What is this? Great question. It is like nothing else. Basically super spicy tex mex stew. It is almost like a beef chili….. served in a flour tortilla. Super juicy and saucy. There is a flavor explosion from slow cooking everything for hours. This is NOT a fast dinner. I will make a big batch on a Sunday. I usually use leftover steak that we didnt eat or stew meat. Today I used leftover steak and some frozen leftover smoked pork.
I hate soggy previously prepared and frozen casseroles. Before my second daughter, I filled my freezer with nothing else and it was a horrid experience. Non of the recipes froze well. I have found a few exceptions that do well in the freezer and this is one. It keeps wonderfully in a ziploc bag to reheat later.
3 roma tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
2 pound beef – steak, stew meat, smoked brisket, whatever you have or a combination but not ground beef. Trim fat. You do not want a fatty piece of meat for this.
1 yellow onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 jalepeno seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 or more fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper or peppercorns
2 teaspoons cumin
2 cups beef broth
1/2 teaspoon mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powdered
1/2 teaspoon salt
If using pre-cooked meat then just combine all into a cast iron dutch oven with lid. Cook on stovetop on low for 2-3 hours. Stir every 20-30 minutes. Add water if it becomes too thick. I leave mine until there are no recognizable veggies left. I want them all cooked down into gravy. The finer you chop the veggies the faster this process happens.
From the beginning and then 30 minutes in:
1 hour:
2 hours:
And the final. See how the veggies vanish? Then it is done. Remember, it will look slightly different. Remember I said I had leftover pulled pork from last week. This photo is using a combination of leftover grilled steak and leftover pulled pork.
Don’t forget this freezes well! It is work (if by that I mean watching it cook for 3 hours), but you can easily get about 2-3 meals for 2 people out of this and maybe more!
The Funky Oven 