Shredded Beef Soft Tacos

Not sure about you, but pork just doesn’t sound that good to me right now.  I know, I know … if you cook your pork to 160 degrees, it is fine.  But that leads me to ask… what happens if you don’t cook your pork to 160 degrees?  Because I rarely cook it that hard, unless it’s a slow roast cut.

Regardless, I have way too many hypochondriac tendencies so I think it’s best I avoid it for a bit so I don’t wake up coughing and thinking I have the H1N1.  I wanted to make Carnitas the other night, but between my neuroses (see previous sentence) and my laziness (I only had a beef chuck roast in the freezer), I had to improvise.  Once again my craziness and laziness spark my creativity!

I came up with this recipe because we were entertaining and I wanted something I could do earlier in the day.  It is great for that purpose… basically you cook the beef for two hours on the grill or in the oven.  Make up some salsa and guacamole, throw it all out on the table and you have yourself a delicious meal. (I made homemade tortillas, which are great, but not necessary.  I will post those separately…)

Shredded Beef Soft Tacos

Serves 6-8

2 lb. chuck roast
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
Juice and zest of two limes
1/2 cup of canola oil
2 t salt
1 t freshly ground pepper
1 t smoked paprika
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chile powder (or other dried chiles)
1 cup water
1 cup beer

1.  Trim excess fat from chuck roast and cut it into cubes (remove any bones that you may have).

2.  Make marinade by combining chopped garlic, juice and zest of limes, canola oil, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, and chipotle powder.   Place beef into marinade and refrigerate for a few hours (I only had about an hour and it was fine…)

3.  Preheat grill (indirect heat if using charcoal) to about 325 F.  Alternatively, preheat oven to 325 F. Place beef and marinade into a roasting pan (a disposable pan if you are cooking on the grill) and add in one cup of water and one cup of beer.  Cover tightly with foil and place on grill or in oven.  Cook for about two and half hours until the beef is falling apart.  Check periodically to make sure the cooking liquid hasn’t evaporated (add a bit more beer or water if it is…).

4.  Let beef cool a bit and shred it using two forks.  It should fall apart easily.  Allow to remain in cooking liquid (drain off some liquid if there is too much) and season with salt and pepper if necessary.  Serve with warm flour tortillas, Queso Fresco cheese (or other cheese of your choice), salsa, and guacamole.

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