Shredded Beef Machaca

If I’m being totally honest, I’m not a huge fan of leftovers.  Unless its pot roast, roasted or fried chicken and maybe my Tuscan lasagna; which is always better the second day.  Often, a recipe can lose some of the fresh flavor and texture during the process of re-heating and then I promptly lose interest.  I sound like a food snob.  I promise I’m not a food snob, just a little picky about the flavor and texture of my food.

The beauty of leftover pot roast are the many ways it can be re-invented into another recipe.  I adore pot roast sandwiches smothered with caramelized onions and Havarti cheese, a simple pot roast soup with pearled barley and porcini mushrooms and of course this gorgeous shredded beef machaca.

You can certainly prepare a pot roast specifically for this recipe, but it tastes just as delicious with leftovers.

As a child, this dish was a staple in our home.  Although we call it machaca, it’s not a traditional Mexican machaca. Mexican machaca is actually a dried, marinated beef (much like our beef jerky).  However, because we include scrambled eggs in the shredded beef, it was dubbed “machaca” in my house. Sort of a riff on the very popular machaca con huevos, a Mexican beef and egg scramble.

Shredded beef machaca was served as a celebration meal, a meal for dinner guests and on occasion a Sunday supper.  My parents used to make it into burritos with the usual assortment of delicious Mexican condiments.  I serve this machaca with warm corn tortillas, lime wedges, cotija cheese, avocado slices, red chili sauce or my brothers delicious salsa recipe.

When I prepare this for my family I like to make dinner a casual event and place the shredded beef machaca and layering ingredients in the center of the table. Then everyone can assemble their own taco or burrito with their favorite condiments.

The result is loads of easy conversation, laughter, smiling faces and very happy bellies. Which always makes me happy.

Shredded beef machaca makes a delightful meal and can be served a la carte or with salad greens, black beans and a little cerveza to top it off!

Delicious Wishes and Loads of Love,

Karista

Shredded Beef Machaca

January 9, 2017

by Karista

Category Beef Karista's Kitchen Kid Friendly Life Around My Table Main Dish

Serving Size

6

1 2 3 4 5

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Notes

I like to cook the eggs in a separate pan rather than in the machaca directly, to keep the texture from being soggy.

Ingredients

For the pot roast (or use your favorite basic pot roast recipe)

• 3-4lbs beef chuck roast, halved
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 bay leaf

For the Machaca

• 2 tablespoons ghee or high heat oil
• 1 cup diced white onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1-2 poblano peppers, roasted, skinned and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 cup red chile sauce or your favorite salsa
• 2-3 large eggs, whisked
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Squeeze of lime juice
• Dash of hot sauce, optional
• Crumbled cotija cheese
• Avocado slices
• Warm corn tortillas
• Mexican crema or sour cream
• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Salsa

Instructions

To make the pot roast

1. Pre-heat the slow cooker on low. Season both halves of the beef chuck with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet, heat the ghee over medium high heat and brown all sides of the chuck roast. Transfer the chuck roast pieces to the slow cooker and add the beef broth, bay leaf, onions and garlic. I don't add too much liquid when preparing a pot roast in my slow cooker as I want the pot roast to slowly cook in as much of it's own juices as possible. This will make for a very tasty pot roast. Adding too much liquid will cause the roast to boil which will give it a bland and chewy texture.
3. Let the pot roast cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
4. When the pot roast is done, shred the beef and set aside.

To prepare the Machaca

1. Heat a large skillet and add another two tablespoons of ghee or high heat oil. Sauté the diced onions until soft and slightly caramelized and then add the garlic. Sauté for one minute longer. Stir in the diced poblano peppers, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika.
2. Add the shredded beef and chile sauce and toss to combine.
3. In another small pan, add a little butter to the pan and cook the eggs, scrambled style. When the eggs are done, fold them into the machaca.
4. Add a squeeze of lime and season to taste with salt, pepper and a dash of hot sauce.
5. Serve with crumbled cotija, avocado slices, warm tortillas, sour cream, fresh cilantro and additional salsa.

Tags

Beef,

dinner,

entertaining,

family,

Mexican food,

Mexican shredded beef,

shredded beef,

shredded beef machaca,

shredded beef tacos,

taco fillings

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