot and heat it over medium-high heat. When the pot is hot, add the oil, and let it heat until it shimmers. Add the chuck roast and let it brown, first on one side, then on the other. Smear the tomato paste on the browned side of the meat, sprinkle on the garlic and add enough hot tap water to barely cover the meat. Add the bay leaves and cover the pan. No, we’re not adding salt now.
When the meat is quite tender, remove the pan from the oven and set it aside to cool. Take the meat out of the liquid when it’s cool enough to handle, but if you let it get quite cold, it becomes harder to shred.
Some people use two forks to shred meat, but I just wash my hands really well and start breaking it up, discarding fat and connective tissue. Transfer the shredded meat to a separate bowl. You may want to moisten it a little with the broth remaining in the pan. Save what broth you don’t use, and later freeze it for soup night or making risotto.
Heat a tablespoonful of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until it’s translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chopped chiles and tomatoes and cook another 3-4 minutes. Then stir in the shredded beef and cook, stirring often, until everything is hot. Taste for seasoning. More salt? Maybe more of the cooking liquid? (Sometimes I end up using it all.)
That’s it. What you do with it now is up to you. Serves about 6, but that depends, of course, on how generously you stuff a burrito and what else you put into it.
-Ann
Comments
2 responses
I reckon this is a really good recipe for seasoning the meat, just like our taco favourite restaurant (perhaps without some of the nasties!!):
http://recipe-super-search.net/recipes/81984/Restaurant-Style-Taco-Meat-Seasoning
Congratulations for this interesting blog…