Lazy Day Beef Barbacoa

The doldrums of winter are upon us. Or as I like to frame them, the chance to stay in all day and stew: in the culinary sense of the word at least. Maybe it's Sunday and the rain is giving you a great excuse to honor your body's deep desire not to get out of sweatpants and slippers. Maybe you're in a mountain cabin with all your friends and want to wow them with dinner but also want your hands free to play dominos and hold a wine glass through the afternoon. This is the dish for you. The effort is front loaded with a quick no-fuss whiz in the food processor, and then the day is yours to do with what you wish, so long as you're in sniffing distance of the (very) low set oven while time and a barely tangible simmer does all the work. In under 4 hours you'll end up with a rich, complex and hearty dish that will make you feel like a wizard (if the wine doesn't do that first).   

Ingredients

• 2lbs Flank Steak
• 2 Tbls Olive Oil
• Juice of 1 lime (2-3 Tbls) 
• Juice of 2 Oranges (3/4 cup)
• 1 Tbls Fish Sauce
• 2 Tbls Soy Sauce
• 4 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tbls Tomato Paste
• 1 Tbls Cumin
• 1 Tbls Coriander
• 2 Tbls Dark Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Sweet Baby Peppers (roughly chopped)
• 1 bunch Cilantro (leaves and tender stems used separately)
• 3 Whole Dried Ancho Chiles
• 3 Whole Dried Guajillo Chiles
• Kosher Salt

Gear

• Food Processor or Blender
• Dutch Oven (or alternate heavy pot)

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 275 degrees F. 
2. Re-hydrate the dried chiles by setting them in a small pot of water and simmering over low heat (covered) for 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, measure and combine all ingredients (besides the meat of course) in your food processor. When the chiles are decently plumped, add them to the food processor party and blend to a smooth puree (reserve the water that the chiles were in). The texture should wind up like that of a loose salsa.
4. Start heating up your dutch oven on the stovetop at a medium high flame. Add a hearty tablespoon of olive oil. When it begins to shimmer, lay your steak down in the pan and give it a good hard sear (roughly 2 minutes on each side). Feel free to peek and check for a nice brown crust, but otherwise let it be!
5. Once sear is achieved, remove the pan from the heat and slowly pour your blended sauce around the edge of the seared steak. The sauce should come up to about 2/3 height of the piece of meat and fully cover the bottom of the pan. If you come up a bit short, pour in some of that reserved chile water to compensate.  
6. Cover the dutch oven and chuck it in the oven. Feel free to take a peek at it on the hour, but it will likely take a solid 3 and needs no tending to for the duration. The meat will slowly render its fat, bathing in that flavor bomb marinade and filling your house with heavenly savory scents. You'll know its done when the meat easily falls apart and the sauce has reduced considerably. 
7. Using two forks, shred the meat right inside the pot to a desired consistency. Stir to combine it with the remaining sauce and form a homogeneous, succulent mixture.  

Serving Suggestions

• Sweet n' Savory: Roast a sweet potato (cut in half lengthwise) with a little olive oil and salt. Then pile a few hearty spoonfuls of the shredded beef on top of the halves. (Optional: mix in some cooked black beans) Finish with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt and fresh chopped cilantro. The sweetness of the potato pairs beautifully with the spicy meat.
• Taco Style: Warm some good tortillas straight on the burner until they're beautifully charred, load them up with the shredded meat and top with sliced avocado, crema, some pickled onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.