Make Beef Chimichangas
I have always liked beef chimichangas, and have often wondered how to make them. It turns out that it isn’t so very hard! The recipe below has not been tested – mainly because my official tasters have returned to the North country, and we have moved out East – to North Carolina for several months. That being said, I discovered a Mexican cookbook in a thrift shop that was published in 1977 which had a recipe for a beef ‘chimi’ that sounded good. I like several of the recipes presented in this book, but they will need some work. It must have been written by a Minnesotan, because the work ‘jalapeno’ appears only sporadically. Even the grilled jalapeno recipe starts out with pickled jalapenos. It might be good, but my grilled jalapeno pepper recipe – to be published another time – starts out with fresh peppers.
This recipe starts out with beef stew meat and some spices which needs to simmer for two hours, so it is perfect for a slow cooker. After simmering you will want to transfer the meat mixture to a pan where you can crank up the heat to reduce the liquid until almost all of it is evaporated.
The meat mixture is added to the tortillas, they are rolled and fried in oil. Pretty simple.
So here it is – this recipe makes 12 chimichangas.
Beef Chimichangas
Easy to make beef chimichangas that you can do in a slow cooker. Uses stew meat cooked with spices. Add cooked mixture to flour tortillas and roll up. Fry tortillas in a saute pan in cooking oil to create the golden shell. Garnish and serve.
Ingredients
- beef Stew Meat - 2 lbs.
- water - 1 1/2 Cups
- fresh garlic - 2 cloves - minced
- chili powder - 2 Tbsp.
- vinegar - 1 Tbsp.
- oregano - 2 tsp. - crushed dried
- kosher salt - 2 tsp.
- cumin - 1 tsp. - ground
- black pepper - 1/4 tsp. - ground
- lettuce - shredded - for garnish
- cheese - shredded - for garnish
- guachamole or avocado slices - for garnish
Instructions
In a medium sauce pan, combine the meat, water, garlic,chili powder, vinegar, vinegar, salt, and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about two hours or until the meat is very tender. This could be done in a slow cooker if desired. When meat is tender, transfer to a suitable kettle bring to a hard boil for about 15 minutes until the water has almost evaporated. Stir during last few minutes to prevent sticking. Remove from heat and use a pair of forks to shred the meat very fine.
When the meat is almost ready, wrap the tortillas in foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Place about ¼ cup of the meat mixture near the edge of a tortilla and roll the edge over the meat mixture until covered. Next fold the sides inward rather like an envelope. Roll the tortilla until it forms a roll around the filling. Use a toothpick or two to hold the roll together. Heat a half inch of cooking oil in a deep saute pan to about 375 degrees – carefully place a chimichanga in the oil for about a minute on each side – until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree oven while frying remaining tortillas.
Serve with the lettuce, cheese. guacamole, avocado or any other favorite toppings.
