Northern Mexican stew — diezmillo (chuck) braised in a deep red guajillo-and-ancho chile sauce until shredding, served with refried beans and warm tortillas. The kind of one-pot lunch that fills a Sunday.
Serves 6Prep 30 minCook 2 hr 30 min
Affiliate links — CarneAtlas may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg diezmillo, in 5 cm chunks
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves
- —
- For the chile sauce:
- 5 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 cloves
- 500 ml beef stock
- —
- To serve:
- Refried beans, warm corn tortillas, lime, cilantro
Method
- 1Toast the dried chiles in a dry pan over medium heat for 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant. Cover with hot water and soak 20 minutes.
- 2Drain the chiles. Blend with the oregano, cumin, cloves, half the garlic, and the stock until smooth.
- 3Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Brown the diezmillo in batches; set aside.
- 4Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and remaining garlic; cook 5 minutes.
- 5Pour in the chile sauce. Bring to a simmer. Return the meat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and braise gently for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the beef shreds with a fork.
- 6Pull the beef apart in big chunks. Adjust salt.
- 7Serve in bowls with refried beans alongside, warm tortillas to fold, lime, and cilantro.
Chef's tip
Don't skip the chile-toasting step — even 30 seconds in the dry pan transforms the flavour from raw to deep.