Carnita-Style Beef With Roasted Peppers and Onions
by: Three Many Cooks
Serves: up to 6
Ingredients
- 1 boneless chuck roast, 2½ to 3 pounds
- 3 tablespoons pure olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 can (4.5 ounces each) chopped green chiles
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 medium-large onions, ends left in tact, peeled and each onion cut into 8 wedges
- 2 medium multi-colored peppers, each cut into 8 wedges
- 1 dozen medium flour tortillas
- 1 container (8 ounces) light or regular sour cream
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Adjust oven racks to lowest and middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Heat a 5 to 6-quart heavy Dutch oven over low heat.
- Meanwhile, place roast in a large bowl; coat with 1 tablespoon of oil and season with 1 tablespoon of the cumin and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Mix chiles, chili powder, remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin, and oregano in a small bowl.
- A few minutes before searing, increase heat to a strong medium-high until wisps of smoke start to rise from the pan. Add roast; sear, turning only once, until both sides form an impressive brown crust, about 8 minutes total. Transfer roast to a plate; set aside. Add garlic to the now empty pot; sauté until fragrant and golden, about 30 seconds. Add chili mixture; sauté to intensify flavor, another 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer; return roasts to pot.
- Using 2 potholders to protect hands, place a sheet of heavy-duty foil over the pot, pressing on the foil so that it touches the stew. Seal foil around the edges; repeat with a second sheet of foil to completely seal. Turn burner on medium-high until you hear juices bubble. Set pot on middle oven rack; cook for a total of 1½ hours. Remove roast from oven, cool to room temperature, and shred into bite size pieces. About 30 minutes before roast is done, toss onions and peppers with remaining 2 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper on a baking sheet large enough for vegetables to fit in a single layer. Place pan on bottom oven rack; cook until tender-crisp, about 30 minutes.
- When ready to serve, gently warm meat and peppers and onions over low heat. Serve with warm tortillas*, bowls of sour cream, cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges.
- *Of course you can always microwave tortillas, but I prefer to oven-steam them. For each 8 tortillas, lay a damp paper towel on a 24- by 18-inch piece of heavy-duty foil. Set 2 stacks of 4 flour tortillas each side by side on towel. Cover with another damp paper towel; seal foil completely. Warm in a 350-degree oven until steamy, about 5 minutes.
These are going on my menu for sure. Yum!
Eating carnita-style beef with roasted peppers and onions as I type because I just felt I should share that this recipe is fabulous! I WAS of the mindset that you had to braise beef for 4-6 hrs at 200 degrees in Le Cruset the day before you wanted to eat carnitas; thank you for disabusing me of this crazy notion! I put the beef in at 2 pm and we were enjoying dinner at 6:15 pm. Thanks for the great recipe. I highly recommend this. All three of my fussy kids loved it.
Wow. I know what I’m making my family for dinner this weekend. What a great fast-cooking technique–I make a pulled pork dish that takes forever on the stove, but I’ll bet this would work just as well. Thanks for the inspiration.
YUM!! I would absolutely love to eat this right now.
Wow. I know what I’m making my family for dinner this weekend. What a great fast-cooking technique–I make a pulled pork dish that takes forever on the stove, but I’ll bet this would work just as well. Thanks for the inspiration.
OMG I made this for a very hungry group of guys for a father’s day feast – the meat was so tender and yummy and the peppers, well let’s just say I am trying to think of a reason to make it again! Thanks for the easy to follow recipie.
Just have to say this is the second time I have made this since you posted the recipe. Both times with Chicken, obviously not cooking the chicken that long, but boy is this yummy and very drippy.
That beef looks nice and moist and tender and full of flavour!
Pam, I must have done something wrong because the meat was not that tender. Maybe the temperature of my oven was off? Any other reason you can think of? Even if the meat was not as tender as I envisioned, my family of three hungry men and two dainty ladies (wives to two of the hungry men) did manage to polish off this entire dinner with no leftovers.
I just found your site and made this awesome and EASY dish tonight. My husband and 2 year old raved. It tasted like a cooked all day meal! We can’t wait for left over night!
This is a rare recipe that I did not ‘play’ with at all. I did add sour cream sauce I make for carnitas or fajitas though!
Thanks!
Hi Pam!
I’ve been making this since you posted and it’s one of our favorites. I made a big batch that I froze and took to the beach with us this summer. It certainly made a dinner and our lunches easy, so thanks!
I was just wondering… is someone stealing your pictures: http://702-mixedplate.blogspot.com/2011/08/carnita-style-beef-with-roasted-peppers.html
…or did one of you start a new blog?
Keep up the awesome work!
Hi Pam! I have to tell you, this is my number one go-to recipe. My family loves it, as do all of the friends I’ve made it for. I always double it as called for in your book because it freezes so well. Also, my favorite way to make it is to do the first steps (searing and bringing everything to a simmer, etc.), and then to put it in the slow cooker for about 6.5 hours on low. The meat comes out incredibly tender; it basically shreds itself!
So god to hear that, Carrie!
Wow, mixedplate DID steal your recipe, photo and all, without giving credit. I would comment but I don’t think it allows me. Well, imitation/flattery/etc. You’re the BOMB, Pam, and we all know it.
This is in the oven right now, despite my house already being 96 inside (darn So Cal heat wave!). Can’t wait to enjoy it with my wine group tonight while we sip on wines from the Pacific Northwest.
Hi Pam,
I was wondering if you have tried this in an Instant pot? I love this recipe and have made it several times but curious if you have made it in an IP- how it turned out and what cooking time you used…
Thanks!
Kim
I have not tried it, but I would say that it should work with whatever standard Instant Pot times for beef stew. Good luck!