Smoked Enchiladas de Barbacoa

Ingredients: 

For the beef: 

3 lbs beef I’m using bottom sirloin roast but you can use chuck, cheek or tongue any type of meat that’s fatty 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar  

4 Guajillo Chilies (stems and seeds removed)  

1/2 white onion 

7 garlic cloves 

8 whole cloves  

4 bay leaves 

1 T whole cumin seeds

1 T beef bouillon  

2 t Mexican oregano  

2 t peppercorn  

Salt I used 5 t  

1. Add your onion and chiles to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Remove pot from the heat, reserve 1/2 cup of the water and place in a blender with the onion and chiles. 

2. Add the garlic, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, beef bouillon, oregano, peppercorns, apple cider vinegar and 1 T of salt to the blender and mix until smooth. 

3. Cover the meat with the paste, and place the meat in your smoker, set to 225F and cook until the beef reaches an internal temperature of 165F. 

4. Remove the beef from the smoker and place in a sealable bag and place in a sous vide bath set at 135F for up to 24 hours. 

For the Sauce: 

7 dried chiles (See note) 

5 cloves of garlic (peeled and trimmed) 

1 sweet onion (1/2 roughly chopped and 1/2 finely diced) 

2 cups beef broth 

2 T tomato paste 

1 t sugar 

1 t Mexican oregano 

1 t ground cumin 

1 t Chipotle chili powder (may substitute other chili powders) 

For the enchiladas: 

8-12 tortillas (Number depends on the size of you baking dish. My family prefers flour tortillas, but we found that the disintegrate, so we are using corn this time) 

Queso Oaxaca (Shredded) 

Sour Cream 

Cilantro and or Green onions for garnish 

Note: What you pick decides your heat. Pick dried chipotles and you will have Fire enchiladas. Choose pasilla or guajillo and you will get a deep, delicious, mild earthy sauce. Mix and match to your family’s tastes! I used 6 pasilla and 1 chipotle, mainly because that is what I had in the pantry. 

1. Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles, attempting to keep them in as large pieces as possible. 

2. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Toast the chiles until fragrant to release their oils (about 2-3 minutes). 

3. Warm the beef broth. Remove the chiles from the pan and place them in a bowl. Add the beef broth and let set for 20 minutes. 

4. Add the chiles and beef both, garlic, roughly chopped onion, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, cumin and chili powder to a blender and blend until smooth. 

5. Transfer the enchilada sauce you just made into a large skillet on low heat. Dip each tortilla into the warmed sauce, then add ground beef-chorizo mixture, sour cream and some cheese (we used Queso Oaxaca). Wrap the tortilla tightly and place in a baking dish (if you are using the smoker, one that you don’t mind discoloring). 

6. Once you run out of room or tortillas, add the remaining filling to the baking dish and top with sauce and remaining cheese.

7. If using the smoker, heat the smoker to 225F and place the baking dish on the top shelf of the smoker. The longer you leave it in the smoker, the more smoke the enchiladas will be able to absorb. Check every 30 minutes to ensure they do not dry out.

8. If using the oven, preheat to 350, cover the baking dish with foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for 15 more minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. 

9. Remove from oven or smoker and let it rest for at least 15 minutes, unless you enjoy melting your face off. Garnish with cilantro and/or green onions and serve. 

Equipment used: 

Yoder YS640 Smoker