Yesterday was a very long and emotionally draining day. I don’t talk about it much but my oldest daughter is technically my step-daughter. She was born 2 years before I began dating her father but from that point on I have been known as nothing less than a mother to her. Sadly, when Maya was four years old [a year ago] her birth mother opted out of parenthood completely, well kind of. We found out that she is currently pregnant [almost due] with another child, may be moving out of state, and is still unemployed and unable to pay child support.
Now I don’t think I have to say this but let’s be very clear, the lack or nonexistance of child support is the LEAST of the issues facing all of us right now. Somebody said this to me yesterday:
This is for the best, at least it is in the past, and we can all move on..
Wrong. As a family, we live this loss every single day because our daughter lost something so precious to her. Our daughter has no idea that she has another sibling entering this world and when she does find out, I don’t think she will EVER understand why she wasn’t worthy enough for her birth mother to stay. Nothing about this is or will be our past. We have forever wounds, together.
How did I cope with this? I cooked. This beef is a labor of pure hurt yet SO MUCH love..💕 So enough about me, let’s get to the good stuff:
Ingredients —
- 3 dried ancho chilies, seeded, stemmed, and torn into pieces
- 2 dried chipotle chilies, seeded, stemmed, and torn into pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 pounds chuck roast
- 1 white onion, chopped
Instructions —
1. Set a saute pan over medium heat and add the chilies and garlic. Toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups broth to the pan and turn off the heat. Let the chilies soak and the broth cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a blender along with the oregano, cumin, coriander, and salt. Puree.
2. Return the pan to the stove, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, place the chuck roast in the pan and sear for 1 minute on each side. Remove from pan and place in the crock of a slow cooker.
3. Add the sliced onion to the hot pan and saute until golden, 8-10 minutes. Add the extra chicken broth to the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom. Transfer the onions to the slow cooker.
4. Pour the pureed chili pepper mixture on top of the beef and onions. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until fork tender.
5. Remove the beef from the cooker and shred with a fork. Skim the fat from the liquid in the slow cooker and toss the juices with the shredded meat.
Last night we had Barbocoa Beef Tacos…and this morning we had…BARBOCOA BEEF TACOS! 👇
(scrambled eggs, leftover meat, lime, and cilantro 😋)
Seriously Happy Eats,
This Midwest Mama 💚
ConCoxtions 