Sometimes Braising is better!

If there is one thing I can avoid when cooking, that is making the meal a long process. Maybe I am impatient, or just plain hungry! So I can usually whip something up in a jiff! However, there are times when I want to take time with my meal and plan ahead. I like having something that is slow cooked and deep in flavor.

 

You know when you go to Mexican restaurants and they serve that really yummy-shredded beef? Well that beef has been cooking in liquid for hours, a process called “braising.” Braising the meat makes it able to shred effortlessly.

 

How do you choose a beef for braising? Well, you can pretty much braise anything but the kitchen sink in any kind of liquid, but what is great about braising is that you can use the cheapest beef!  Forget the 13 dollars per pound Filet Minion. I usually go with the beef chuck, or the beef shoulder. These cuts are the toughest, making the tenderizing braising process perfect!

 

 

 

Lindsay’s Mexican Braised Beef

 

Ingredients:

4 lbs Beef chuck, cubed

1 onion

4 dried ancho chilies, soaked for 15 minutes, seeds removed

6 oz tomato paste

3 cloves garlic

2-3 cups water

 

Directions:

Season cubed beef with salt and pepper. In a large, deep pot, brown beef. In a food processor, blend onion, chili, tomato paste and garlic. Add to pot and submerge beef mixture with 2-3 cups water. Simmer and braise for 2 hours until beef is tender and liquid is reduced by half. Shred beef in pot with 2 forks. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

With my braised beef recipe, I combine Mexican flavors with my own Lindsay twist that can be paired with many other foods. I like to use them in tacos. I lightly fry up a few corn tortillas, make a little salsa by combining chopped tomatoes, cilantro, corn, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and topped off with some sliced avocado. To assemble, put a couple spoon fill’s of beef on the tortilla, top with corn salsa and avocado, and your taste buds will be in heaven!