Cola Shredded Beef Tacos
The Coke gives these just a touch of sweetness. Add some salsa, sour cream and a squeeze of lime and you'll have tacos you would be proud to serve to your family and friends. The dried chiles in this are not really spicy. This recipe is a preview from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Deborah Schneider. She has a new cookbook coming out in May of 2010: Amor y Tacos. I know I'll be first in line to buy that book!
INGREDIENTS
Nutrition- 3medium dried ancho chiles
- 2large dried guajillo chilies
- 2
- 1⁄4cup finely chopped red onion
- 2
- 1⁄2teaspoon cumin seed
- 1
- 1teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 2
- 2 -3lbs chuck roast, cut into 4 pieces
- 1dried bay leaf
- 1 1⁄2cups cola (Mexican preferred-NOT diet)
- 12 -24
- chopped avocados, red onion, and cilantro, thinly sliced pickled jalapenos, and crema Mexicana* or regular sour cream
DIRECTIONS
- Make sauce for beef: Wipe chiles clean with a damp cloth, stem and seed, and tear into pieces. Heat 1 tablespoons oil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chiles and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, the cumin, tomatoes, oregano, and 1 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chiles are softened, about 10 minutes. Purée sauce in a blender until very smooth. (I forgot to blend my sauce, and my meat still came out wonderful although there were large pieces of chile in the sauce).
- Meanwhile, season beef with the remaining teaspoons salt. Heat the remaining tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Brown beef, turning occasionally, 10 to 14 minutes. Discard fat, if any.
- Pour sauce into pot and add bay leaf, cola, and a little water if needed to barely cover meat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until beef is very tender, 3 hours.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer beef to a plate. Let cool slightly, then tear into shreds, discarding any fat or gristle. Meanwhile, boil sauce over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3 cups, 10 to 30 minutes. Stir in beef and heat a few minutes until hot. Remove bay leaf.
- Make tacos: With a slotted spoon, transfer beef with some sauce to a bowl. Spoon beef into tortillas (double tortillas if they're thin), tuck in accompaniments, and serve with remaining sauce if you like.
- Make ahead: Through step 3; chill, covered, up to 2 days.