Braised Beef Tacos Food

TRADITIONAL TEJANO CARNE GUISADA (BRAISED BEEF FOR TACOS)

Steps:

• Heat a large, high-sided skillet (or a wide-bottomed pot), over medium high heat.
• Salt and pepper the beef chunks.
• Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl. It should start to shimmer if the pan is hot enough.
• Add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Place the pieces of meat so that they are not touching each other (You don't want them to steam--see photos). Turn the pieces with tongs to brown all sides. Remove to a plate and repeat 2 more batches, adding more oil as necessary.
• Remove the final batch of meat, then add the onions to the pan, adding more oil first if there is none left.
• Saute the onions over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until mostly cooked through. Do your best to scrape up the browned bits.
• Return the meat to the pan. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt**, beef bullion, pepper, and cumin.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. You want there to be some movement. If the mixture is completely still, turn it up a little. I had my burner set just below medium.
• Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is tender and the gravy has thickened. Stir occasionally.
• To serve authentically, put the meat, some rice, cheese, and guacamole in a warm flour tortilla.
• It's important to note that this is not a shredded beef recipe; "Carne Guisada" literally means "Stewed Beef" so you want it to be just like beef stew, but without any veggies.
• Don't add 3 cups of water! Read on:
• Brown the meat and saute the onion as instructed above. Add the meat and onion to a crock pot. In a glass measuring bowl, measure out 1/4 cup HOT water. Add the beef bouillon and dissolve. Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt**, pepper, and cumin to the measuring cup. Stir and combine, then pour over the meat in the crock pot, stirring to coat.
• Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
• Remove the lid for the last half hour of cook time, and turn the heat up to high. This is to burn off some of the excess liquid. If it's at a consistency you like, you can skip that step.
• It's important to note that this is not a shredded beef recipe; "Carne Guisada" literally means "Stewed Beef" so you want it to be just like beef stew, but without any veggies.

BRAISED BRISKET TACOS

Steps:

• Make the brisket: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mix 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Score the fat on the brisket with the tip of a sharp knife (do not cut into the meat), then rub the spice mixture all over the brisket until coated. Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the brisket fat-side down and cook until browned on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the poblanos, red onion, garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, the coriander, oregano and a pinch of salt to the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato juice and chicken broth and remove from the heat. Nestle the brisket fat-side up in the liquid and cover the pot. Bake until the meat is very tender and a thin knife inserted into the center twists easily, about 3 hours.
• Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Spoon off and discard the excess fat from the sauce in the pot, then puree until smooth using an immersion blender (or transfer to a regular blender and puree). Stir in the vinegar and season with salt. Transfer about 3/4 cup of the sauce to a small bowl for serving. Stir 2 tablespoons water into the remaining sauce in the pot. Thinly slice the meat against the grain and return to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is well coated with sauce and warmed through.
• Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet or in the microwave. Serve the brisket on the tortillas; drizzle with the reserved sauce and top as desired.

BRAISED BEEF TACOS

Steps:

• In a large skillet over high heat, add the oil. Season the steak with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, put the steaks into the pan and cook until browned on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• In the sleeve of a slow cooker, add the onion and cilantro stems. Put the steak on top and sprinkle with garlic and chile powder. Add the tomatoes with their juice (set aside 1/2 cup of the tomatoes for the salsa), broth, and 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the steak is tender and shreds easily. Remove the meat and shred using 2 forks. (Strain and reserve the cooking liquid for Round 2 Recipe Crispy Steak Sandwiches.)
• While the meat is cooking, combine the reserved 1/2 cup tomatoes with the scallions, lime juice, salt and pepper, to taste, and 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Wrap the tortillas in a damp towel and microwave on high for about 30 seconds, or until heated through. Put 1/4 cup of the meat onto each tortilla (reserve 1 1/2 cups beef for Round 2 Recipe Crispy Steak Sandwiches.). Top with some salsa, cilantro leaves, and 1 tablespoon sour cream. (Reserve remaining 1 cup sour cream for Online Round 2 Recipe Creamy Mexican Dip with Spiced Chips.) Roll up and serve.

GUAJILLO-BRAISED BEEF SHORT RIB TACO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Working in two batches if necessary to avoid crowding, lightly toast all of the chiles in a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side, until fragrant but not blackened. Set them aside on a plate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot with a lid over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, working in batches to avoid crowding, add the meat and sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until the pieces have formed a uniformly browned crust. Add more oil to the pot as needed to prevent scorching. As the pieces are ready, set them aside on a plate.
• Add the onion to the same same pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Pour in the beer, add the toasted chiles, and turn down the heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the chiles have softened and are pliable. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Transfer the contents of the pot to a blender and reserve the pot. Add the cumin, pepper, oregano, salt, and water to the blender and blend the mixture on high speed until smooth and the consistency of cream, adding more water if needed to thin the mixture a bit.
• Return the seared meat to the pot and pour in the chile mixture. Cover, transfer to the oven, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
• Remove from the oven and, using tongs or a couple of forks, shred the meat in the pot. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed. Serve with the tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime.

SUNDAY STASH BRAISED BEEF

Steps:

• Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 45 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 275°F. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, sear meat until browned on all sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add garlic and tomato paste to hot pot and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. Add vinegar and scrape up browned bits from bottom of pot. Stir in stock and bay leaves, then nestle short ribs back into pot. The liquid should just cover the meat; if it doesn't, add more stock or water until it does. Transfer to oven and braise until meat falls apart easily when shredded with a fork, 3 1/2-4 hours. Let cool in liquid.
• Do Ahead: Beef can be cooked up to 5 days ahead. Store in braising liquid (to keep it from drying out) in an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 2 months. Before reheating, break off and discard fat cap that forms on top.
• Cooks' Note: To cook in a slow cooker, transfer to a slow cooker instead of oven and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

BRAISED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot.
• Season the flour with salt and pepper.
• Coat the beef cubes in the flour mixture to coat, shaking off excess flour.
• Brown the beef very well on all sides, then remove to a plate.
• Add the garlic, onion, and chili flakes to the pot, cooking 3 or 4 minutes, until soft, adding more oil if necessary.
• Add the tomato paste; stir with the onion/garlic mixture for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the beef broth and wine to the cooked onions, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Add the beef back into the pot with, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and the Dijon mustard (if using).
• Mix well, and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer, uncovered on top of the stove, or in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 1 hour, or until the meat is fork-tender.
• Add the carrots and potatoes.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for 30 minutes more, or until veggies are tender.