American Regional Recipes
Dallas Tacos
This is a Tex Mex-favorite in Dallas - mini soft corn tortillas topped with smoked brisket, chopped red onion, shredded red cabbage and pepper jack cheese.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Beef
- 3 pounds brisket or chuck roast
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or bacon grease
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into quarters
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and stems removed, cut in half, lengthwise
- 2 leafy stems cilantro
- 1 bay leaf
Tacos
- 2 poblano chiles
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1 cup (4 ounces) pepper Jack cheese
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Flour tortillas
- Salsa
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Sprinkle the brisket or chuck roast with salt and black pepper.
- In a large ovenproof pot, such as a Dutch oven, heat up the oil on medium-low, and brown the beef on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.
- Remove the beef from the pot and add the onions. While occasionally stirring, cook until they begin to brown.
- Add the garlic cloves and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and pour the red wine vinegar into the pot, scraping along the bottom to loosen all of the particles.
- Return the beef to the pot. If using brisket, place it fat side up. Pour in the beef broth and add the cumin, jalapeños, cilantro and bay leaf. Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook the brisket for 6 hours or until it’s fork tender.
- After removing beef from the oven, let it rest in the pot uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the taco toppings, roast the poblano chiles under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side.
- Place chiles in a paper sack or plastic food-storage bag, close it tight and let the chile steam for 20 minutes.
- Remove the chiles from the bag and rub off the skin. Remove stem and seeds and cut the chiles into strips.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium low, and add the chopped onion. While occasionally stirring, cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the cut poblano strips and cook for 1 more minute.
- After the beef has rested, remove it from the pot, cut off the fat cap (if using the brisket) and shred the meat with two forks until it’s in long strands.
- To make the gravy, strain the cooled broth, throwing out the vegetables. Remove the fat from the broth with a gravy separator. Or alternatively, you can take a quart size plastic storage bag and pour some broth into it. Snip a bottom corner of the bag and drain the broth, stopping when you get to the fat layer that is on top. Add 2 tablespoons of the gravy to the shredded brisket, reserving the rest for serving. Taste the beef and adjust seasonings.
- To make the tacos, place on one side of each tortilla some pepper Jack and slide the tortillas under the broiler for 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted. Fill the tortillas with shredded beef and top with some of the onions and poblano strips.
- Serve with the pot juices and salsa.
- Serve with a side of salsa, mashed avocado and a jalapeño.