Tag: beef
Red Beef Barbacoa
Red Beef Barbacoa
There are numerous versions of barbacoa recipes all over Mexico. Traditionally, barbacoa is meat wrapped in banana leaves and roasted in a pit in the ground. The pit is covered with firewood, then soil. The meat is roasted overnight for the next day. While there are areas in Mexico that still prepare barbacoa this way, most people make it in the oven and stove top. This particular recipe cooks the beef in an Instant Pot, then finishes on the stove top. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, the beef can be cooked in the oven at 300 degrees for 4 hours or in a crock pot for 6 hours.Once the meat is cooked, it’s tossed in an adobo sauce made of ancho and morita peppers. If you’ve never had a morita pepper, it’s really similar to a chipotle pepper, but dried. Beef barbacoa is great as taco meat, on tortas, huaraches, or just on its own.
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 3 lbs chuck cubed
- 1 lb beef shank bones
- 1/2 medium onion
- 10 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 avocado leaves
- 2 cups water
Adobo Sauce
- 6 dried ancho peppers
- 1 dried morita pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place the cubed chuck, beef bones, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and avocado leaves in the Instant Pot. Turn the function to pressure cook on high for 60 minutes. Place the cover on and push start.
- Release the pressure. Throw away the beef bones, bay and avocado leaves. Scoop out all of the beef from the liquid and set aside.
- While the beef is cooking, soak the dried peppers in hot water for 30 minutes.
- In a blender or food processor, combine the dried peppers, garlic, oregano, and 1 cup of the water the peppers soaked in.
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up vegetable oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Pour in the sauce and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the beef, making sure that it’s coated in the adobo sauce. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. If the meat gets too dry, add in a half cup of the liquid from the beef.
Lomo Saltado
Lomo Saltado
I first had lomo saltado in a Peruvian restaurant in Denver called Los Cabos; whatever year it was when Colorado first legalized recreational marijuana. Absolutely delicious. It is simply stir fried beef with onions, tomatoes, aji amarillo paste, and French fries of all things. It is always served with steamed rice. While this dish is extremely popular in Peruvian cuisine, it’s roots are derived from Chinese immigrants. When choosing beef, top sirloin is the best choice based upon tenderness for your dollar. Any thing less in tenderness then top sirloin such as cuts from round, sirloin tip, chuck, won’t work. Flank steak, skirt steak, ny strip, and tenderloin are all acceptable choices, but will cost a little more than top sirloin.
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin sliced into 1/4” thick strips
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion sliced
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp aji amarillo paste
- 2 cups French fries cooked
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Marinate the beef in soy sauce, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes.
- Heat up olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Stir Fry the beef for 3-4 minutes. Make sure to save the remaining marinade.
- Add in the onions, tomatoes, aji amarillo, and garlic. Sauté for another 4 minutes.
- Add in the French fries and the remaining marinade. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro.
Mexican Meatball Soup
Mexican Meatball Soup
There are many different ways and variations to making meatball soup. This particular recipe uses beef meatballs. 85% lean ground beef works the best. It’s not too lean and not too fatty. You can also use half beef/half pork, or all pork. You can add in a variety of vegetables to this in addition to potatoes. Carrots, roasted corn, zucchini, and squash are all suitable. Serve with a side of steamed rice.
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 slice bread
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 4 garlic cloves
- salt and pepper to taste
Meatball Soup
- 1 lb tomatoes
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 lb potatoes peeled and cut into small cubes.
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
Garnish
- green onion chopped
- queso fresco
Instructions
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients together.
- Roll the meat into balls a little smaller than golf ball sized. Set aside.
- Dry roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic in a large pot. This will take 4-5 minutes.
- Add them to a blender or food processor.
- Purée.
- In the same pot, heat up vegetable oil over medium high heat. Pour in the tomato purée. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Drop in the meatballs. Add in the potatoes.
- Simmer for 15 minutes. The meatballs will float to the top.
- Turn off the heat. Add in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
