Slow Cooked Chipotle Chilli Beef – This is a great recipe as it can be used in so many ways – Nachos, Burritos, Quesadillas, as a Mex Bowl or as we have here – Tacos! You can make a lot for a little, freeze what you don’t use and it’s all so simple. As always start with quality ingredients and you find better than Budd’s Grass Fed Cape Grim Chuck Steak and our new House Made Chorizo!
If you just want the recipe jump over to our recipe library here otherwise read on for more details of the process!
In Australia we tend to think of dishes like Chilli Con Carne being made from mince, however in traditional Mexican cooking, it’s just not the case. The slow cooking of a ‘non prime cut’ delivers flavour and a melt in the mouth beef that you just don’t get with mince.
Sure it takes time and a little planning, however the prep is quick it’s the slow cook does all the work for you.
What you will need:
1kg Budd’s Cape Grim Chuck Steak
2 Budd’s House Made Chorizo, cut in half lengthways and then cut around 5mm thick – They should look like half moons.
Butchers Axe Ranger Rub
3 – 4 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (add more or less depending on how hot you like it! (Available in the Mex section of supermarkets)
1 400g can of whole Mexican black beans
1 400g tinned whole tomatoes
1 brown onion coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves peeled
1 litre chicken stock
500ml beef stock
1 teaspoon or Liquid smoke (available online or from BBQ stores)
2 cinnamon quills
2 bay leaves
To serve:
Tortillas
Sour Cream
Pickled Red Onion (or plain how ever you want to roll)
Avocado or Guacamole
Refried Beans
Coriander
Lime wedges
Start the day before is you have the time but 3 – 4 hours of the dry rub is also fine. Place the steaks in a shallow non reactive dish and cover liberally with the Ranger seasoning on both sides.
Cover with cling film and put in the fridge overnight.
The next day remove the meat from the fridge and allow to come to room temp and preheat an oven or hooded BBQ to 160c
Then put the Chipotle Peppers and half the adobo sauce from the can of peppers – (Note this stuff is pretty hot, you can add more later if you want more kick) into a saucepan and add the stock and bring to a slow boil.
Meanwhile sear the meat on both sides in a non stick pane drizzled in olive oil. You want a good sear, but be careful not to burn it. Don’t overload the pan, do this one at a time if you need to – Remove meat from the pan and set aside.
Once the peppers and stock mixture has come to a boil remove it from the heat and pour it into a roasting pan, then place the meat in the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients scattering them around the meat not on top of it – Particularly the liquid smoke! This is very strong and if poured directly onto the meat will over power it. When you add the beans son’t rinse them just add the whole can including the liquid.
Once everything is added cover tightly with foil, pop it in your oven or BBQ and forget about it – Sort of!
Come back and check it every hour or so to make sure there is still enough liquid in the pan and it hasn’t dried out completely.
After 3 – 4 hours most of the liquid should have cooked out leaving only a little in the bottom of the pan – The meat should be falling apart. If it needs longer just pop it back in until you’re happy.
Remove the meat and place on a chopping board and cut across the grain of the meat – Alternatively you can use to forks and pull the meat apart.
Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon quills from the cooking liquid in the pan and use a potato masher to smooth the it out a little to form a sauce – No need to use a food processor as you want it to be chunky.
So from here you can either return the meat to the sauce and mix through or leave it seperate – If you are anything like our house some people love spice others not so much. The sauce is very spicy, so separating lets everyone add as much or little as you want.
Transfer to bowls to serve with the tortillas and other sides on a platter – Jobs done!
