Barbacoa Beef

Adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Out of all my taco recipes, this one has quickly become the favorite in our house.  I make this recipe using my super awesome Cuisinart Cook Central 3-in-1 multi-cooker.  AKA the crock pot Tim the Tool Man got ahold of.  If you don't have one, this will require more than just your crock pot - although the original recipe linked above only uses a regular crock pot.  Directions are written as if you are doing it all in your super awesome Cook Central - if not, steps one and three will either be skipped or done on the stove top.  

6-7 lbs chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2" chunks
6 cloves garlic, minced
6-7 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (1 per pound of meat), chopped
1 7 oz can diced green chilies
2 white onions, diced
1/2 cup lime juice
4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (do yourself a favor and get it at Apple Hill, not the Heinz stuff)
6-7 bay leaves (1 per pound of meat)
2 tbsp. ground cumin
4 tbsp. mexican oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup beef broth
Salt and Pepper
Lime-infused, garlic-infused, or plain old boring olive oil


Step One 
Turn your awesome crock pot to saute at 400 degrees and throw in a little oil (go easy, really, like 1 tsp), or heat in a frying pan on the stove if you're old school like that.  Generously salt & pepper your chunks of meat.  Throw into the pot about a fifth of the onion and garlic, let it cook for 30 seconds, then add a layer of meat and brown  the meat on all sides.  Remove all to a big bowl and repeat until all the meat is browned.    For me this is usually 5-6 batches.

Step Two 
Turn the crock pot to low.  Dump that bowl of meat and onions and garlic and juices back into the crock pot.  Throw in everything else and give it a little mixing.  Cook on low for 8-9 hours.  Resist the urge to open it that will hit you at hour four.  This is the perfect go to bed and wake up to OMG meat recipe.

Step Three 
After your nine hours, lift the lid and it should look a lot like baby, you got a stew.  Big chunks of meat floating in a nice dark liquid.   Turn your super awesome Cook Central back to saute at 350.  Shred the meat with two forks, and the liquid will start to boil while you do that.  Yank out the bay leaves while you shred the meat, don't want to accidentally feed those to anyone.  Let the liquid reduce for about 20 minutes, until it looks more like juicy meat than a stew, and you are all done.

We usually eat this as tacos, but you could also use it for enchiladas or whatever other mexican-ish thing you want.  

Enchilada Sauce

From the Old Capitol Tamale Restaurant in Sacramento, thanks go to Lupe for this one.

3/4 cup salad oil
1/2 cup flour
4 tbsp Grandma's Chili Powder*
4 tbsp regular chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp crushed oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, chopped
6 cups chicken broth

*Grandma's Chili Powder is a brand that has since been discontinued.  The ingredients consisted approximately of chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic.  According to the manufacturer, this is similar. 

Cook flour, oil and seasonings over low heat until well mixed.

Gradually add chicken broth and simmer till mixture thickens, usually about 30 minutes.  It will also continue to thicken some when cool.

Baked Beans

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 ribs celery
salt & pepper to taste
8 oz tomato sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp dried mustard 
chili powder to taste
1 large can pork 'n beans 


Brown and drain ground beef.  Preheat oven to 375.  Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, celery and salt and pepper.  Saute until vegetables are soft.  Add remaining ingredients and bake for 1 hour.

As noted on the original - all seasonings are "to taste" - please yourself and enjoy! 

Santa Maria Tri-Tip

Adapted from Rob, Arnie & Dawn

Rub
3 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp onion powder
4 tbsp garlic powder
4 tbsp salt

Sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup garlic infused olive oil

Mix rub ingredients together and rub over meat.  Let sit for at least an hour before cooking, up to 24 hours.

Cook on the grill over high heat.  Grill for 5 minutes, baste the top, then flip.  Baste, let cook for another 7 minutes, flip.  Baste, let cook for another 7 minutes, flip.  Baste, let cook for another 2 minutes.  Depending on the size of the roast, this 21 minutes should get you to rare - but you can increase the cooking and flipping more as desired.  Baste, flip, cook - baste, flip, cook ...and so on. 

Uncle John's Stromboli

Ingredients:
Pizza Dough
1/2 pound Italian sausage, removed from casings and crumbled
1 cup sliced yellow onions
1 cup thinly sliced red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 pound sliced ham
1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni or salami
Sliced provolone
1 large egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash
1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet or cover with parchment and set aside.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until browned and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook, stirring, until very soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and cool.

Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the dough to a large rectangle. In the center of the dough put down a layer of provolone and half of the sausage/peppers/onions mixture. fold over one side of the dough. layer half of the ham, pepperoni, and Parmesan cheese over the dough. Using a pastry brush, paint the border of the long edge with egg wash. Fold the other side of the dough over and pinch the edges to seal. Place on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down and score top to allow steam to vent while baking. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Let rest for 5 minutes

Brush the top of each Stromboli with egg wash. Bake until completely golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let stand 15 minutes. Slice thickly and serve.

Black Beans

I use my fancy new crock pot that also has a saute setting on it to make these in one easy swoop.  

1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic 
1 jalapeno
1 lb. dry black beans
1 tbsp. better than bulion
6 cups water
Juice from 1 lime
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
2 bay leaves

Saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic for 1-2 minutes until jalapeno begins to soften.  Put in crock pot with remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Check at 3 and 5 hours to make sure beans are still covered in water - if beans aren't, add more water.  When beans are soft, you can simmer over medium heat for a few minutes to reduce any extra liquid.

Serve with crumbled cotija cheese and/or pico de gallo. 

Uncle John's Cuban Roast Pork

Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2lbs Pork Loin, pierced frequently with a steak knife
1/3 Cup Good Olive Oil
1/2C Orange Juice
2TBSP Fresh Lemon Juice
2TBSP Fresh Lime Juice
8-10 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 TSP Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper

In a small sauce pan. Heat the olive oil to medium high. Toast the garlic in the olive oil (no more than 30 to 40 seconds). Add the cumin, orange, lemon and lime juice and boil for about 30 seconds. Allow to cool then season to taste with salt and pepper. Once the mojo has cooled completely, add the mojo and the pork to a large sealable bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 450°. Place the pork loin in an 8"x12" baking dish, pour approximately 1/3 of mojo over the pork loin and place in oven. After 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 300°. Baste every 30 minutes, adding 1/3 of the remaining mojo the next 2 bastings. Cook until internal roast temperature reaches 145°.