Best Machaca Recipes

MACHACA (AUTHENTIC MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF)

Steps:

• Place meat in large saucepan. Add water, peppercorns, 1/4 onion and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Cover and simmer until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Cool meat in broth. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup broth. Mash garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt to make a paste. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and garlic paste. Cook until onion is tender. Cut chili into short strips. Add chili strips and tomatoes to cooked onion.
• Cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add meat, cumin and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cook until meat is heated through. Stir in reserved broth. Taste and add salt if needed. Keep warm.
• NOTE: Can be served as a main dish or in tacos or other tortilla dishes.

BIG BEN'S BEEF MACHACA

Steps:

• Place beef portions into the crock of a large slow cooker. Mix olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice together in a bowl; pour over the beef. Add diced tomatoes, sweet onion, green bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno pepper, beef broth, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper to the slow cooker.
• Cook on High for 1 hour. Change setting to Low and continue cooking until the beef is tender, about 6 1/2 hours.
• Remove beef with tongs to a cutting board. Shred with a pair of forks and return to the slow cooker. Continue cooking another 20 to 30 minutes.

SLOW-COOKER BRAISED BRISKET (MACHACA)

Steps:

• For the marinade: Combine the Maggi sauce, lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, garlic and serranos in a medium-size bowl, season with salt and pepper. While whisking constantly, slowly add the olive oil, Put the brisket pieces into a large food-safe plastic bag and pour the marinade over it, turning the meat to coat. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
• Allow the meat to come to room temperature. Drain the meat and discard the marinade.
• For the brisket: Pour the oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the onions, broth, peppers, oregano, garlic, chiles, tomatoes and some salt and pepper. Mix well, and then nestle the meat into the liquid in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cook the brisket on medium-high heat until the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork, about 5 hours.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Shred the meat into 2-inch-long pieces. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, stir to combine, and let stand until the meat is hot, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• The warm braised meat can be used to fill burritos, tacos, tostadas or sandwiches. Leftover meat can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen in plastic freezer bags or containers for up to 1 month.
• For the tostadas: Spread about 1/3 cup of the warm meat over each of the crisp shells. Top each tostada with about 2 tablespoons lettuce, some diced avocado and 2 tablespoons salsa. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon crema over the top and garnish with crumbled queso fresco.
• Serve with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the top.

SLOW COOKER MACHACA

Steps:

• Season beef roast and pork loin with the salt and pepper. Place seasoned beef and pork in a slow cooker.
• Set slow cooker to Low. Cover, and cook overnight or 8 to 10 hours. Drain the juices and shred the meat into strands. Return the meat to the slow cooker; pour the enchilada sauce and green chiles in with the shredded meat and cook on Low another 4 to 8 hours.

BIG DAVE’S BEEF MACHACA

Steps:

• For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate. Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes. In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded. When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork. Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any. Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags for later use.

PORK MACHACA (TENDER PULLED MEXICAN PORK)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a stockpot and simmer until fork tender-this can take from 3-4 hours.
• Can be made in a crock pot also-decrease liquid by about 1/2, bouillon powder by 1/3, and cook on low for 8-10 hours (or until tender as above).
• When tender, remove from heat and allow meat to cool in the broth until cool enough to handle (this will keep the meat moist).
• Shred (or "pull") either with forks or by hand.
• Place in storage container and add some of the broth to moisten; refrigerate until needed.
• Reheat either in microwave, or in saucepan; use a little of the juice to keep it moist.
• For the Mexican-flavored pot roast, don't shred-slice fairly thick (about 1/2"), and make a gravy by thickening some of the juice with either cornstarch or roux (sorry, you'll have to thicken by sight; tough to give an exact quantity for that); serve with plain steamed rice/boiled potatoes and a vegetable-broccoli and/or carrots come to mind first. Leftovers make great open-faced hot sandwiches.
• For soup, take broth and add some onions, carrots, celery, an extra bit of canned diced tomato (you can use almost anything for veggies depending on what you like/have on hand), some of the pork meat and posole (or hominy); simmer until tender and add shredded cabbage; cook another 15 minutes. Serve with hot tortillas and a salad for a complete meal.
• Can also be made as beef machaca by using bottom (outside) round, chuck, or brisket; replace chicken bouillon powder with beef.

MACHACA BEEF DIP SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Place roast in a 3- to 4-qt. slow cooker; top with onion. Combine the broth, water, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, gravy mix, Creole seasoning, chili powder and cumin; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low until meat is tender, 8-10 hours., Remove roast; cool slightly. Skim fat from cooking juices. Shred beef with 2 forks and return to slow cooker; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place meat on rolls. Serve with guacamole or salsa if desired and the cooking juices. Freeze option: Freeze individual portions of cooled meat mixture and juices in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally. Serve on rolls, with guacamole and salsa if desired.

BEEF MACHACA

Steps:

• Place beef in crockpot.
• Cover roast with remaining ingredients except salsa.
• Cover crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until roast is tender and can be pulled with a fork.
• Remove the beef from the crockpot and set the cooking liquid aside.
• Using two forks, shred beef.
• Mix beef with salsa, and if you like it a little moister, add some of the cooking liquid to the meat.
• Adjust the seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.
• Use as a filling for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, chimis, etc.

BEEF MACHACA (TACO FILLING)

Steps:

• For the marinade, combine all the ingredients in a bowl then whisk them to form an emulsion. Add the beef making sure every piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate.
• Marinate the beef overnight in a bowl in the refrigerator. Before preparing, drain thoroughly and allow meat to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• In a large soup pot, heat a few tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Sear the beef a few pieces at a time to develop a rich brown color on all sides as well as on the bottom of the pan. Do this in several batches if the pot is too crowded.
• When all the beef is browned nicely and removed from the pan, add the onions, peppers, and garlic to the hot pan. Sauté for a few minutes then add the remaining ingredients to the pan along with the beef. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer slowly for about 2 hours. The meat should be very tender and should easily fall apart when pricked with a fork.
• Remove from heat, remove meat to a cutting board and shred with a pair of forks. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until very thick, almost dry. At this point, adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and whatever additional heat you want to add if any.
• Serve with tortillas, cheese, salsa, lettuce and guacamole for a great beef taco. Portion and freeze the remaining machaca in zip lock bags for later use.

MACHACA BURRITOS

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet, and saute onions for 5 minutes.
• Add in meat and tomatoes and mix with the onions.
• Once heated through, break eggs over meat mixture and scramble together until done.
• Sprinkle cheese over Machaca mixture and let melt.
• Spoon mixture onto tortillas and fold and eat! You can use sour cream and salsa if you like, but we like it without!

FIREHOUSE MACHACA TACO FILLING

Steps:

• In a stockpot, combine, water, beef and quartered onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is very tender. Strain and reserve broth. Shred meat with 2 forks; set aside.
• Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Saute chopped onion and bell pepper until tender. Stir in 1 cup of the reserved broth, shredded beef, salsa, cilantro and jalapenos. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until heated through.

CHIVICHANGAS DE MACHACA (STEWED BRISKET AND CHEESE CHIMICHANGAS)

Steps:

• Place brisket, onion, garlic, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder in a 4- or 5-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add 3 cups water and cover pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours or until meat is tender when pierced with a fork.
• If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal and light. When the coals are white-hot, pour them out of the chimney starter into the grill to form a hot bed of coals. Use tongs to move any flaming coals off to one side of grill. Set grill grates over the coals, and allow them to get hot. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high. If using a broiler, turn oven to broil setting.
• Grill tomatoes and peppers over medium-high heat (or broil) rotating from time to time, until skins are evenly blistered and charred, about 20 minutes. Place into a metal bowl and seal with plastic wrap. When cooled, peel tomatoes and peppers and discard skin and stems. Use your hands to crush tomatoes and peppers into a rough salsa in the bowl. Set aside.
• When tender, remove meat from pot and set aside. Discard onion, garlic, and all but 1 cup cooking liquid. When meat is cool enough to handle, shred thoroughly, scraping off any fat and setting aside as you go. Finely chop the fat and add back into meat.
• Return pot to stove and set over medium heat. Add meat, fat, crushed salsa, and grated cheeses. Stir well to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until thick and unctuous.
• To form chivichangas, spoon a heaping 1/4 cup of machaca mixture into the center of each tortilla and spread into a 3-inch rectangle. Fold the bottom half of the tortilla over the filling, then pull the edge of the tortilla back toward the top of the filling to create a tight cylinder of filling. Fold both sides of the tortilla in, then tightly roll the chivichanga toward the top of the filling to yield a small, rectangular burrito.
• Stoke grill or preheat griddle or skillet to medium-hot. Cook the chivichangas for about 2 minutes per side until evenly crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with sliced radishes and wedges of lime.

MACHACA CHIMICHANGAS

Steps:

• Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, water, lime juice, 1 tbsp oregano, cumin, 4 of the garlic cloves, 1 of the serrano peppers, olive oil, salt, and black pepper to a blender, and blend until smooth to make the marinade. Seal marinade and skirt steak in a freezer bag and marinate for 4-8 hours in refrigerator. Remove steaks from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Wipe them off and pat them dry with paper towels, then cut them in half width-wise. In a large, heavy pot, heat two tablespoons of peanut oil over medium high heat. Working in batches, brown the steaks in the oil for about 90 seconds on each side, adding more oil as necessary. Set steaks aside on a plate. Add the onions, remaining serrano peppers, bell peppers, and remaining garlic to the pot, along with a little more oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium, and saute until softened (about 5 minutes). Then, add tomatoes, beef broth, remaining oregano, and the steaks into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for two hours. Remove steaks from pot and let rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring pot back to a low boil and reduce slightly, stirring often. Shred the steaks, and add the meat back to the pot. Stir in cheese, and remove from heat. Warm tortillas slightly so that they are pliable. Evenly divide meat between tortillas, piling into the center. Brush the edges with egg whites, and then fold opposite sides into the center. Fold the top down, then fold the entire chimichanga over so that the seam is on the bottom. Secure with toothpicks if necessary. Heat about a half inch of oil over medium-high heat, and fry the chimichangas for about 30 seconds on each side.

WARM PICNIC BURRITOS ("BURRITOS DE MACHACA")

Steps:

• Combine the Maggi sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, chile, salt, and pepper, to taste, in a medium-size bowl. Slowly add the 1/2 cup of olive oil, whisking constantly.
• Add the beef to the marinade, making sure each piece is coated with the mixture. Transfer the meat and the marinade to a quart-size freezer bag. Seal and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight. Allow the meat to come to room temperature before cooking, about 30 minutes. Remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the marinade.
• In a large heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sear the meat on all sides, a few pieces at a time, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the browned meat to a platter and set aside.
• Add the onions, peppers, garlic, and chiles to the hot pan. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the beef broth, tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well, then return the meat to the pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer slowly until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and allow to rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Continue to cook the onion mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
• Using your fingers or 2 forks, shred the meat into 2-inch-long pieces. Return the shredded meat to the pot, stir to combine, and cook until meat is very hot, about 3 minutes.
• Warm the tortillas over a burner or in a dry skillet over medium heat for 20 seconds. Put about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture in the center of each tortilla, and roll into a thin burrito. Arrange them on a serving platter and garnish with lime wedges.

TEX-MEX SHREDDED BEEF (MACHACA) - FOR SLOW COOKER

Steps:

• Cut beef into square or rectangular chunks (good for browning all sides), cutting out fat where desired. (Note: fat will also liquify if put into the cooker and you can spoon it out afterwards, also. I just like to get the meat browned and sometimes the fat can get in the way.) Brown each piece of beef in butter in a skillet on medium heat, browning as many sides of each piece of beef as possible. As pieces are browned, put them in slow cooker on low heat to keep warm.
• After all beef is browned and in slow cooker, add all remaining ingredients (diced tomatoes, broth, garlic, chipotles, adobo sauce, onion, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to taste) to the skillet and heat until bubbling. Pour over the meat in the slow cooker, cover with slow cooker lid.
• Cook until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 4-6 hours.
• Remove beef from liquid, reserving liquid, let cool. Shred the beef with two forks. Moisten some of the meat with some of the cooking liquid (avoiding any accumulated fat from cooking process) until meat is moist but not dripping. Discard remaining cooking liquid.

CROCK POT CARNE MACHACA

Steps:

• Season roast to taste.
• Place seasoned roast in crock pot.
• Pour salsa over roast and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, until you can shred meat with a fork.
• If you want a crisper meat, you can place the shredded meat on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes, until it gets crispy around the edges.

CARNE MACHACA

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pan with a lid, over medium heat, sauté onions, Ro-tel, red chili flakes, Tabasco, black pepper and cumin, adding a little water only as needed to keep the mixture from sticking.
• Stir frequently, cooking until the onion is translucent and tender.
• Add tomatoes with their liquid and stir well.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes.
• There won't be much liquid at this point.
• Add beef.
• Reduce heat to simmer, cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-1/2 hours or until beef is thoroughly tender.
• When beef has cooled, refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, shred beef pieces, using fingers.
• Skim and fat from cooking juices and return beef to pan.
• Reheat over low heat and serve.

MACHACA BURRITOS

Steps:

• BURRITO:.
• Grease skillet with lard or butter or oil, add beef or mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with worcestershire sauce.
• Saute until browned, then remove meat or mushrooms and set aside.
• Add oil to skillet, add onion and green pepper and saute until onion is done, add diced tomato and saute, add eggs and scramble, add meat or mushrooms to mixture, and mix until heated through.
• Heat tortillas on griddle until warm and softened, top each tortilla with egg mixture, top with beans if desired.
• Fold in sides of tortilla, and roll to make a neat package, serve for eating out of hand.
• BEANS:.
• Drain liquid from can and reserve liquid, place oil and beans in a frying pan with some of the can liquid. Add spices and partly mash beans as they are heating.

MACHACA BEEF

Steps:

• Combine seasoning mixture in a small bowl. Rub brisket thoroughly. Place meat in a heavy Dutch Oven, and add enough water so it comes up about half way on the roast. Cook over medium heat 2-3 hours or until meat is very tender and falling apart. (Alternatively, cook meat in slow cooker with same amount of water on low for 8-10 hours) Remove meat from cooking liquid and cool slightly. Trim off excess fat and discard. Cut brisket in chunks across the grain, and shred meat into strings with a couple of forks. Set aside. Prepare the sauce: In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until softened but not brown. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer 15-20 minutes. Add cooked meat shreds and stir thoroughly. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes. If mixture is too dry, add another can of Ro-Tel tomatoes. Roll finished meat in tortillas and garnish with salsa, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, or whatever!

EASY PORK MACHACA (MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Put all ingredients in stock pot and simmer until fork tender (easily comes apart when fork is pulled through). This can take up to 4 hours, but start checking around 2 hours.
• When done, remove meat from pot to shred. Two long-tined forks work well for this. Shred all the meat, then return to liquid and reduce slightly- cooking over medium heat 10 minutes or so.
• Not only is this cooked meat delicious in burritos, tacos and over rice, but it freezes well for use later. If you have leftovers, be sure to pour any liquid from the pot in with the meat for storage- this will keep your leftovers flavorful and moist.
• To adapt for a slow cooker, use ~1 qt water and 5 tsp bullion. Cook on low 6-8 hours, then follow directions as above, turning slow cooker to high and heating shredded meat in cooking liquids 20 minutes or so (to reduce).