Firehouse Machaca Taco Filling Recipes

BIG BEN'S BEEF MACHACA

Steps:

• Place beef portions into the crock of a large slow cooker. Mix olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice together in a bowl; pour over the beef. Add diced tomatoes, sweet onion, green bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno pepper, beef broth, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper to the slow cooker.
• Cook on High for 1 hour. Change setting to Low and continue cooking until the beef is tender, about 6 1/2 hours.
• Remove beef with tongs to a cutting board. Shred with a pair of forks and return to the slow cooker. Continue cooking another 20 to 30 minutes.

MACHACA BEEF

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the salsa in a slow cooker, and add just enough water to cover.
• Cover, and cook on low 10-12 hours, or until beef is tender.
• Drain and reserve the liquid.
• Shred beef using two forks to pull it apart.
• Combine beef, salsa, and enough of reserved liquidto make a desired consistency.
• Use` this filling for burritos, chapupas, or tacos.

MACHACA (AUTHENTIC MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF)

Steps:

• Place meat in large saucepan. Add water, peppercorns, 1/4 onion and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Cool meat in broth. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup broth. Mash garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt to make a paste. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and garlic paste. Cook until onion is tender. Cut chili into short strips. Add chili strips and tomatoes to cooked onion.
• Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add meat, cumin and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cook until meat is heated through. Stir in reserved broth. Taste and add salt if needed. Keep warm.
• NOTE: Can be served as a main dish or in tacos or other tortilla dishes.

BEEF MACHACA (TACO FILLING)

Steps:

• For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.
• Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.
• When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork.
• Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any.
• Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags for later use.