Carne en su Jugo

Tender chuck roast simmers in its own juices with bacon and green tomatillo salsa, then is served with warm beans, grilled onions, chiles güeros, fresh garnishes and corn tortillas.

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings servings (approximately)

Equipment

Lodge 7.5-quart Dutch oven (similar option) Oyster White; use a large covered pot with room for the beef and broth.
Ironwood Gourmet cutting board (similar option) For trimming and finely chopping the beef.
Victorinox 8-inch chef’s knife (similar option) For the beef, bacon and garnishes.
Pyrex 2-cup glass measuring cup The video shows a Pyrex 2-cup jug; the current model may differ.
Victoria 8-inch tortilla press (optional similar option) Only needed if making the tortillas from scratch.
Vitamix 5200 blender (similar option) For blending the salsa.
Uno Casa 11.5-inch comal (similar option) For warming or cooking the tortillas.

Ingredients

4 pounds boneless chuck roast weighed before trimming
1 pound bacon chopped
1½ pounds tomatillos husked and rinsed
2 serrano peppers
2 jalapeño peppers
½ small white onion
4 garlic cloves
2 small bunches cilantro
2 whole bundles Mexican grilling onions roots and long tops trimmed
6–8 whole chiles güeros about
3–4 cups chicken broth total, divided, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon Chicken bouillon about, added while the beef simmers, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon Salt about, for the blender
garlic, salt, and pepper seasoning mix to taste, for seasoning the beef

For serving

Warm beans
Chopped white onion and cilantro
Lime wedges
Sliced radishes
Warm corn tortillas

Instructions

Prepare the beef. Trim off visible fat and tough silverskin. Slice the meat thinly across the grain, then chop into small pieces.
Cook the tomatillos and green chiles. Place the tomatillos, serranos, and jalapeños in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer approximately 5–7 minutes, until softened and the tomatillos turn olive green. Drain and let cool slightly.
Blend the salsa. Blend the cooked tomatillos, serranos, and jalapeños with the white onion, garlic, cilantro, 1/8 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, about 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup of the measured chicken broth until smooth.
Brown the bacon. Cook the bacon in a large, heavy pot over medium heat until browned. Remove and reserve, leaving approximately 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
Fry the onions and chiles güeros. Add the Mexican grilling onions and whole chiles güeros to the bacon fat. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned and softened. Remove and reserve.
Cook the beef. Season the chopped beef to taste with the garlic, salt, and pepper seasoning mix. Add it to the pot and stir until it changes color. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it releases its juices. Keep those juices in the pot.
Add the salsa and broth. Stir in the blended salsa and remaining 2–3 cups broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and add about 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon. Cover and cook until the beef is tender. Start checking after 45 minutes; chuck may need more time. Add more hot broth as needed if the liquid reduces too much.
Finish. Return half the bacon. Simmer another 10 minutes, then taste and season with chicken bouillon as needed.
Serve. Spoon warm beans into each bowl, then ladle in the beef and broth. Finish with the reserved crispy bacon, chopped onion, cilantro, lime, and radishes. Serve with warm tortillas. Add the reserved Mexican grilling onions and chiles güeros to each bowl.

Notes

Meat note: I purchased 4 pounds of boneless chuck roast and trimmed off all the visible fat before cutting the meat into small pieces. The weight listed is before trimming, so the amount remaining will vary.

Broth note: The broth can reduce and thicken the longer the meat simmers. Add more hot broth as needed, ½ cup at a time, to keep it as brothy as you like. The initial 3–4 cups includes the broth used for blending.

Yield: Approximately 8 servings, depending on portion size.