Easy Recipes from The Pot Rack – March 2022

Instant Pot and Crock Pot recipes continue to be all the rage. I find this form of cooking handy for sure, but it doesn’t really inspire. The dishes all come out pretty much the same… over-cooked. Well, I changed my mind when I tried this little dandy. Yes it’s a basic pot roast recipe… but with a kick! It’s all about the spices and the lime! Drop this one in your favorite pot, chop up some fragrant sides and serve on your favorite tortilla and you’ve got a winner. I might also suggest you keep that lime theme going with a nice margarita (or two)!

Ingredients

3-4 lbs beef chuck roast (ya know the one with lots of yummy fat on it)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 cups beef broth

3 chipotle chilies in adobo, rough chopped (remove the seeds if you don’t want the heat)

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3 bay leaves

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Quarter the beef into 4 manageable chunks. Salt and pepper all sides.
  • Place your favorite Dutch Oven on medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil and sear the beef on all sides. (If you are using a slow cooker, transfer the meat at this time.)
  • Add adobo chilis, beef broth, garlic, cumin, oregano, cloves, and lime juice into the pot and combine all of the ingredients. Salt and pepper as needed.
  • Cook at 250 degrees in the oven for 3-4 hours. (6-8 hours in a slow cooker on Low or 5 hours on High.)
  • Shred the meat and return to pot. Keep on warm.

Layer on tortillas with your favorite toppings like cilantro, diced red onions and plenty of lime wedges.

Beyond the Recipe—Can the essence of citrus make any dish taste better? It turns out, it can. I once worked with a chef who literally squeezed a bit of lemon along with that final dash of flaky salt on nearly everything he cooked. From pasta to steaks… every dish got a spritz of lemon or lime before it left his kitchen. I challenge you to try this technique and you will find it is an amazing flavor enhancer. It brightens just about anything without necessarily adding a lemon or lime flavor. This recipe reminds me of that chef.

Barbacoa is most often associated with Mexico, but it originated centuries ago in the Caribbean country of Barbados. So, the heavy presence of lime makes perfect sense. This recipe was given to me by my daughter, Grace. She knows I’m not crazy about crock pot cooking, but she encouraged me to try this one. She was right. It’s bright and lovely and easy-peasy. But I’m not going to lie… I slow cooked the beef in my Emile Henry Dutch Oven, not in a crock pot!

One tool you might want to consider adding to your kitchen collection is our meat shredders. They make fast work of shredding anything and they also sub as salad hands. Stop by The Pot Rack and we’ll set you up. Let me know what you think!