Carne deshebrada a la nortena
10 servings
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | pounds | Lean, boneless beef chuck, flank or brisket, |
| Well trimmed and cut | ||
| Into 1 1/2-inch pieces | ||
| 1 | teaspoon | Salt |
| 1 | medium | Onion |
| 3 | Cloves garlic--peeled | |
| 3 | tablespoons | Lard OR vegetable oil |
| 2 | Ripe med. small tomatos roasted or boiled | |
| (TO BOIL: boil then simmer, for 12 minutes whole. Let cool. | ||
| Peel skin, cut out core. | ||
| TO BROIL: put on silver foil or baking sheet, broil for about 12 minutes until skin bubbles and blackens. Let cool. Peel and core.) | ||
| **OR USE** | ||
| 1 | can | (15 oz) tomatoes, drained and chopped |
| 2 | larges | Green onions (scallions), chopped in 1/4-inch pieces |
| 2 | Or 3 chiles serranos, finely chopped | |
| ½ | teaspoon | Salt (about) |
Directions
(Mexican Northen Style Shredded Beef w/Tomatos) Besides being rolled into soft tacos, this is also served in Chimichangas (flour tortilla).
Makes enough for 10 tacos--about 2½ cups.
THE MEAT: Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in large saucepan. Add the meat and salt, then skim off any grayish foam that rises during the first few minutes of simmering. Slice HALF of the onion and HALVE one clove of garlic; add to the meat. Partially cover and simmer over medium to medium-low heat till meat is very tender, 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on the cut. Let the meat cool in the broth, if there is time. Strain the liquid and spoon off all fat that rises to the top; set the broth aside. Finely shred the meat. (More on shredding to follow) Then dry with paper towels.
Finishing the shredded beef: Dice the remaining onion and mince the remaining garlic. Heat the lard or oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high. When hot, add the onion and shredded beef and stir frequently for 8 to 10 minutes, until well browned. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, tomatos, green onions and chiles and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatos have softened--about 4 minutes. Stir in ⅔ cup of the reseved broth, then simmer until the liquid has evaporated about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and that's it!
NOTE: Soft-textured chuck can be easily shredded between your fingers, however flank and brisket are dense enough that they require more.
Tear the meat into small pieces then pulse small batches 3 or 4 times in a food processor, OR tear the meat in to small pieces, stab into piece with a fork (To secure it firmly on the cutting board) and claw at it with a second fork until finely shredded. The fork shredding gives the best results.