Giant Shredded Beef Burritos Recipe

We created these recently as a special at the restaurant and although the beef headlines, it’s the chili spiked and sweet spiced carrots that really steal the show in this different and complex tasting Mexican Burrito.

Although the recipe may seem kind of long – it can all be made well ahead of time and assembled quickly just before you want to eat.

Giant Shredded Beef Burrito Recipe

• 8 large flour tortillas
• Beef filling (see below for recipe)
• Carrot filling (see below for recipe)
• Sautéed onions (See below)
• 1 medium white onion, thinly chopped
• 1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• ½ cup of sour cream
• Spicy tomato based Mexican salsa
• Guacamole

1. Heat the beef and the carrots gently in the microwave to reheat
2. Add along center of one large (10 to 12 inch or so) flour tortilla about ½ cup of beef filling, 1/3 cup of carrot filling, 1 Tbls or so of sautéed onion and about 2 Tbls of fresh white onion, 1 Tbls of cilantro and 1 Tbls of sour cream. Wrap the tortilla around this filling and serve ‘wet’ - topped with spicy tomato salsa and guacamole.

The Beef Filling (make ahead)

• 2 lbs of beef chuck
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• A splash of soy sauce
• A little vegetable oil for sautéing

Preheat an oven to 350

Cut the beef into 1 and a 1/2 inch cubes and sprinkle these with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over medium and fry these beef pieces on all sides until they are nicely browned. Take your time with this step and brown the meat well, as this is a key to good flavor in the end.

Transfer the meat to a casserole dish with a tight fitting lid (or if your lid is not tight, use aluminum foil). Add enough water to the dish for the water to go up to about halfway to the top of the beef cubes. Give the beef a little sprinkle of soy sauce on top and then throw in the carrot and the onion. Cover and let braise in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the beef is very tender and can be pulled apart easily.

Let the meat cool a bit, and then using your fingers or two forks, pull the meat cubes apart into shreds.

Take the liquid from the baking dish and transfer to a gravy separator (or tall glass) and let the fat come to the top. Remove the fat with a spoon and then add this liquid to the shredded beef. Season the shredded beef to taste with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. This beef is now ready to use in your burrito – refrigerate until ready to eat, or freeze if made longer in advance. (Although this recipe calls for a manageable 2 pounds of meat, you might as well double or triple this for future meals, since it freezes so well…just a thought!)

The Carrots (can be made ahead, or not)

• 2 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into julienne sticks about 2 inches long and ¼ inch in thickness.
• 3 Tbls of butter
• A couple of pinches of dried chili
• A scant pinch of cinnamon
• Salt and pepper

1. Boil up a good sized pot of salted water and when boiling, add the carrots and boil until almost cooked through, about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain off all but about1/2 inch of water from the pot and return the carrots in this small amount of water to the heat on the stove.
2. Add the butter, the chili, the cinnamon and a little salt and pepper and boil the liquid down, stirring, until what remains in the pot has become a sauce that pretty much adheres to the carrots.
3. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, chili or cinnamon as needed. You aren’t looking for any dominant tastes here, just a taste of carrot with a slight sweetness of cinnamon and an aftertaste of moderate dried chili heat.

The Sautéed Onions

• 1 lb of onions, cut into thin slices
• A little vegetable oil for sautéing

1. Heat about 2 Tbls of oil in a large heavy fry pan, and when hot, toss in the onions. Sautee, stirring occasionally, until they are a deep brown color and greatly reduced in volume, about 20 minutes. You can start the frying of these at a medium to medium high heat, but as they reduce in size and begin to brown, you need to reduce the heat a bit and stir more often, to prevent burning.