Shredded Beef Tacos

Shredded Beef Tacos

I am busy, busy this weekend.  Because I am a procrastinator I have about 1 million, papers to grade.  But we still need to eat.  The slow cooker to the rescue.  I just add a few ingredients, dropped in the roast and waited.  6 hours later, we had yummy tacos.

The sauce is very spicy. Very. However, when you shred the beef and add the other toppings, the tacos are perfectly piquant.  If you really don’t like any heat, replace the chili peppers with green pepper and the chipotle peppers and adobe with tomato paste.

Servings:  8-12 tacos

Time:  Prep: 15 minutes Slow Cook:  5-7 hours,

Hardware: knives & cutting board or a food processor, measuring cups & spoons, a can opener, 4 quart slow cooker, a spatula, un-powdered latex gloves, and a large bowl

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ -3 pound top blade beef roast
• 1 large onion (8 ounces or 1 ½ cups)
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 2 serrano peppers
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1-7 ounce jar of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
• 1 cup low sodium beef stock
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• Juice from one lime
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

Corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped Spanish onions, guacamole, sour cream, chunky salsa, Salsa Verde, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro

1. Roughly chop the onions. Wearing the gloves, seed and chop the peppers.  Crush the garlic.  Chop the cilantro.  Remove the chipotles, reserving the liquid and chop them. The smaller you chop everything, the better.
2. OR add the onion, seeded peppers, garlic, cilantro, and chipotle peppers-sauce and all- to the food processor and pulse until almost liquid.
3. Add all of this, including the adobe sauce to the crock.  Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4. Add the roast fat side up to the crock, cover, and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. I had a 2 ½ pound roast and it was ready in 5 ½ hours.
5. When the meat is fork tender remove it from the liquid.  Wearing the gloves, shred the beef.  Discard any fat or gristle. 
6. Place the shredded beef into the large bowl and spoon on two tablespoons of the liquid from the crock.  Stir (or toss) to make sure the meat is covered.
7. Build the tacos by placing the meat into warmed tortillas and then allow your guests to top them as they please.