Beef Barbacoa

Beef Soup Meat Instructions

1. Beef Stew Meat Instructions

   Select the chuck roast based on your liking.  Look for even marbling. I’m not too fond of a lot of fat on my beef in stew or soup, so I trim it, and I look for pieces where the veins of fat are very definable, so they are easier to trim away but don’t throw them, they are valuable pieces that I will show you how to use Cooking With Fat.

   First, we’ll trim the beef and cut it into large cubes from 1-2 inches each.  Nothing fancy. Give them all an even-size cut. Don’t cut them too small, though, or they will fall apart, and all you will be able to make is chipped beef.  It would still be delicious, but your choice of usage would start to narrow. But now that we’re talking about it, that sure does sound great with some loaded mashed potatoes or for a beef pot pie filling.  More on this later.

   Using a Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker Method (see oven method  below)

   I use the Ninja Foodi as my pressure cooker, and I start with ¼ lb of butter (I use Keri Gold butter) or beef fat and melt it on the saute setting to saute the onions and garlic.

   Then I use one package of chopped onions that I purchase from Kroger.  They are chopped to the size I need, and frozen, and the package size is part of the module components my recipes are made of.  Season with a pinch of salt. This helps draw the water out of the onions, so they caramelize more than steam.

   Add 3 cloves of whole garlic and continue to saute. When the onions are translucent and golden yellow, be careful not to let the garlic burn.

   Add all the rest of the ingredients.

   On the Foodi, put the pressure cooking lid on, lock it into place, and turn the steam valve to close. Next, select pressure cook then set the time to 45 minutes, and hit the Start button. When the 45 minutes is over, move the steam valve to release and quickly let the rest of the steam out before opening the lid. DO NOT OPEN LID until all steam has been released and the red pop-up release indicator has dropped.  Remove the insert pot from the Foodi and let it cool on the stove or rack. 

   Oven Method

   Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.  Follow the steps above but use a Dutch oven instead.  Instead of starting the pressure cooker, put the Dutch oven in the oven for 3-4 hours until the beef meets your tenderness level.  Remove the dutch oven and let the meat cool with the lid off.

   Finishing and portioning the Barbecoa.

   When the meat has cooled, separate the meat from the broth, remove and discard the bay leaves, reserve the broth on the side, blend it in a blender, and then divide it into two portions.  Divide the meat into two equal portions by weight or sight. Place the meat portions into 4 food sealer bags.  Now add the broth to the bags of beef.

   Seal the beef portions in FoodSaver 1-gallon DAM Bags using your FoodSaver.  After the bags are sealed, gently flatten the bags without crushing the beef and vegetables for easier storage.  Freeze any bags that you will not be eating within a week.

   To use in a beef chuck meal, remove the bag and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before the day you will use it, or place the frozen bag into a pot of simmering water, and stew meat will heat in the bag.

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