Braised Lamb or Beef Tacos

Certain cuts of meat just lend themselves to braising, so this recipe is perfect for those tougher and bonier beef or lamb cuts including: Lamb Shoulder Steak, Lamb Leg, Beef Sirloin Tip Steaks, Beef Soup Bones or other chuck/shoulder or round cuts.  Short ribs take longer than the cuts listed above, so see the following recipe for braised beef short-rib tacos

Serves 3-4 (makes about 8 street tacos)

Ingredients

• 2lbs of grass-fed lamb or beef  (lamb shoulder steak and beef sirloin tip are my favorites)
• 2 Tbsp Oil (grape seed, lard or olive oil)
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1  pepper (poblano or jalepeno) diced
• 4 cloves garlic diced or crushed
• 16oz beef broth
• 8oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 3 TBSP Sherry Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 TBSP Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Can of Beer (Mexican Lager or other lighter bodied lager)
• Optional - 1Tsp Ground Coriander Seed
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 8 Small Corn Tortillas
• Lime (cut into wedges)
• Cilantro (chopped for garnish)
• Queso Fresco or Cojito Cheese (crumbled for garnish)
• Rub
• 1 Tbsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne powder

Directions for braising over Stove Top

• After thawing (see thawing instructions) pat lamb or beef dry with paper towel or clean rag.

• Mix "Rub" ingredients in small dish.   Sprinkle over all sides of the meat on a plate and pat rub into meat.  Save extra seasoning to add to braising liquid

• Heat large cast iron or stainless steel pan with high walls until oil is hot, near smoking point.   Sear the lamb or beef on both sides for 1-2 min per side to brown and create light crust.  (Note:  you don't want to crowd the meat, but you don't want too big of a pan otherwise liquid won't properly cover meat.  Sear meat in batches if required)

• Set meat aside after seared on all sides (remember you searing the meat to quickly brown the meat not cook the meat through, so don't overdue this step).
• Turn down heat to medium and saute onions, garlic and peppers in oil left over from searing meat and cook until soft about 8 minutes.  (Note:  Add a little more oil if needed, so they don't stick to pan and burn)
• Pour beef broth into pan with sauteed onion, garlic and pepper and deglaze pan by scraping bottom of pan with spatula.
• Add crushed tomato and sherry vinegar
• Bring to gentle boil and add the lamb or beef back into the pan.   Add remaining "rub" and brown sugar into pan.  Add ground coriander if using.
• Cover and let simmer at a gentle boil for ~ 2 hours.   Check every 15-30 minutes to make sure liquid isn't getting too low and to stir ingredients around.  (Add more broth or beer to keep meat covered roughly half way up if needed)
• About half way through the meat should start coming off the bone.  You can assist by pulling meat off bone with kitchen tongs.  For thicker pieces of meat you can cut into smaller pieces to speed up cooking process.

• Once meat is starting to pull apart fairly easily (about 90-120 minutes into cooking process) remove lid  and keep simmering until meat becomes tender and you can pull apart easily with a fork.  The liquid will continue to thicken towards the end of the cooking process, so you need to make sure you aren't burning it by scraping bottom of pan every couple of minutes.  Add a splash more beer or broth if the sauce becomes to thick.

• When meat is done remove from heat and shred with forks in pan.  Remove any pieces with excessive fat or connective tissue.  Be careful with lamb shoulder steaks or other meats that contain bones and be sure to remove all bones and bone fragments before serving.
• Add salt and pepper to taste if needed
• Serve braised lamb or beef on corn tortillas with cilantro, cheese and fresh squeezed lime.

Directions for cooking in slow cooker

• After thawing (see thawing instructions) pat lamb or beef dry with paper towel or clean rag.
• Sprinkle rub over all sides of the meat on a plate and pat rub into meat.  Save extra seasoning to add to braising liquid
• Heat large cast iron or stainless steel pan until oil is hot, near smoking point.   Sear the short ribs on all sides for 1-2min per side to brown and create light crust. 
• Turn down heat to medium and saute onions, garlic and peppers in oil left over from searing beef and cook until soft about 8 minutes.  (Note:  Add a little more oil if needed, so they don't stick to pan and burn)
• Pour beef broth into pan with sauteed onion, garlic and pepper and scrape bottom of pan with spatula.
• Pour broth and sauteed vegetables into slow cooker set to "high" heat. 
• Add crushed tomato, vinegar and brown sugar
• Add seared lamb or beef and any remaining "rub" to slow cooker.
• Cook on "high" for 3-4 hours until tender and meat has fallen off bones or easily shreds with a fork. 
• Remove bones, any large pieces of fat and any connective tissue from crock pot
• Shred meat with fork in remaining broth. 
• Drain meat with tongs and serve on corn tortillas with cilantro, cheese and fresh squeezed lime.