Friday, July 9, 2010

Tacos de Barbacoa in a Crockpot


I cook a lot of Mexican food.  I love the flavors of the chiles and spices.  I really miss having good Mexican food living in Kansas.  What the people here say is wonderful Mexican food is terrible to me.  ICK!  So, I end up making my own.  Usually I end up creating my own dishes, but I recently bought this special edition magazine that has tons of great looking recipes. 


The recipe in the book and the original version of this dish is supposed to be smoked.  I don't have a smoker so the book said that you could do it a crockpot.  I can't imagine how yummy it be if it were to be smoked in banana leaves. YUM!

In the old days, prior to my obsession with eating healthy I used to fry the corn tortillas in vegetable oil.  Talk about bad for you!  Now, I have found a more healthful way to cook the tortillas.  I lightly coat a nonstick pan with nonstick spray and throw the tortillas in (one at a time) and cook till slightly bubbled on one side.  Flip and cook for about 20 seconds longer.  They are perfect!  I can now eat a taco without grease running down my arm.  (I know- gross, right?)

This was so easy and delicious and I can't wait to make it again.   Maybe this Sunday when I have family coming over?!? 

Oh!  and the leftovers made a perfect wrap for our roadtrip to Texas. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
2 tsp chili powder (I used ancho chile powder)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1  4 lb beef chuck roast
1/4 cup beef broth or water
corn tortillas

possible toppings: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, quacamole, crumbled queso fresco, and/or fresh cilantro

Directions:

In a small bowl stir together the vinegar, garlic, oregano, chili powder, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves to make a paste.  Spoon spice paste on all sides of the roast; rub in with your fingers.  If you can, put it in the refrigerator for a while (I let it sit for about 2 hours). 

Place in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker with broth. Cook, covered on low-heat setting 10-12 hours or until tender.  (I cooked mine for about 8 hours and it was perfect). 

I have linked up this recipe to the following blogs:




New Friend Fridays

5 comments:

  1. Crockpots are just the greatest for meals like this! I need to cook more Mexican food. I have a goal of learning more about the authentic styles, but haven't concentrated on it much lately. I love the flavors of the cuisine. These look great!

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  2. what a great taco recipe!! my grandmother use to use shredded beef in her taco's

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  3. I LOVE mexican also! I make my tortillas the same way, it works perfect. We put just about everything on a tortilla here. I've made similar recipes to this but this looks a bit different! I'm going to try it, thanks!

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  4. I love Mexican food too! This recipe is a keeper... the tacos look great.

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  5. I do the same with my corn tortillas - but I do prefer flour ones. Corn ones always tear on me. Your tacos are making my mouth water! And I love the idea of a wrap. Delicious!

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