Barbacoa Tacos: A beef shin obsession
The slow (cooking) life.
Without trying to sound all ‘basic white girl making a TikTok’, I’m in my beef shin phase. Fully immersed in this delightful cut of beef. And it’s led to me making an over-the-top amount of ragu variations and experimenting with different dishes using beef shin as the main event. This is how I ended up here, venturing away from my usual pasta dishes and making tacos.
I used to make a lot of different types of tacos. And Mexican food in general, for that matter. But before attempting these, I hadn’t for a while. I fondly remember a steak taco I made a year or so back, which is still one of the best things I’ve ever done. I suspect the reason I’ve not attempted them again, though, is because I’m scared of them being worse the 2nd time around thus exposing me as a fraudulent one-hit wonder. But these barbacoa ones rival the steak ones and might just pip them to the top spot.
Beef shin is a wonderful cut of meat. It’s a low-fat cut, high in connective tissue and full of flavour due to it being well-exercised, making it perfect for a slow, roasted cooking method. So, when using it in a ragu or for some tacos like me, having it in a Dutch oven at a low temperature for four to six hours is perfect. The meat practically melts as it cooks due to some scientific reasons that I watched a YouTube video on but won’t get into here.
I paired my tacos with a simple corn tortilla, fried in olive oil until they were crispy. I then topped it with a salsa verde, which (exposing myself here) I didn’t make myself. Where the fuck do I get tomatillos from?
Build your tacos and EAT.
To make the barbacoa rub, I used dried ingredients. Cumin, oregano, onion flakes, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and ancho chillis (if you want). All of this, powdered up to make a seasoning blend ideal for marination. From there, add your beef shin to a bowl with olive oil and your rub. Make sure it’s all covered in the rub, cling film the top and leave in the fridge for a minimum of two hours. You could even leave it overnight, if you’re feeling proactive and prepare tomorrow night’s tea, now,
Now, when you come to start cooking. Brown the shin. I don’t know why, some say it’s to seal juices and some say that’s a myth. But either way, I’m always told to brown the beef. So, I just do it and in some way, it benefits the dish. In your cast iron pot: add in some good (emphasis on the good, no Oxo cubes) beef stock, a tin of chopped tomatoes, a spoon of harissa paste, lime juice, orange juice and then your beef and all the juices. Pop the lid on, put in an oven that’s preheated at 160 degrees Celsius and slow cook for four to six hours.
Full recipe:
800g beef shin
500ml beef stock
Barbacoa rub
Olive oil (splash)
1x tinned tomatoes
Spoon of harissa paste
Salt and pepper
1x orange
½ x lime
Marinate beef shin in rub and some olive oil for a minimum of two hours
Brown either side of beef shin in your pot with some olive oil
Remove beef to a side plate and add the rest of the ingredients
Put the beef back into the pot and pop the lid on
Slow cook in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius for four to six hours (or until beef has melted)
Eat.
Tip: Once cooled, you can leave in the fridge overnight and develop even more flavour.
Tip.2: Spoon beef into a separate bowl with a splash of the stock if you want to make it easier/less juicy for when building your tacos
