Serious Eats Barbacoa Food

NO-WASTE TACOS DE CARNITAS WITH SALSA VERDE RECIPE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 275°F (135°C). Cut one onion into fine dice and combine with cilantro. Refrigerate until needed. Split remaining onion into quarters. Set aside. Season pork with 1 tablespoon salt and place in a 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish. The pork should fill the dish with no extra space. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice over pork. Nestle squeezed orange pieces into dish. Add 2 onion quarters, 4 cloves garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to dish. Nestle everything into an even layer. Pour vegetable oil over surface. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook until pork is fork tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Set large fine-mesh strainer over a 1-quart liquid measuring cup or bowl. Using tongs, remove and discard orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Transfer pork, rendered fat, and cooking liquid to strainer. Let drain for 10 minutes. Transfer pork back to baking dish. You should end up with about 1/2 cup cooking liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Using a flat spoon or fat separator, skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer remaining cooking liquid to medium saucepan.
• Add tomatillos, remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and jalapeños to saucepan with strained pork liquid. Add water until it is about 1 inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Blend salsa with immersion blender or in a countertop blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To serve: Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 4 inches below heating element. Broil pork until brown and crisp on surface, about 6 minutes. Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again until crisp, 6 more minutes. Tent with foil to keep warm.
• Meanwhile, heat tortillas. Preheat an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water. Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer tortilla to a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
• To eat, stack two tortillas on top of each other. Add two to three tablespoons carnitas mixture to center. Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and queso fresco. Serve with lime wedges. Special Equipment 9- by 13-inch glass baking dish , large fine-mesh strainer , medium saucepan , fat separator (optional), immersion or countertop blender

MEXICAN BIRRIA

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Toast all of the chiles on a hot griddle or in a skillet over medium heat until browned, but not burned.
• Remove the seeds and veins and discard; place the chiles in a bowl, cover them with very hot water, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
• When the chiles have rehydrated, drain them.
• Place the chilies and vinegar in a blender and process to make a paste.
• In a small bowl, mix together all of the rub ingredients. Rub the meat well with this mixture.
• Coat the meat with half of the chile paste.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the meat marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Pour the 1 cup of water into a Dutch oven or deep casserole dish. Add the coarsely chopped onion, bay leaves, chopped garlic, and the remaining chile paste.
• Place the meat on a rack or steamer basket that sits just above the liquid mixture.
• Place the lid on the pot, making sure that it covers tightly, and bake for 4 hours.
• Remove the meat from the Dutch oven to a cutting board. Cut or break into pieces a little larger than bite size. Distribute the meat among 6 to 8 bowls. Add a bit of the broth to each serving, more if serving as a stew, less if for tacos.
• Serve as a soupy stew or as a taco filling with warm corn tortillas, garnished with the chopped cilantro and onion.

SERIOUS EATS BARBACOA

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and preheat oven to 275°F Place chilis in bottom of a large Dutch oven and heat over high heat. Cook, turning chilis with tongs occasionally until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Cover with 2 cups chicken or beef stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until chilis are completely tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from pot.
• Rub kosher salt and pepper lightly on roast. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear chuck roast until well-browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove roast and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
• Add onions, cook 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Add cumin, cloves, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chipotle chilis and sauce, vinegar, and remaining chicken or beef stock. Scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan, simmer until reduced by about half, then transfer entire contents to the jar of a blender (or use stick blender).
• Add soaked chilis and their liquid to the blender/pot. Start blender on low and slowly increase speed to high. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.
• Place beef chuck in Dutch oven. Add bay leaves and bring to a boil over high heat. Place lid on pot slightly cracked, then transfer to oven. Cook, turning beef occasionally, until completely tender, about 5 hours. Discard bay leaves and transfer chuck to a large plate. Return Dutch oven to stovetop and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until liquid is reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 5 minutes.
• Shred beef into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Return beef to a pot along with the sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook, gently stirring and folding until beef is hot, tender, and coated in sauce. Season to taste with salt. Serve immediately, piling the beef into warm corn tortillas with onions, cilantro, salsa, limes, or other condiments as desired.

SLOW-COOKER BARBACOA

Steps:

• Place the first 9 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Add broth; pulse to combine., Place roast and bay leaves in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker; pour sauce over top. Cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 7-9 hours., Prepare rice about 30 minutes before serving. In a large saucepan, combine water, rice, butter and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat; gently stir in cilantro and lime juice., Remove roast from slow cooker; cool slightly. Discard bay leaves and skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker. Serve with rice.