Prep Time: 40 minutes
Wait Time: 15 hrs
Cook Time: 15 hrs
Yields: A metric crapton
Ingredients:
3lbs of Beef Roast (I used chuck roast)
5-10 large dried Chile Pods
1/4 cup Distilled Vinegar
4 cups of water for boiling
4 tbsp of Cooking Oil (olive or vegetable)
1/3 cup Potato Starch or Corn Starch (Potato starch comes out crispier)
2/3 cup Tequila
1 whole lime (plus more if you want a garnish/condiments)
1 small can of Chipotle Peppers (I use San Marcos Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce)
1 small can of Tomato Paste
1 can of diced tomatoes and chiles (Rotel or Generic brand)
Spices:
1 tbsp Oregano
2 Bay leaves
1 tsp Paprika
2 tsp Turmeric
1 tbsp granulated Chicken Stock
3 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Extra garlic powder for sprinkling
1 whole Poblano Pepper
A bunch of fresh Cilantro
Instructions:
1. Chop your meat up into chunks. These do not need to be very small, but don’t leave them too big. About 2” cubes is ideal. Sprinkle meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Find a large bowl with a lid that won’t leak. I use an extra large Tupperware™ container. Add the 1/4 cup potato or corn starch to the bowl. Add in the chopped meat. Place lid firmly on the container and shake vigorously for 2-3 minutes or until all the meat is evenly coated.
3. Heat up a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil drizzled over the pan. Sear the meat chunks until starch coating is brown and crispy. Be sure not to fill up the pan too much at a time so the meat has room to breathe. When finished, transfer the meat to the slow cooker. Make sure your slow-cooker is on and set to high. Once the meat is done, keep the pan on the flame.
4. While waiting for the meat to brown, fill up a medium sauce pot with 4 cups of water, 1/4 cup distilled vinegar, and 2 tbsp cooking oil. Remove the stems from the chile pods. Crack each pod in half over the pot of water, making sure the seeds go in the water as well. Boil the chiles for 10-15 minutes until very soft. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Once all the meat is done and transferred to the slow cooker, add in 1 can of diced tomatos with chiles and 1 can of tomato paste. Fill the empty can of tomato paste with water and swirl around with a spoon to get the remaining paste. Add paste and water mixture to pot.
6. Once the meat is done and transferred, the pan on the flame should be left with a layer of charred meat, juices, and fat. This is the yummy stuff. Add 2/3 cup of Tequila and the 1 small can of chipotle peppers to the pan and let simmer on medium heat while stirring to de-glaze the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring until the bottom of the pan is clear from char. Once clear, remove from heat and pour contents of pan into slow-cooker. Add in the dried seasonings to the slow cooker.
7. Once your boiled chile pods are cooled down in the sauce pot, remove the chiles from the water and place into food processor or blender. Make sure some liquid goes with the chiles to the blender. Pour the remaining water, vinegar, and oil solution from the pot into the slow cooker.
8. Chop up a generous amount of fresh cilantro. Juice one whole lime. Add the cilantro and lime juice to the food processor or blender. (I add the remaining lime rinds to the slow cooker.) Blend on high until a paste forms. Add the paste to the slow cooker.
9. Slice up one whole poblano pepper and add to the slow cooker. Mix all of the contents of the slow cooker up. Cook on high for 3 hours. Mix and then switch to low heat for 12 hours. I add a little water here and there if needed, but my slow cooker is pretty good at keeping moisture in.
10. Come back hours later to tender, spicy, shredded beef. Shred the beef additionally if preferred with two forks. I find the beef pretty much shreds itself.
Use the meat to make tacos, quesadillas, tamales, taquitos, tostadas, nachos, and more. If you wanna get real nasty you can mix it in with some gluten free mac-n-cheese for a great hangover meal. 😏
