Shredded beef for chimichanga

Ingredients

1 ½ kgs	Stewing beef, Shoulder braising steak (Main)
1 to fry	Vegetable oil
1 cup	Water
1 cup	Beef stock
3 Tbsp	Vinegar, balsamic, red wine or cider
1 to taste	Smoked paprika
1 to taste	Chilli powder
1 tsp	Cumin seeds, toasted
½	Cinnamon sticks
3 cloves	Garlic

Chimichanga

1 to serve	Tortilla wrap
1 cup	Red kidney beans
1	Kumara, small
1 to taste	Fresh coriander
¼ cup	Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

1. Take a large piece of meat with excess fat removed, at least 1.5kg, and brown it all over in vegetable oil.
2. Place in a casserole dish with a cup of boiling water, put a tight fitting lid on and cook at 200C for 30 minutes.
3. Mix together a cup of beef stock, a few tablespoons vinegar (balsamic, red wine or cider), as much powdered chilli as you like (sweet smoked paprika is great to use as well as regular ground chilli), a teaspoon of toasted cumin seeds, half a cinnamon stick and a few cloves of peeled garlic, thinly sliced.
4. Turn the beef over and pour this on top. Put the lid back on and reduce the temperature to 170C and cook a further 2½ - 3½ hours until the meat is literally falling apart.
5. Take the lid off the casserole, turn the meat once more and continue to cook until the liquor has reduced to less than half a cup - basting it every 10 minutes. Take from the oven and leave to cool until you can easily handle the meat then pull it apart using two forks to tear it into shreds.
6. Mix the braising liquor back into the meat, discarding the cinnamon, and there you have it - pulled/shredded beef.

Chef's tips

A crock-pot is also an excellent way to cook the meat once it has been browned initially.

Chimichanga is basically a flour tortilla stuffed with whatever takes your fancy from the Mexican kitchen, rolled like a spring roll, and deep-fried. Using pulled meat that you've mixed with cooked kidney beans that have been mashed with a little kumara and coriander (and try adding some coarse grated cheddar style cheese as well) is a really good moreish snack. Pulled lamb shoulder mixed with green chilli, mint and feta is a terrific spring-roll filling. The key is slow cooking, not too fatty, and well seasoned.