Macahaca

You may not have ever heard of Machaca, but never mind that. Here is how to make it, just in time for football season. I forgot to post this up, I made it a while ago, but football season is here, and this is the PERFECT complement to a gridiron party. The rich, smokey, layers of beefy goodness are well worth the minimal work involved. Sorry the pics aren't the best, this was put together a while ago, before I got a better camera. You get the idea.

Here is what you need:
A nice fresh brisket
Salt
Coffee, both ground and brewed
Two dark beers, one for you, one for the beef
A green and a red bell pepper
An onion
Spices
Some fresh tortillas
Anything you like on your tacos



First off, wash the brisket, and rub it with some salt, fresh coffee grounds, hot pepper flakes and anything else you like for a quick dry rub.


Get your charcoal grill hot, and throw on some wood chips. No need for a smoker, this is a quick smoke. Try to get one side of the grill hot and keep this on the indirect side. We will only be smoking it for about forty-five minutes, so don't get too stressed. This will impart an incredible layer of smokiness to the finished product. Totally worth it.


The little Aussie, smoking away. I found this grill, and it's my favorite of the four that I own.


At this point, after about a half hour, you can add some peppers if you want to make a roasted salsa. I certainly did.


I threw some tomatillos on too, but this recipe is not for salsa.


Sigh, either way, throw in some vinegar, sugar, salt, spices and hit it with a stick blender for an easy complement.




Now pull the brisket off, throw it right into a dutch oven, and add the dark beer, and brewed coffee. This will be braised, so you want to cover about the bottom 1-2 inches. Throw a lid on it and cook for about two hours at 350°, take the lid off, see if it needs any more liquid, and cook for another hour-hour and a half.


Pull it out and let it rest (twenty minutes at least). You aren't done yet.


Now shred that hunk of beef up, throw it in a pan with the peppers and onions, diced, and the cooking liquid. Cook over medium flame for about twenty more minutes, until it starts to thicken.



Wow, now that is making me hungry. The combination of smoke, beer, coffee, and veggies, is almost too good to believe. I served it with some onions I marinated in vinegar, salt and mixed with fresh cilantro, and the aforementioned, roasted salsa. Although this is time intensive, it is really not too hard to make, and the rewards are well, well worth it. You COULD skip the smoking step to make it even easier, but I can't recommend it.