Braised Beef And Red Chiles Recipes

CHILE-BRAISED BEEF, TWO WAYS

Steps:

• Place beef in a large pot and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Add 1 onion half, 5 garlic cloves, bay leaves, and enough water to cover meat by 1 inch (8 to 10 cups). Bring to a boil, skimming impurities from surface. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender enough to easily pierce with the tip of a knife, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, preheat broiler, with rack 6 to 8 inches below heating element. Arrange chiles on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil with oven door cracked open, turning once, until blistered in places on both sides, fragrant, and beginning to smoke, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer to a saucepan. Arrange tomatoes and remaining onion half and garlic cloves on baking sheet. Broil, turning a few times, until blistered in places and beginning to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer to saucepan with chiles; add enough water to just cover vegetables (4 to 5 cups). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and transfer to a blender with reserved liquid, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, oregano, and 2 teaspoons salt. Purée until smooth.
• Transfer beef to a plate and strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids. Return beef to pot with 5 cups broth and puréed-chiles mixture (any remaining broth can be cooled and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or frozen up to 6 months; if you'll be serving the dish as a soup, reserve and keep warm).
• Bring beef to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until beef is fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours more. Shred meat into bite-size pieces.
• To serve as a soup, add reserved warm broth to pot, a little at a time, to reach desired consistency (it should be soupy but still have some body to it). Scatter with chopped onion and cilantro and serve, topped with radishes and avocado, with lime wedges alongside.
• To make tacos, dip tortillas into chile broth, flipping to fully coat, and transfer to a plate, stacking them one on top of another. Fill each with about 1/3 cup shredded beef and a little more chile broth. Fold in half. Heat a generous slick of oil over medium-high in a large, heavy skillet, such as cast iron. When it shimmers, add tacos in a single layer and cook, flipping once (if browning too quickly, reduce heat to medium) until crisp and golden brown in places, about 2 minutes per side. Serve with chopped onion, cilantro, hot sauce, and lime wedges.

CHILE-BRAISED BEEF BRISKET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a small skillet over a medium heat, toast the star anise and fennel seed. Move the pan across the heat, letting the spices gently roll inside. Do that for about 3 to 4 minutes or until you begin to smell the toasting spices. Transfer into a spice mill or a coffee grinder. Add 5 of the chiles and grind until finely ground. Season the brisket with salt and pepper, rub with the spice blend, cover, and refrigerate while continuing with the recipe.
• Put the remaining 7 chiles in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Set aside and let soak until the chiles have softened, about 30 minutes. When soft, reserve the chiles and 1 cup of the reconstituting water. Discard the rest of the water. In a blender, liquefy the chiles, the 1 cup reserved soaking water, and the sherry vinegar. Set aside.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat and sear the brisket in the hot oil on all sides until well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the brisket from the pan and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until they become translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, stock, and chile mixture and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the brisket, cover, and braise in the oven until fork tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours, skimming occasionally to remove excess fat.
• When done, slice and serve hot with the braising liquid alongside.
• To Drink
• The hot climate of southern Oregon produces one of my very favorite Spanish varietals, Tempranillo, which loves meat braised with tomatoes, ground chiles, and spices. The black-fruit flavors of this grape and the tannins stand up well to the braised beef. Two Oregon wineries, Abacela and Dominio IV, produce fine examples of this grape varietal. A companion choice would be a French Rhône wine from Chapoutier: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Saint Joseph, or Crozes-Hermitage. These wines have spice, smoke, and lingering tannins that speak to all the flavors of the brisket. -K.P.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH HOT SAUCE AND MIXED CHILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Arrange chiles on a wire rack on stovetop over a gas flame and roast, turning occasionally, until blistered and lightly charred. (Or roast one at a time using tongs, or use the broiler.)
• Stir vinegar, brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp. hot sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Season brisket generously with salt and sprinkle with pepper; cook, fat side down, until bottom side is deep golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Turn and cook until other side is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Add onion and garlic to pot and cook, reducing heat if needed, until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet with brisket.
• Remove pot from heat and place brisket in pot, fat side up. Pour reserved vinegar mixture over and arrange garlic and blistered chiles around. Place onion on top of chiles. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Braise until brisket is fork-tender and shreds easily, 3-3 1/2 hours. Transfer brisket, onion, chiles, and garlic to a platter and let cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place pot over medium-high heat and bring braising liquid to a boil. Cook until thick and syrupy, 10-15 minutes. Taste pan sauce and season with more hot sauce and salt, if needed.
• Serve brisket, onion, chiles, and garlic with pan sauce drizzled over.
• Brisket can be braised 3 days ahead. Let cool in juices in pot; cover and chill.