best ever taco meat AKA ropa vieja

November 7, 2010

Best ever taco meat

Ropa Vieja, from “A gringos guide to authentic Mexican cooking” by Mad Coyote Joe, pg 76

1-2# beef roast
1 T red wine vinegar
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper
2 tsp corn oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ white onion, diced
1 chopped tomato
2 roasted poblano chiles, peeded & diced
1 serrano chile, finely chopped
½ tsp Mexican oregano

Preheat the oven to 300° Place the roast in a heavy roasting pan. Sprinkle with vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Slow roast for 1 ½ hours or more. Remove roast from heat and allow to cool. Shred the meat or cut into thin slices.

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan & cook the onions, peppers, tomatoes and garlic until they are soft. Add the beef and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Serve with chopped tomatoes, slice avocados and lettuce.

How I did it: I had the steak mostly thawed and placed it in the pan. Since it was still semi-frozen, I didn’t try to tenderize it (beat it with the mallet). I roasted it for about 2 hours. I didn’t have fresh peppers so I reconstituted dry peppers in hot water. The meat was taking a long time to cook to get tender so I decided it would be better to add the peppers into the cooking meat to incorporate the flavors. Good idea.

Shred the meat and fold in all the peppers and juices. Serve in tortillas with chopped tomatoes, avocados, shredded lettuce & salsa if needed (Pace hot Picante is best). Coat the left over avocados with lemon or lime juice to keep it fresh.

This meat was wonderful the way I did it. Would be good in salads or on tostadas.