Barbacoa

Ingredients:

• ½ medium onion
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 guajillos
• 2 dry chipotle peppers
• 1 ancho/pasilla
• 4 lbs chuck roast
• Beef bones (for a more flavorful broth-optional)
• 3 cups of water
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 8 peppercorns
• Salt to taste
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. On a comal, roast the tomatoes (whole), chiles, garlic, and onion. Be careful not to burn your chiles. They should only take about 3-4 minutes on each side. Tomatoes are done when they start to peel on their own.
2. Remove the stems from the chiles and soak in 3 cups of hot water until soft. In a blender, blend the chiles (and the water you used to soften them), garlic, onion, peppercorns, and salt. Strain the sauce into a bowl with a sifter. Rinse out the blender with the apple cider vinegar and add to sauce.
3. Cut the chuck roast into large 3-inch chunks. Season the meat with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven or large pot that you plan to cook your meat in, sear all sides of each chunk of meat. Once all the meat is seared, add the sauce and bay leaf. The sauce should cover all of the meat. Do not add more water. This is also when to add the beef bones.
4.  Cover and let cook on medium low heat for 1.5 – 2 hours or until meat is fork tender. You can also use a slow cooker after searing the meat instead of doing it stove top.