Barbacoa

1 3-4 lb chuck roast
Rub
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Simmer sauce
2 dried guajillo chilies
2 dried ancho chilies
½ 7-oz. can chipotle peppers in adobo
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 14.5-oz. can of stewed tomatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
To serve
small corn or flour tortillas
warm black beans
chopped cilantro
chopped onions

Mix together the rub ingredients in a bowl. Using your hands, rub into the chuck roast on all sides. Prepare smoker according to manufacturer’s directions and set temperature to about 240° F. Place the roast on the smoker. After two hours, flip meat and prepare simmer sauce.

Remove the seeds and stems from the guajillo and ancho chiles, place them in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes or until soft. Pour off all but 1 cup of water (reserving the rest of the water), add the chipotle peppers with adobo sauce and puree the contents into a thick sauce using a hand blender, adding some of the reserved water as needed.

In a large pot over medium high heat, warm the oil and sauté celery, the onion, and the garlic for five minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients as well as the chili puree and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

After the meat has been smoking for another 2 hours (total of 4 hours), remove from the smoker and place in a roasting pan. Add the simmer sauce to the pan, cover and place in a 350° F oven for one hour. Open the lid, turn the meat over, and roast for an additional hour.

Remove from oven and allow the meat to rest covered for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, and shred and chop the meat. Serve on warm tortillas with the onions, cilantro, and the roasting sauce from the pan. Reserve the additional roasting sauce and 1 cup of meat for making chili, if desired.


To make chili:
Reserved simmering sauce
24 ounces stewed tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can white pinto beans
1 cup diced barbacoa meat

Add the sauce, tomatoes, beans, and meat to a large pot. Simmer until heated through. Serve with chili toppings.


Makes 20 4″ barbacoa tacos (and 6 servings chili).