Mexican shredded spiced beef (carnitas)

20 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
5½ pounds Beef chuck roast
¼ cup Bottled hot chile salsa
5 Cloves garlic; minced
2½ tablespoon Chili powder
2 tablespoons Fresh oregano; chopped
1½ teaspoon Ground cumin
16 ounces Canned stewed tomatoes
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Trim excess fat from roast.

2. Mix together salsa, garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin to make a paste. Spread on roast.

3. Wrap roast in a large piece of aluminum foil, folding edges to seal tightly. Place in roasting pan, with seam of aluminum foil up.

4. Bake until meat is so tender that it will shred easily, 4 to 4-½ hours.

5. Unwrap meat; discard fat and bones. Skim fat from drippings and reserve drippings. When roast is cool enough to handle, shred meat.

6. Transfer meat and drippings to a large pan. Stir in tomatoes and their juice, breaking them up into small bits. Heat through. Season with salt; adjust flavors to taste, adding more salsa and seasonings if desired.

Makes about 7 cups shredded beef (enough for about twenty 8-inch tortillas).

* Timesaver Tip: Beef can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered, in refrigerator. It can also be frozen at 0 degrees F up to 3 months. To freeze, package beef in meal-sized servings.

Microwave Version:

1. Trim excess fat from roast. Mix together salsa, garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin to make a paste. Spread on roast.

2. Place roast in a large (14- by 20-inch) oven cooking bag; squeeze out most of the air and tie securely. Place roast in a large baking dish.

3. Microwave roast on 100% power for 10 minutes. Reduce power to 50% and microwave until meat is so tender it will shred easily, about 2 hours.

4. Unwrap meat; discard fat and bones. Skim fat from drippings and reserve drippings. When roast is cool enough to handle, shred meat.

5. Transfer meat and drippings into a 2-quart casserole. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into small pieces. Microwave on 70% power until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt; adjust flavors to taste, adding more salsa and seasonings if desired. Preparation time: about 2-½ hours.

NOTES : enough to freeze half for a future meal

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