Shredded Beef Burritos

My first taste of 'Mexican' food on English shores, after getting addicted to Taco Bell on a lacrosse trip to The States as a teenager, was a make at home burrito kit from Old El Paso, using minced beef and a sachet of seasoning. This tided me over for quite some time, along with a few additional ingredients, until the more recent boom in burrito bars across the country which also coincided with me taking a much greater interest in cooking.

Now the craving isn't satisfied with quickly cooked chewy mince meat and so instead i now set a whole day aside for preparing the slow cooked meaty filling for my burritos. Don't worry the actual active cooking time is short, once the meat is in the slow cooker you leave it for 8-10 hours to soften up and fill your kitchen with lovely spicy aromas while you go about your day. Not like any other day however, as this day you will waltz around with a ridiculous grin across your face, feeling superior to all around you, as you know that later for dinner you will be eating a juicy, home cooked, spicy burrito... 

The seasoning isn't  too far from the ingredients on the back of the Old El Paso packaging but the taste and textures are on another planet!  Make sure you buy the largest tortillas you can find so you can put as many of the extras in as possible - the more the merrier! The tortillas also need to be nice and fresh so they don't split while rolling them up!

Ingredients - 

Approx 3 Pounds/1.35 Kilo joint of Beef - Silverside/Top Rump/Topside

Tbsp Ground Cumin

Tbsp Ground Coriander

Tbsp Chilli Powder

Tsp Salt

Tsp Paprika

400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes mixed with a finely chopped Onion

Tbsp Corn Starch

 

  

• Trim the joint of fat and cut it lengthways into 3 even pieces 
• Combine the cumin, coriander, chilli powder, salt and paprika and rub all over the meat
• Place a quarter of the chopped tomatoes and onion mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker then top with a piece of the seasoned meat, repeat the process with the other two pieces of meat and top with the last quarter of salsa
• Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours
• Remove the meat from the sauce and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile use a hand blender to blend the sauce until smooth, add a splash of water and corn starch and mix. Now take the beef and shred it along the grain into small pieces and return to the sauce
• Turn the slow cooker up to High and cook with the lid off until hot and the sauce is nice and thick, add any extra seasoning

 
Serve in a large flour tortilla with all or your choice of the following -


Soured Cream
Rachel's Guacamole
Lettuce or a small amount of rice (cooked, 2 tbsp approx)
Chopped cherry tomatoes
Jalapenos
Freshly Grated Cheddar Cheese
Refried/Pinto/Black Beans

* The leftovers will last 3 days in the fridge or can be frozen