Braised Brisket a la Mexicana

Long before the current food truck craze, my earliest culinary discoveries were made as a kid in Los Angeles, sampling what was available from the city's ubiquitous taco trucks. With the variety of succulent meats, braised or chargrilled, served over soft hot tortillas, garnished simply with chopped onions and cilantro, hot sauce and lime, my love for tacos was forever cemented.

Though the setup for this favorite recipe is easy, braising will take up to six hours, plan accordingly. Perfect for a taco night for two, with plenty of leftovers, or as part of a spread to feed a crowd. This is a great use of a flavorful and affordable cut of beef, just make sure you braise it long enough.

Ingredients:

2-3lb beef brisket, flat cut

Salt & Pepper

1 tablespoon oil or lard

1 yellow onion, quartered lengthwise, root end attached

8 cloves garlic, whole

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup Mexican beer (see notes)

1 cup beef or chicken broth

3 dried arbol chilies, stemmed and seeded (see notes)

4 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded (see notes)

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.

Generously season brisket with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear all sides of brisket in oil, browning edges, about five minutes per side. Remove beef and set aside on a platter. Next, add the dried chilies, stirring constantly for 3 to 5 minutes. Chilies will darken and soften in the oil. Remove and add to platter with beef. Now, add the onion quarters and more oil if needed. Sear on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to brown without burning. Add the vinegar scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the brisket, with fat cap up, and chilies to the pan, along with the stock, beer, bay leaf, and dried spices. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, and place in the middle rack of the oven.

Braise for 5 to 6 hours until meat is fork-tender. Check and adjust the oven to maintain a gentle simmer. When brisket is done remove from oven and allow the meat to rest in liquids with lid off for 20 minutes. Then pull the meat out, place in a bowl and use two forks to shred, discarding any large pieces of fat that remain. Strain out the vegetables from braising liquid. Return liquid to the pan and set over medium-high heat to reduce slightly. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt to taste. Then add the shredded beef back and stir to incorporate. Serve with warm tortillas and your favorite taco fixings (see notes).

Notes:

This shredded beef is perfect for tacos with either corn or flour tortillas. Garnish with your family's favorite taco toppings. It is also a lovely filling for enchiladas or burritos. Serve leftovers with fried eggs and plenty of tortillas on the side, for a hearty breakfast. This past weekend, I served it over soft homemade corn tortillas, with pickled onions, crumbled panela (a Mexican cheese), crema, and spicy green salsa.

Dried chilis are an essential item in Mexican pantries, with guajillo and arbol among the most popular. Find them in grocery stores with a large Latin section, or at Mexican grocers. Carniceria El Sol, in Walla Walla, has a large selection, including some more obscure varieties, which recently came in handy when I was testing mole recipes.

While working with dried chiles it is important to not touch your face, they burn! You can wear rubber gloves as added protection. Snap stems off, break chilis in half, then seeds and membranes can easily be shaken out. Save the seeds for use as a chili flake spice.

Beer is often used as an ingredient in Mexican kitchens. My favorites to cook with are Modelo Especial lager and its darker sister beer Negra Modelo, the latter of which I tend to use when braising beef. Experiment with other dark or amber domestic beers for this recipe.

Buen provecho!