Carne Guisada

Ingredients

• 2 dried whole ancho chiles
• 4-5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, (trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubed)
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large white onion, (finely chopped)
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, (minced)
• 1 jalapeño, (seeds and ribs removed, minced)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• tortillas or cooked rice
• sliced avocado
• cheddar, jack, or Cojita cheese (grated or crumbled)
• sour cream
• cilantro, (rough chopped)
• tomatoes, (chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Stem, seed then tear or cut the Ancho chile pepper (2) into large pieces that can be flattened out. Heat a Dutch oven (dry) over medium heat. When hot, toast one at a time. Lay a piece flat in the hot pan, pressing down with a spatula, until the chile is fragrant (should take just a few seconds). Repeat with the remaining pieces. Transfer toasted chiles to a plate.

2. 2

   Dry beef pieces (4-5 pounds) with a paper towel then evenly sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper over the beef. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

3. 3

   When oil shimmers, add half the beef and brown on all sides, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate, then repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil as necessary.

4. 4

   Heat 1-2 tablespoon oil, in the same Dutch oven, then add onion (1 large) and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, scraping up the brown bits from the meat, until soft, about 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Add garlic (1 tablespoon), jalapeño (1), oregano (1 tablespoon), cumin (1 1/2 teaspoons), and chili powder (1/2 teaspoon) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return toasted peppers and meat to pan. Add broth (3 cups) and tomato sauce (1 can) and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially covered, until meat is tender and sauce is nice and thick, about 2- 2 1/2 hours. Adjust seasoning if needed.

6. 6

   Serve with fresh tortillas and avocado, cheese, sour cream, fresh tomato, cilantro!