I Love Cooking

I love them so much that I always quarter the recipe so it only makes four bars. Even so,
I think I ate the whole batch in just under two days, which kind of defeats the purpose, but it is what it is.
Cook your tomato sauce and oregano. Frying tomato sauce caramelizes it and kills that sometimes sour tomato taste that not everyone loves. The more you dislike tomatoes, the more you should fry it, but don’t skip the tomatoes, because they add an essential umami layer of flavor™.
Add water, cook, and steam the rice. For perfect-almost-all-rices, add 1.25 cups of water for every cups of rice, bring to a boil, cook for 17-20 minutes (depending on how al dente you like your rice) then steam for 10.
Mexican rice is probably one of the best versions of rice in the world.
It’s right up there with Hainanese chicken rice, fried rice, and paella.
What’s the best rice to use for Mexican rice?

Mexican rice is best made with long grain rice. We just usually use jasmine, which isn’t all that authentic but I find follow us for more it to be fluffier and moister. You can also use brown rice, which is inauthentic but doesn’t taste much different and it’s arguably healthier.

Soak the peppers. Soak the peppers in super hot water to rehydrate them. If you want to be extra, you can toast them over a low flame to coax out some extra flavor before soaking.

Season the meat. While the peppers are soaking, season your meat generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Make the marinade. Grab your blender and blend together the peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, beef stock, and vinegar.

Marinate overnight. Marinate as long as you can, or for at least 2 hours so the beef can absorb the flavors. Don’t forget to season your beef with salt and pepper first.

Make the stew. Caramelize the onions to add a little sweetness, add the beef (you can sear it if you want, but we’re aiming for soft and tender meat) along with all the marinade, then top it off

with extra beef stock, bay leaves, and cloves.

Barbacoa ingredients
Barbacoa is made of beef, dried chile, garlic, onions, spices, vinegar, and beef broth. It’s amazing how such simple ingredients combine together to create a deeply flavorful, out of this world taste.

Dried guajillo chiles. These sun dried peppers add an authentic touch of mexican flavor to any stew and you can usually find them in the Mexican aisle of your local grocery store. They are like a mild-medium pepper and don’t add any heat. If you can’t find guajillo, sub any dried mexican/southwestern peppers, such as ancho, new mexico, california, or pasilla. If you really can’t find them, you can sub a can of chipotle peppers in adobo.

Mexican oregano. Mexican oregano is different than Mediterranean oregano; it’s actually a different plant. Mexican oregano is indigenous to Mexico and has a more woodsy, citrus-lime earthy flavor compared to Mediterranean oregano. You can find it in the Mexican aisle at the grocery store.

Cumin. Cumin gives the barbacoa a nutty, earthy, spicy, almost lemon-y aroma.

Vinegar. Vinegar tenderizes the beef and balances out the richness of the meat. You can use whatever vinegar you have on hand.
Oven-braised barbacoa

This is the same as stovetop with the bonus advantage that you don’t need to worry about it ever burning. Saute the onions over med-high in an oven proof pot such as a dutch oven, then add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and place in a 300ºF 4-6 hours, until the beef is tender and shreddable.