4.9 from 297 votes
Beef Machaca (Shredded Dried Beef)
Beef Machaca is a shredded beef dish made by slow simmering boneless beef with aromatics and spices until tender, then combining it with sautéed onion, garlic, roasted chili peppers, and tomatoes. This approach produces a savory, spicy shredded beef perfect for Mexican dishes like tacos. The recipe uses a homemade garlic paste and simmers the cooked meat with seasonings and broth for extra flavor and moisture.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 40 mins
Total Time
1 hr 50 mins
Servings:
4
servings
Course:
Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine:
Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef boneless
- 1 cup water
- 6 peppercorns
- 1/4 onion medium
- salt
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion chopped, medium
- 1 California chili pepper roasted and peeled (alternatively use 1 canned whole green chili, or 1 poblano chili
- 1/2 lb tomatoes peeled and chopped, small
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin ground
- black pepper fresh ground
Instructions
- Add water into a large saucepan, and place in the meat, the peppercorns, salt and a quarter of a medium onion and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover and simmer for approximately 1 ½ hours or until the meat becomes very tender.
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Drain the meat, reserving 1/3 cup of the broth.
- Crush the garlic into a cup and stir vigorously with 1/4 teaspoon of salt until it thickens into a paste.
- Heat some cooking oil in a large skillet and add in the chopped onion and garlic paste and cook until the onion has softened and become translucent.
- Slice the chili intro short strips and add them along with the tomatoes into the pan. Sauté everything for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the cooked meat, cumin and some freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Continue cooking until the meat is hot throughout then stir in the reserved broth and season with more salt if necessary.
- Serve warm as a main dish or tacos or other tortilla dishes.
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