Barbacoa Beef

Ingredients

• 3 lb chuck roast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups beef broth, divided
• 3 – 4 chipotle chilies in adobo
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

1. Slice the roast into 6 pieces, trimming away any large chunks of fat as you go. Warm 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a skillet. Pat the beef dry with paper towels, then season it with salt and pepper, using about 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper. Put 3 pieces in the skillet and brown them on every side, then move them to a slow cooker. Pour the remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil into the skillet and do the same with the remaining 3 pieces of roast. Arrange the beef pieces next to each other in the slow cooker in a single, even layer.
2. In a food processor, combine the chipotle chilies, garlic and 1/4 cup beef broth. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, pausing now and then to scrape the sides of the bowl.
3. In a 2 cup liquid measuring cup or a bowl, whisk the remaining beef broth with the chipotle puree, cumin, oregano and cloves. Pour it over the beef in the slow cooker, then tuck the bay leaves down between the pieces of meat.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 – 9 hours.
5. Lift the beef out of the slow cooker, leaving the broth behind, and shred it. Stir the lime juice into the broth, then add the beef back to the slow cooker and cook on low or warm for 20 – 30 minutes more.
6. Drain the liquid from the beef, then serve it in tortillas with the toppings you like.