Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas

Beef Soup Meat Instructions

1. Beef Barbacoa

   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.

   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.  When the meat has cooled, separate the meat from the broth, remove and discard the bay leaves, and reserve the broth on the side to 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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2. Enchilada Instructions

   Preheat oven to 375.

   Heat oil in a small 6-8" pan on low heat.

   Mix 8oz of cheese with the cold Beef Barbacoa recipe in a medium-sized bowl.

   Place the corn tortillas in the hot oil, one at a time, until they start to sizzle a little, then remove them and place them on a plate with a paper towel to drain.

   When all the tortillas are out of the oil, assemble the enchiladas by placing about 2-3 oz of the beef mix across the lower 3rd of the tortilla, and roll the tortilla up like a carpet. Place it in the baking dish with the seam side down.  Continue this until all enchiladas are complete and placed in the baking dish or pan.

   Spoon the enchilada sauce across the center of the enchiladas, leaving about a half-inch of the end of the tortilla uncovered with sauce.  You don't have to do this, but it looks nicer in the dish with the color contrast.

   Sprinkle 8oz of cheese across the center of the enchiladas spreading evenly across all enchiladas.

   Place the dish with enchiladas in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until the pork reaches 165.

   This may take more or less time, depending on how cold the pork is.

   Serve this dish with Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Chips and Salsa, Guacamole, and Sour Cream.

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