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Mexican


To season the beef:
5-pound beef brisket
� cup coffee, ground (Guatemalan bean preferred)
4 tablespoons ancho chile powder or 2 whole chiles
� to � cup salt


To braise the beef:
2 cups red wine
2� cup tomato juice
� cup fresh lime juice
1 cup red wine vinegar
� cup chopped garlic
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 Spanish onion, rough cut

Preliminaries: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Have available a roasting pan or ovenproof braising pan (Dutch oven) large enough to accommodate the brisket and remaining ingredients. Lightly coat the pan with vegetable or olive oil or cooking spray; set aside.

Season the beef: Combine the coffee, chile powder and salt. Season brisket with mixture. Grill or sear the meat to brown and caramelize the surface. Remove from heat; when it\'s cool enough to handle, cut the beef into similar-size pieces, about 2-inch cubes.

Braise the brisket: Transfer meat to the prepared braising pan and cover with wine, tomato and lime juices, vinegar, garlic, pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves and chopped onion. Add enough water to cover brisket. Cover with lid or foil. Place in preheated oven and braise for 3 to 4 hours, until the meat is tender.

Shred the beef: Discard onions and bay leaves. Remove brisket from liquid and pull the meat into shreds.

Presentation: Reserve liquid to reheat the beef. Although it can be served immediately, the flavor is better if the meat is refrigerated overnight in the cooking liquid, then gently reheated with the liquid until piping hot. Use drained meat to fill corn tortillas, and serve with salsa verde and guacamole.

Unrated