I like chipotle but we can take their bowls to where they should have always been. Tender beef barbacoa, the best rice, and all the ingredients to make the perfect homemade bowl.
INGREDIENTS:
Barbacoa Meat:
2lbs (907g) fatty wagyu brisket
2lbs (907g) beef cheeks
8 cloves garlic peeled & smashed
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
4 guajillo chilies
2 teaspoons (4g) ground cumin
2 cups (473ml) beef stock
Juice of 2 limes
Salt to taste
Pinto Beans:
1lb (454g) uncooked pinto beans
6oz (170g) black pepper bacon, 1” cubes
1/2 lb (227g) chorizo
1 cup (137g) cherry tomatoes
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 Serrano chilies, thinly sliced
4 cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon (1g) dried Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons (6g) smoked paprika
1 teaspoon (3g) chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon (under 1g) ground cinnamon
1-2 cups (237-473ml) chicken stock
Rice:
2 cups (388g) medium-grain rice
2 cups (473ml) water
1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter
Zest and juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup (5g) fresh chopped cilantro
Green Salsa:
7 cloves garlic, raw
1 lb (454g) tomatillos, husked
1/2 sweet onion
2 jalapeños
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/3 cup (79ml) lime juice
Assembly:
1 cup (113g) grated mozzarella
1 cup (113g) grated Monterey Jack
2 avocados, thinly sliced
Cilantro for garnish
3/4 cup (180g) sour cream
Hot Sauce to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Barbacoa Meat:
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Cut your beef in large chunks and season with salt. In a large braiser or pot, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan; once hot, sear your beef in batches (to avoid overcrowding), on all sides, for about three minutes per side.
Place all your seared beef back in the pot, and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a light simmer, place a lid, and put in the oven for 3 hours. Check it occasionally and add more broth if necessary.
Remove the beef and shredded it with two forks. Season to taste with salt.
Pinto Beans:
Place your beans in a pot and cover them with at least four cups of water; bring to a boil (adding water as it evaporates); cook for one hour or until tender.
Add your cubed bacon cook over medium heat in a medium-size pot, often steering until crisp and brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add your chorizo, continue to cook until the sausage gets cooked thoroughly; turn up the heat to medium-high, add tomatoes, season with salt, and continue to cook until these start to pop. Next, add your onion, serrano, and garlic.
Season with salt, steer together, and sweat it for three minutes. Once the vegetables softened, add paprika, oregano, cinnamon, and chipotle powder; steer together to toast the spices lightly.
Finally, add chicken stock and your cooked beans, along with a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water—season with salt.
Rice:
Wash your rice until the water runs clear; place it in a rice cooker with equal parts water, close the lid and turn it on. Once cooked, fluff it and immediately add lime zest, butter, and cilantro. Mix until the butter melts and incorporate in the rice
Season your rice to taste with lime juice and salt.
Green Salsa:
Place jalapenos, tomatillos, and onion over a wire rack; set directly on top of a stovetop flame on high heat. Lightly charr your tomatillos and onion, but the jalapenos have to be completely charred.
Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and steam for 5 minutes. Remove all the charred jalapeno skin with a paper towel and reserve.
Add cilantro (with stems), lime juice, garlic, onion, jalapenos, and tomatillos; season with salt and blend until smooth.
Assembly:
Place your rice in a bowl. Add your beans using a slotted spoon, a generous handful of your cheese, freshly sliced avocado, your juicy barbacoa, followed by a dollop of your sour cream (you can make a slight indentation with the back of your spoon and add a few glops of hot sauce.).
Finally, add a couple of spoons full of salsa verde and finishes it up with fresh cilantro.