Just wanted to pop in between work and class to share some randomness, as well as another Mexican recipe… but this time in the crock pot!

Randomness

1.  Amy emailed me this video yesterday:

This little boy is so darn cute!  It made me smile so I thought I’d pass it along.

2.  One of the blogs I follow is Marc and Angel Hack Life.  It’s a very positive, uplifting blog covering various topics about life, self improvement, relationships, etc.  If you have a few spare minutes some day, you should check it out.  I just love the positive messages!

Spicy Barbacoa Shredded Beef

Okay, moving on to another crock pot challenge recipe!  This is only #2 so far in this little challenge… 8 more to go.  And let’s see, I only have 4 weeks left.  Hmmm looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me…

Spicy Barbacoa Shredded Beef

Ingredients:

Juice of 2 limes

8 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (approx 2 peppers, plus sauce)

1/2 red onion

Large handful of cilantro

1/2 tbls oregano

1/2 tbls cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 bay leaves

1 8 oz can of chicken broth

3 lb beef chuck roast

Directions:

1.  Combine first 10 ingredients, through apple cider vinegar, in a food processor.  Process until smooth.

2.  Place beef, chicken broth, and bay leaves in the crock pot.  Pour chipotle mixture directly on top of the beef.

3.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

4.  Test with a fork to ensure beef shreds very easily.  If so, scoop the layer of chipotle mixture off the top of the meat.

5.  Shred beef with 2 forks and mix with remaining liquid.  Taste test the beef for spiciness.  If desired, add back some of the chipotle sauce.

This stuff is excellent!  It was extremely juicy and flavorful, not dried out at all.  To be honest, I tried this recipe with a much leaner cut of beef.  I think it was a beef eye of round roast or maybe something similar, but either way it was a BIG FAT FAIL.  I tried shredding it once it had slow cooked for several hours and it could not have been any tougher.  Yuck.  Oh well, you live and you learn.  Bottom line is don’t skimp on the fat, you can always skim it off later once it’s cooked.

So I ate this plain, stuffed it in little tacos and also included in my lunch salad.

Since I kept the spiciness level down pretty low, I bet the leftovers would even tasted phenomenal in a beef barley soup… perhaps a crock pot beef soup?

-Lauren