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It’s going to get close to 100 degrees today. That’s almost unheard of in this city. Right? When you hear about Buffalo’s weather, it’s always about the lake effect snow or the October Storm of 2006. Oh, and of course, that darned blizzard of ’77.
So over 90 degrees today? You won’t see this chick complaining. I love the hot weather. I could easily live without those snow storms and frigid temperatures that plague my city each year. Give me sunshine and beaches and flowering gardens. I’ll happily trade you the white Christmases and that tiny ounce of hope that there’s a city-wide travel ban and I don’t have to drive into work. Give me clam bakes, burgers on the grill, and hot fudge turtle sundaes. You can keep your cheesy casseroles, hearty cream sauces, and warm bread puddings. (Ok, maybe not the warm bread pudding.)
And just because it’s blistering outside this week doesn’t mean you can’t whip up a delicious home-cooked meal. It just means you have to think outside the box a bit. And by think outside the box, I mean think inside the crockpot. It’s the perfect appliance for days when you can’t fathom turning on the oven or standing over a hot grill. And, bonus! Your meal is practically finished when you come home after that long and scorching day.
Barbacoa Beef with Pickled Vegetable
Print recipe
| Serves | 6 |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 6 hours |
| Total time | 6 hours, 30 minutes |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
Ingredients
- 2.5lb beef brisket
- 5 cloves garlic (skins peeled)
- 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
- 1 dried ancho chili (chopped and rehydrated - just microwave in 2 TBSP of water for 15 seconds)
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups vegetable or beef broth
- 2 limes
- 1 Package corn tortillas
Pickled Vegetable
- 1 large red onion (sliced)
- 1 jalapeno (de-seeded and sliced)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro
Directions
| 1. | Trim any excess fat of the brisket. Put into a baking dish to marinate. |
| 2. | In a food processor, combine the garlic, peanut butter, chili, instant coffee, 2 TBSP olive oil, honey, paprika, cilantro and salt. Process until the ingredients form a paste. |
| 3. | Rub paste all over brisket. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. |
| 4. | Heat a dutch oven over high heat, add 2 TBSP of olive oil. Once hot, add the brisket and sear on all sides. Place in crockpot, squeeze lime juice on meat, and add enough broth to almost cover the brisket. Set to low and cook for 6 hours. |
| 5. | Shred brisket with two forks (The meat will easily fall apart. I usually do this right in the crockpot). Stir with any remaning liquid and let cook for another 15-20 minutes, until most of the excess broth has absorbed into the meat. |
| 6. | Serve with corn torillas, guacamole, rice and pickled vegetables. |
| Pickled Vegetable | |
| 7. | In a small sauce pot, combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt and cilantro. Bring to a boil. |
| 8. | Add onion and jalapeno, reduce heat to medium high, and allow vegetables to cook for about 10 minutes, until softened. |
| 9. | Let cool before serving. Store onions with some of the vinegar solution in an air-tight container. You can use extra pickled onions on salad or as a topping on grilled sausage or egg salad sandwiches. |
There are two types of recipes that are perfect candidates for the crockpot in my book - any meat that cooks long & slow and any kind of soup. For this meal, I found a promising base recipe and then changed it into a crockpot meal. The meat is juicy and flavorful without being overly spicy. Plus, it makes a ton so you’ll have plenty of leftovers. And please, don’t skip the pickled vegetables. These add the crunchy texture and tangy flavor that is needed to balance the tender and savory beef.
So, get your meat in the marinade tonight and when it’s 70 degrees at 7AM tomorrow morning, you can practically throw this one in your crockpot. When you get home you’ll barely have to lift a finger to get dinner on the table! No sweating required for this dish!
Shared with: Recipe Round Up, Recipe Linky, Full Plate Thursday, It’s a Keeper Thursday, Recipe Roundup
8 Responses to Staying Cool with Crockpot Beef Barbacoa
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I found you thru the CSA email. Awesome site! This dish looks completely amazing, it’s making me wish I had started my crockpot this morning before the heat set in. I look forward to your future CSA recipes!
Hi Mary! Thanks for stopping by, I’m so happy to meet another CSA member! I hope you’ll keep checking back for new CSA recipes, and would love for you to share some of your favorites!
This looks delish! I’ve never tried to make my own barbacoa before but it looks easy enough to set up overnight. Thanks for sharing!
I’m soooooo with you. I want this weather year round. Four seasons are over-rated!
What a great way to prepare a brisket in the Crockpot. It looks delicious a great summertime meal. Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing on Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Thanks for hosting! I’m glad you stopped by! Have a great weekend.
Passing by from Full Plate Thursday…
I have to pin this! I don’t use my crock pot nearly enough and we’re reaching 100 degrees this week.
The crockpot is one of my favorite ways to make meals in the summer (besides grilling, of course). I hope you enjoy!