Barbacoa with Greens

Working late doesn't mean I don't want something filling and tasty when I get home.  The difference is I really don't have the desire to cook at 9pm, enter, the slow cooker.  The slow cooker, also known by many as a Crock Pot, is a great tool for those who don't have a lot of time, but still don't want to rely on fast food, or frozen diners.  A favorite of mine is Barbacoa, you may have had something called Barbacoa at Chipotle, well I can tell you, their dried out stringy meat is so far from the real deal. The real stuff is juicy, fall apart tender, and full of spice and heat. This will be a shorter blog, as it is a simple dish.

Ingredients

2lb Chuck Roast
1/2 a medium bell pepper
1 stalk of celery
1/2 bay leave
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup water or enough to come half way up the meat.

 S&P to taste

This big hunk of chuck roast is excellent, stands up to the long low cooking time, and is one of the flavorful cuts of meat when cooked properly. 

Rough chop the bell pepper and celery, I used the stem end of a stalk, but 1-2 good siz stalks would work also. I coated the meat with the spices, then added a bit more cayenne to give it an extra kick, but I like it hot! pour the liquids in, put the lid on, and set your slow cooker to low for 12 hours, or high for 6-8 depending on how hot it gets.

Fast forward 8 hours, and its time to fix some sides.  I was going to originally serve this with some Cauliflower mash but upon inspection of my cauliflower, it had gone bad.  have no fear, when life gives you bad cauliflower, use Leafy greens instead.

When you can get Bokeh in the photo off of the shine of the fat, you are doing it right. after 8 hours in the slow cooker this hunk of cow was fall apart tender, and not dry at all. 

I put the sauteed greens on the bottom, then served it with sour cream, Cotija cheese, and a few dashes of hot sauce, I used Tapitio, Cholula would have been exellent, or even the Chipotle flavoed Tabasco, if you want a little smokeyness.

<1 net carb, and packed with protein, fat and minerals.

This recipe is great for all sorts of different things, I love to chill it overnight, then mix it with some eggs and bacon and make a meat lovers scramble in the morning.