Mexican Shredded Beef (Machaca)
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This is the all time classic shredded beef filling for real Mexican and Tex-Mex food. Or a modern version of it, that uses a slow cooker. It makes wonderful enchiladas, burritos or chimichangas. This does take some time, but it makes a lot. It is well worth the trouble. You will never use hamburger and a powdered seasoning mix again!

The best way is to get everything ready the night before, including browning the roast. Then put the roast in the slow cooker early in the morning. That evening, shred the beef and finish the cooking. Even this can be time consuming, and I often complete the whole recipe the day before, and just assemble whatever finished dish I am making on the day of serving. Or make a big double batch and freeze this wonderful filling in serving sized amounts for your family.


3 lbs boneless chuck roast
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tbls vegetable oil
2 cups beef stock
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbls bacon grease (or oil if you prefer)
1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes, drained
1 (4oz) can roasted green chiles
1 tbls line juice

Start by heating a heavy skillet of over high heat, and add the vegetable oil (we use a large cast iron skillet). While the oil is heating up, season the roast with the salt and pepper. Then brown the roast on all side in the skillet, until very well browned. Pour off any remaining oil in the skillet.

Remove the roast to a slow cooker. Add the beef stock, onion, and garlic. Add more water if necessary, unit the liquid just covers the meat. Cook on medium heat setting until the roast is fork tender, and shreds easily (about 6 to 8 hours). Turn off the cooker and let the meat sitting the juices until it is cool enough to handle.

Remove the roast to a plate, and shred the meat very finely by hand (I use a couple of spoons as this gets a finer shred that using forks). Pour all the juices from the slow cooker through a strainer, and reserve the liquid.

Return the skillet to the heat, over medium heat. Add the next 2 tablespoons of oil. As the recipe shows we use left-over bacon grease to add more flavor at this point. When the grease or oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Saute until they start to soften. Then add the shredded beef to the skillet, and mix well. At this point you want to start letting the meat set a little while before stirring. You want to cook this mixture until the meat is well browned. It's okay for the meat to even get crusty. But be careful not to burn or scorch it at this point or you will have to start over! Just keep scraping the bottle of the skillet to every few minutes.

When the meat is browned, reduce the heat to low, and add in 2 cups of the reserved cooking juices from the slow cooker. Next, break up the tomatoes using your hands, leaving the juice behind, and add them to the mixture. Also stir in the green chiles and lime juice at this point. Continue cooking this mixture, stirring frequently now, until almost all of the liquid is cooked out again, but the meat remains moist. About 20 to 25 minutes. Taste, and adjust the salt or pepper is needed.

For serving options; This is a classic filling for enchiladas, burritos, or chimichanga. But try it on nachos too. Or inside some crispy fried taquitos (a new favorite of mine).