Our old friend and former Denverite Janne Taubman runs Dinner on Time, a website, e-newsletter and cookbook series (sign up at ). Here’s her solution for no-worries football food. Prepare the slow cooker in the morning and take just a few minutes close to serving time to finish the sauce and “pull” or slice the meat. Serve on rolls with a veggie platter and chips.
Super BBQ Beef
Ingredients
3-pound chuck steak with bone in (about 2 inches thick)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce or more to taste (optional, see note below)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cup of your favorite sweet barbecue sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Directions
You can put the whole piece of meat right into the slow-cooker but here’s how to intensify flavor in a slow cooker without adding a lot of extra “browning” time in a separate skillet:
Insert a knife between the bone and meat and, staying as close to the bone as possible, separate the meat from the bone. Put meat in the slow-cooker. Place bones in a baking dish and microwave for about 10 -15 minutes to brown; add to the slow-cooker. While the bones are in the microwave, add the tomatoes, broth, herbs, chipotle chile, garlic and barbecue sauce to the cooker. Cover and slow-cook for 6 hours to 8 hours.
Transfer meat to a cutting board and place the sauce into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the brown sugar and reduce to barbecue-sauce consistency. I like to use a hand mixer to purée the goodies in the sauce — it helps to thicken. You can always add chili powder at this point if you want a spicier sauce.
While the sauce is reducing, shred or slice the meat. When the sauce is the consistency you enjoy, add the meat to reheat. Serve immediately.
Note on chipotles: These chiles are very hot, especially if you leave in the seeds. They, along with a little of their adobo sauce, add a wonderful smoky flavor to the mix. I suggest that you add one without the seeds and a tablespoon or so of the sauce and when the meat has been cooking for about 2 hours, do a taste test and see if you want to add more heat. By then, you’ll know what one pepper without seeds will do, and you can add more if you like.
