Taco Tuesday

It's that time of the week again--Taco Tuesday. We have a favorite shredded beef taco recipe from Cook's Illustrated that is a must try!

Shredded Beef Tacos

Serves 6-8

-1.5 cups beer (suggested Dos Equis or Sierra Nevada)

-4 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into 1/2-inch pieces (~1cup)

-1/2 cup cider vinegar

-2 T. tomato paste

-6 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled

-3 bay leaves

-2 t. ground cumin

-2 t. dried oregano

-Salt and Pepper

-1/2 t. ground cloves

-1/2 t. ground cinnamon

-1 large onion, sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds

-3 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

Cabbage-Carrot Slaw

-1 cup cider vinegar

-1/2 cup water

-1 T. Sugar

- 1/2 head green cabbage, cored and sliced this (~6 cups)

-1 onion, sliced thin

-1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

- 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

-1 t. dried oregano

-1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

18 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (1 cup)

Lime wedges

1. For the beef: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325-degrees. Combine beer, anchos, vinegar, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, 2 t. salt, 1/2 t. pepper, cloves, and cinnamon in dutch oven (It is crucial your dutch oven has a well-fitting lid and wide base, try All-Clad's 8-quart Stock Pot.)Arrange onion rounds in single layer on bottom of pot. Place beef on top of onion rounds in single layer. Cover and cook until meat it well browned and tender, 2.5 to 3-hours. 

2. For the cabbage-carrot slaw: While beef cooks, whisk vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add cabbage, onion, carrot, jalapeño, and oregano and toss to combine. (My go-to knife for all the veggie chopping) Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Drain slaw and stir in cilantro right before serving. ( I tend to omit the cilantro. I'm one of the people that it tends not to agree with).

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beer to large bowl, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and set aside. Strain liquid with a fine mesh strainer into 2-cup liquid measuring cup (do not wash pot, yet).  Discard onion rounds and bay leaves. Let strained liquid settle for 5 minutes, then skim any fat from surface. Add water as needed to equal 1-cup. Pour liquid into blender with reserved solids and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer sauce to now-empty pot. 

4. Using 2 forks, shred beef into bite-size pieces. Bring sauce to simmer over medium heat. Add beef and stir to coat. Season with salt to taste. 

5. Spoon small amount of beef into each warm tortilla and serve, passing slaw, queso fresco, and lime wedges separately.