Chile Colorado
Chunks of tender beef in a flavorful Mexican red chile sauce - wonderful for tacos & burritos or just on its own!
Servings 6
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Medium Saucepan
- Blender
- Fine Sieve Strainer
Ingredients
Red Chile Sauce:
- 8 dried Guajillo chiles, stems removed & seeded, chopped
- 2 dried Ancho chiles, stems removed & seeded, chopped
- 1 dried Arbol chile, stems removed & seeded, chopped
- ½ medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried cumin
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
Beef:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2½ lbs. beef chuck, trimmed a bit & cut into 1/2-inch squares
- 2½ tbsp flour
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 3 cups beef broth *more if needed, to thin out the chile sauce
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Prepare the red chile sauce by combining the dried Guajillo, Ancho, and Arbol chilies and onion in a medium saucepan.
- Cover with water until the chiles and onion are completely submerged, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let it sit for 20 minutes to soften the chiles and let the flavors mingle.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles & onion into a large blender.
- Add 1 cup of the chile-soaked water, the dried oregano, garlic, cumin, and minced garlic.
- Blend until smooth. *Side Note: If the mixture is too thick for your blender, add a little more beef broth to thin it out.
- Once the red chile sauce is as smooth as possible, pour it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing the solids to get as much sauce as possible. Discard the solids. Set the Chile Colorado sauce aside until needed.
- Prepare the meat by heating the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Combine the cut beef with the flour, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper to taste in a bowl or zip-lock bag; toss to coat evenly.
- Once the oil is HOT, add half the meat and brown on all sides for about 3-4 minutes. Remove it to a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining beef.
- Once everything is cooked, return all the meat (and its juices) to the pot, then add the red chile sauce, beef broth, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking for 45 minutes, or until the meat is fork-tender. Taste the sauce and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.
- Serve this chile colorado with refried beans, flour tortillas, onion, cilantro & lime relish, and cotija cheese, if desired. Enjoy!