Shredded Beef
Taco Tuesday · 5 hr (plus overnight salt) · serves 6
I had made shredded pork before with similar ingredients and I had made a pot roast, too, but never shredded beef - decided to give it a shot for Cinco de Mayo and it turned out great!
- 3 lb beef rump roast
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pepper in adobo
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground all spice
- 1 tsp coriander
- 3 tbsp tequila*
- 1 navel orange, sliced
- 2-3 limes, sliced
- 4 cups beef or chicken stock
- Salt to taste
- Juice of 1 lime
- *Tequila is used for deglazing, so the alcohol will cook off and no alcohol will be present in the final dish; however, if you don't want to use tequila, just use a couple tablespoons of the stock instead to deglaze.
Method
- 01Salt beef heavily and place on a paper towel in the fridge for at least 2 hours, overnight preferred
- 02Preheat oven to 275 F
- 03In a dutch oven, add a tbsp of neutral, high smoke point oil and turn heat to medium
- 04Once oil is visibly smoking, add the roast to the dutch oven and brown on all sides
- 05Remove roast and set aside
- 06Add onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 2-3 minutes
- 07Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
- 08Push onions and garlic to edge of pan and add tomato paste to the center; cook until slightly darkened, about 1 minute
- 09Add pepper in adobo and mix together
- 10Add all 4 spices and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute
- 11Add tequila to deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; cook until reduced by half, about 1-2 minutes
- 12Add meat back to pot
- 13Spread orange and lime slices around the beef
- 14Pour in stock to halfway up the meat
- 15Turn heat to medium-high and bring to boil, then turn off heat and cover with lid
- 16Bake in oven at 275 F for 3-4 hours
- 17Remove from oven once fork tender
- 18Shred beef with two forks
- 19Spoon some of the remaining liquid over the shredded meat to moisten
- 20Add juice of one lime and stir/toss
- 21Taste test and add salt as desired
Avocado Crema
Taco Tuesday · 5 min · serves 4
I'm a big fan of everything avocados and guacamole (I know, my millennial is showing, but love me some avocado toast!) To make this crema, I start with the same ingredients for guacamole and then add some sour cream or yogurt - then some sort of science happens that keeps the final product looking gorgeously green for days instead of hours. I made this for shredded beef tacos one night and ended up with some leftover crema - it was still the same pretty green the following evening when I ate it again for dinner! Unclear if it lasts longer than that because it was gone at that point...
- 1 avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Salt to taste
Method
- 01Peel, pit, and roughly slice avocado
- 02Add ingredients to a mixing bowl
- 03Using a hand mixer, beat ingredients together until smooth
Orange Salsa
Taco Tuesday · 2 hr 30 min (mostly chilling) · serves 12
I wanted to make a sweeter salsa to go with my Cinco de Mayo dinner and this fit the bill. I dug through online recipes and asked ChatGPT for help to come up with my rendition of orange salsa. I asked my house cleaner to try it - she originally said no because she wasn't hungry, but once I said it was homemade she gave in and tried it - said it tasted just like a restaurant and then proceeded to eat half my afternoon snack!
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 small shallot, peeled
- 2 (12 oz) cans fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 navel orange, segmented and pith removed
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2-3 stems cilantro
- Salt to taste
Method
- 01Preheat oven to 425 F
- 02Remove seeds from jalapenos and reserve
- 03Roast seeded jalapenos and shallot at 425 F until slightly charred, about 20 mins
- 04Add the roasted vegetables, reserved jalapeño seeds, and the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend to desired consistency
- 05Taste test, adjust, and blend further as needed
- 06Chill in fridge for about 2 hours to allow flavors to marinate
Spicy Watermelon Mocktail
Drink · 10 min · serves 4
picture this: it's Tuesday, May 5, 2026 - double hitter Taco Tuesday AND Cinco de Mayo. I had plans for a shredded beef taco feast and some left over watermelon in the fridge from the girls weekend in Fredericksburg. The BF and I opted for sober May because we want to be more "responsible" (whatever that means). So, I decided to play around with making a mocktail to go with our tacos - and man am I glad I played - 'twas YUM!
Syrup Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon
- 1 tsp pickled jalapeno puree
- 1 tbsp honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- Pinch of salt
Finishing Touches
- 2 12oz bottles sparkling mineral water
- Lime wedges
- Tajin rimmed glasses
Method
- 01Add syrup ingredients to blender (Ninja smoothie is the perfect size!)
- 02Blend until smooth; taste test, adjust, and blend again if needed
- 03Add a tajin rim to 4 pint glasses (rub the lime you juiced around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim into a small pile of tajin)
- 04Fill the 4 pint glasses to the brim with ice
- 05Add the sparkling mineral water and syrup to a pitcher and stir to combine
- 06Pour the mixture over the ice into each glass
- 07Add a lime wedge and straw to each glass
Sautéed Onion + Poblanos
Side dish · 10 min · serves 6
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1 large sweet onion, sliced
- 2 poblanos, deseeded and sliced
Method
- 01Add butter to a pan large enough to sauté both the onions and poblanos
- 02Melt butter over medium heat and add onion + poblano slices
- 03Cook until onions are translucent and peppers are pliable