Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef Tacos
Every year, the The YMCA of Virginia’s Blue Ridge hosts "Welcoming Week," a weeklong series celebrating the growing movement of communities that fully embrace newcomer immigrants and their contributions to the social fabric of our country.
This year, Welcome Week will have a different look due to Covid-19. Nevertheless, Ys across the country are still planning virtual or physically-distanced events to help immigrant and U.S.-born neighbors connect and celebrate what unites us as a community. The Y in Salem, Virginia, reached out to me to get involved.
As a child of immigrant parents from Mexico who spends a considerable amount of time in the kitchen, I was asked to contribute a recipe video that connects with my culture.
My mother teaching my sister how to make the perfect homemade tortillas. A right of passage for most of her children.
Shopping for dried chilies at El Mercado in Cerritos, San Luis Potosi on my latest trip to Mexico.
I opted to craft a recipe that bridges the culinary gap between traditional Mexican dishes and ingredients readily available to the average American shopper at stores like Kroger, Publix, or Walmart.
These beef tacos draw inspiration from the tenderness of homestyle Barbacoa, typically slow-cooked with beef cheeks and tongue, as well as the flavorful broth found in a delicious Birria, a stew made with goat or beef and a variety of peppers. The result is an accessible and simple weeknight meal.
Slow Cooker Chipotle Beef Tacos
Ingredients:
- 2–3 lb. chuck roast
- 8oz, chipotle salsa in a can
- 1 medium onion, halved
- 4 cloves, garlic
- 1 tbsp, toasted cumin
- 1 tbsp, dried Mexican organo
- 2 bay leafs
- 2 tbsp, salt
- 1 tbsp, pepper
- 3 tbsp, white vinegar
- ¼ cup beef or chicken broth
- 5 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 4oz, lime juice
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp, salt
- 12 Corn Tortillas
- 10oz Queso Fresco
Instructions:
- Roast the whole cumin in a dry skillet over low to medium heat, constantly stirring around until golden and fragrant, then use a mortar and petal — or the back of the wooden spoon — to coarsely grind the cumin.
- Add broth and vinegar to your slow cooker.
- Rub your roast with salt, pepper, cumin, and dry Mexican oregano then rub on roughly half of your chipotle salsa.
- Into your slow cooker, add your roast, the remainder of your chipotle salsa, onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
- Using two forks, pull your beef into small strands.
- In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and lime.
- Drizzle in oil and sprinkle salt.
- Give it all one more toss and then let it sit in the refrigerator until dinner time.
- Crumble your quest fresco into a small bowl and set aside.
- Warm your tortillas in a hot comal or on a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. 30-45 seconds on each side should do the trick.
- Place three warm tortillas on a plate then add beef onto each tortilla, followed by about tablespoon of pico de gallo, and a teaspoon of your queso fresco crumble. Serve with a lime.
