Crockpot Beef Shank Barbacoa (de Res) {She Made/Ella Hace}

Aside from my blender, which I use pretty much every single day, my favorite small kitchen appliance has to be my crockpot. Especially during the hot and humid summer months. That's one of the reasons why I suggested to my good friend girlichef (Heather) that we make a crockpot meal for this month's edition of She Made/Ella Hace. Heather is serving up Slow Cooker Baked Beans over on her blog, while I've cooked up Barbacoa de Res (Beef Shank Barbacoa).

Barbacoa de Res is a tradtional Mexican dish with tender pieces of beef served in a dried chile broth seasoned with ground cumin and crushed oregano.

You won't believe how easy this barbacoa is to make AND you can serve it a number of ways so you don't get bored. You can serve barbacoa the traditional way with lots of chile broth topped with chopped onion and cilantro. Or you can serve the beef shanks whole Osso Bucco style with mashed potatoes and a chile broth gravy. (Yum!) Then if you have any leftovers, finely chop the meat and spoon onto warm corn tortillas for tacos de barbacoa. However you decide to serve up this Beef Shank Barbacoa, I'm sure it will quickly become a family favorite.

Beef Shank Barbacoa (de Res) 

Ingredients:

• 2 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed 
• 2 dried pasilla chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 3 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 4 to 5 lbs. beef shanks or boneless country style beef ribs
• Chopped onion
• Chopped cilantro 
• Warm corn tortillas 

Directions:
Bring dried chiles and 3 cups water to a boil n a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Puree the dried chiles, the water they were cooked in along with the onion and garlic; season with salt, the ground cumin, and dried oregano.

Season beef shanks with salt and pepper. Arrange in a crockpot and pour the chile puree over the beef shanks. Cover and let the beef shanks cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.

To serve break up the beef shanks (or serve them whole) and ladle the chile broth over the meat. Garnish with chopped onion and cilantro.

*For tacos: Finely chop the beef shanks and serve on warm tortillas. Spoon chile broth over meat in place of salsa and garnish tacos with chopped onion and cilantro. Enjoy!  

Receta en español 

Don't forget to visit girlichef's blog to check out her Slow Cooker Baked Beans.

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