I'm not sure what prompted this Mexican Pot Roast. Although I like Mexican food very much, I don’t make it very often, but as I was trying to decide how to cook a chuck roast I'd bought this recipe leapt to mind and, in my mind's mouth, it tasted absolutely delicious. So of course I had to make it. I also decided to steal a couple of licks from other Mexican/Southwestern dishes and shredded the beef before serving it on corn tortillas. (Larger image.) Serves 2.
If you want to see some other recipes for braises, check out "In Braise of Cheap Meat".
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- ~1 lb. 2-inch thick chuck roast*
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp. corn oil
- 1/2 lg. onion; chopped
- 1/4 lg. bell pepper (any color); chopped
- 1 sm. jalapeno pepper; seeded and minced
- 1 clove garlic; chopped
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce
- 2 tsp. chile powder**
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Season the roast* with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a small dutch oven (compare prices) over medium-high heat and brown roast on all sides. Set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium and sauté onions and peppers until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
5. Increase heat to medium-high, add beef broth and deglaze pan by scraping up browned bits.
6. Stir in tomato sauce and then stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a vigorous simmer.
7. Cover pot and place in center of oven. Cook 1 hour, taste sauce and adjust seasonings. Turn over roast, and cook 1 hour longer. Turn and cook 1/2 hour more.
8. Remove roast and shred using a pair of forks, discarding any fat. Combine with sauce.
9. Serve topped with sour cream and salsa with corn or flour tortillas as scoops.
*Note 1: For this recipe you want a thick piece of meat so that it cooks slowly, I bought a 2-inch thick 2 3/4 pound chuck roast, then I cut it in half and froze half for later use.
**Note 2: You can certainly use a commercial chile powder, but I prefer to make my own using this recipe.