Beef Machaca

By garciamoss

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chile ancho powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more for braising liquid
• 2 1/2 pounds skirt steak or any beef that shreds well (* slice the beef into 3 equal parts for easier searing)
• Olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
• 2 serranos or jalapeño peppers, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup dry red wine or use low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/8 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules or chicken base
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Salt to taste
• 2 chile ancho, stems and seeds removed
• I prefer using chicken broth and chicken base even with beef dishes because the beef can be a bit strong at times. You can mix half and half if you like.

Details

Adapted from hispanickitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Mix the first five ingredients (dry spices) and generously rub on both sides of the beef, let sit for 20 minutes or you can refrigerate overnight.

2. If cooking right away, which I did, preheat 4 tablespoons of olive oil to medium/high heat for a few minutes. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Brown the beef in hot oil for 4 minutes per side. Transfer to roasting pan or oven-safe Dutch oven pot.

3. In a separate bowl, mix all of the remaining ingredients, minus the chile ancho, taste for salt and adjust seasoning before adding to the beef. Add chile ancho, cover beef with foil and roast in oven for 3 hours.

4. When ready, remove beef from braising liquid and shred finely. Remove bay leaves from braising liquid and transfer to the blender. Let the hot braising liquid cool before blending and always secure blender lid, holding down tightly with a kitchen towel. Transfer the blended liquid to a sauce pan and cook on medium/low heat until the sauce thickens and reduces. I serve this on the side, like a gravy for beef or you can mix a little into the beef for moisture.

5. For a more traditional machaca, heat a few tablespoons of oil to medium/high heat in a large skillet. I divided the machaca into thirds, since there are only two of us. Stir-fry the beef until it gets crisp and brown in some spots. You could serve as-is or you could add some onions, chile peppers and tomatoes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with warm tortillas and salsa. Freeze the remaining machaca for use later or just have it for breakfast the next day!