Slow cooker beef birria
Chef Martyn Lee shares his take on beef birria tacos, turning a classic Mexican beef stew into slow cooker brilliance. Follow Martyn Lee on Instagram.
- Serves4
- CourseMain meal
- Prepare15 mins
- Cook8 hrs
- Total time8 hrs 15 mins
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Essential Butter
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 400g pack Essential British Diced Braising Steak
- 1 clove/s garlic, peeled then bashed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 2 Kallo Organic Beef Very Low Salt Stock Cubes
- 4 Essential Tortilla Wraps, each cut in ½, to serve
- 160g pack Essential Extra Mature Cheddar, grated, to serve
- 1 Essential Onion, finely sliced, to serve
- 2 Essential Tomatoes, chopped, to serve
Method
Put the butter and oil into a large frying pan, add the steak and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned. Add the garlic clove. Transfer to a slow cooker.
To the frying pan, add the tomato purée, chilli flakes, mixed herbs, stock cubes and 500ml water. Stir well to melt away any cooking juices from the meat, then pour over the meat.
Cover and cook in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours, until the meat is tender. Remove the meat and shred with 2 forks, adding some of the cooking juices to loosen. Season to taste. Reserve the rest of the juices for later.
Preheat the grill to high. Spread the tortilla halves over 2 large baking sheets, then divide the shredded meat between them, covering ½ the tortilla surface. Scatter with the grated cheese and grill until just melted. Fold over to enclose. Finish with a scattering of onion and tomato, then serve with pots of hot, leftover cooking juices for dipping.
Cook’s tip
If you don’t have a slow cooker, preheat the oven to 170ºC, gas mark 3 and cook in a large baking dish or casserole, covered with a lid, for 3 hours until tender. You can also make this ahead. The beef is ideal for freezing ahead. Cool and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost, then gently simmer until piping hot.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 2,615kJ/ 625kcals |
|---|---|
Fat | 32g |
Saturated Fat | 16g |
Carbohydrates | 44g |
Sugars | 8g |
Fibre | 5g |
Protein | 38g |
Salt | 2.4g |