Beef/Pork Burritos with Green Chile Sauce

This recipe I keep just so I remind myself, while living in Minnesota, what a green chile burrito tastes like. It was my favorite meal when I lived in New Mexico in the late '70s. Go to a decent Mom & Pop restaurant in New Mexico for the real deal, though.

The basic thing is to put the cooked, shredded meat in a tortilla, along with refried beans, cheese or other additions if desired. Roll up the tortilla (see internet for instructions on that) and smother the whole thing in the green chile sauce and some appropriate grated cheese (monterey jack, cheddar, or something like that).

Shredded Beef or Pork

3-4 lbs. beef brisket, chuck or pork roast, fat trimmed
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
2 Bay leaves
3 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 cup chicken or pork stock or beer
2 tsp mexican oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin

Preheat oven to 300F

Heat oil in Dutch oven on stove top until shimmering. Add onions and saute until softened and translucent. Add garlic, suate until fragrant. Stir in 1/2 cup chicken stock, pork stock or water. Add bay leaves, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat. Add meat to the center of the Dutch oven & cover. Put Dutch oven on lower oven rack and bake at 300F for about 3 hours or until meat is falling apart. If there's a lot of sizzling while cooking, turn heat down a bit. Uncover and continue cooking until meat browns. Turn meat to brown other side (this helps dry the meat). Pull meat apart with forks. Dry & brown further under the broiler, if desired. Set meat aside to rest if serving soon or put in refrigerator to serve later.

Slow cooker method: You can cook the roast in a slow cooker. Chop the onion and garlic and put in the bottom of the slow cooker pot, add broth, oil and bay leaf. Mix oregano, salt, pepper and cumin together & rub into the roast. Place roast on top of veggies. Cover & cook on low 8-10 hours.

Filter broth in a strainer & skim off fat for use in green chile sauce below.

Green Chile Sauce

4 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
½ tsp salt

3 large cloves garlic, minced or grated fine

5 tbsp flour
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

3 c. chicken broth (include the broth from t he roast)
3 c. chile verde (New Mexico), roasted, peeled, seeded & diced
1 tsp. Oregano

Instructions:

• Heat olive oil in pan until shimmering.
  
• Saute onion with salt in olive oil until tender.
• Add garlic & saute one minute.
• Combine together flour, cumin, and black pepper.
• Whisk in a little flour mixture at a time into pot until it's all incorporated.
• Cook, stirring on medium heat until the mixture just begins to color, about 2 min.
• Remove from heat and slowly whisk in the broth, stirring constantly.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Return to heat and bring to a boil.
• Cover and simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.

Enhanced Refried Beans

This is great to add with meat to your burrito. Just use a schmear on the tortilla before adding the meat. This is good for a dip for corn chips, too.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
3 cans good quality refried beans (I like Amy's low sodium, or make your own)
3-4 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed, finely diced
1-2 Serrano peppers, seeds removed, finely diced

Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic & saute until fragrant, about one minute. Add spices and salt and saute a couple of minutes longer. Add refried beans & and peppers. Bring to a simmer slowly under low heat (no added water or fluids should be needed...beans liquefy when hot). Simmer on low heat for 15 mins or so until flavors are incorporated. Let cool a bit if using as a dip.