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Chile Colorado
5 from 3 votes

Chile Colorado

Chunks of tender beef in a flavorful Mexican red chile sauce - wonderful for tacos & burritos or just on its own!

Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 10 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 35 mins
Servings: 6
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Red Chile Sauce:
  • 8 guajillo chile dried, stems removed & seeded, chopped
  • 2 ancho chile dried, stems removed & seeded, chopped
  • 1 árbol chile dried, stems removed & seeded, chopped
  • ½ yellow onion medium, chopped
  • 1 tsp oregano dried
  • ½ tsp cumin dried
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
Beef:
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 ½ lbs beef chuck trimmed somewhat, cut into 1/2-inch squares
  • 2 ½ tbsp flour
  • black pepper sea salt and freshly cracked, to taste
  • salt sea salt and freshly cracked, to taste
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 2 bay leaf

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Prepare the red chile sauce by combining the dried Guajillo chiles, Ancho chiles, Arbol chile, and onion in a medium saucepan.
  2. Cover with water until chiles & onion are completely submerged and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove from the heat, cover with a lid and let it sit for 20 minutes to soften the chiles and to allow the flavors to mingle.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles & onion into a large blender.
  4. Add 1 cup of chile-soaked water, the dried oregano, garlic, cumin, and minced garlic.
  5. Blend until smooth. Side Note: If the mixture is too thick for your blender, add some of the beef from the meat ingredients. 
  6. Once the red chile sauce is as smooth as possible, pour it through a fine sieve into a bowl, pushing down on the solids to get as much sauce as possible. Discard the solids. Set the chile Colorado sauce aside until needed.
  7. Prepare the meat by heating the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
  8. Combine the cut beef with the flour, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper together, to taste. in a bowl or zip lock bag; toss to coat evenly. 
  9. Once the oil is HOT, add in half the meat and brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes; remove from the pan to a bowl and repeat the process with the remaining beef. 
  10. Once everything is cooked, return all the meat (and its juices) to the pot then add the red chile sauce, beef broth, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 
  11. Remove the lid and continue to cook for 45 minutes, or until the meat is fork-tender. Taste the sauce and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. 
  12. Serve this chile colorado with refried beans, flour tortillas, onion, cilantro & lime relish, and cotija cheese, if desired. Enjoy!