Recipe: Chipotle's Barbacoa Burritos (copycat recipe)

CHIPOTLE'S BARBACOA BURRITOS

BARBACOA:
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 to 4 canned chipotle peppers (no sauce)
4 garlic cloves
4 teaspoons cumin (toast and grind whole seeds)
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon clove (toast and grind whole cloves)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 pound chuck roast
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 bay leaves
PICO DE GALLO:
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
PINTO BEANS:
3 cans (15-ounces each) pinto beans (with liquid)
3 tablespoons bacon fat (from cooking 3 to 4 pieces of bacon)
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
CILANTRO-LIME RICE:
3 cups water
2 cups converted rice
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
FOR BURRITO:
8 (12-inch) flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese guacamole (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Make adobo sauce by combining vinegar, lime juice, peppers, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and clove in a blender or food processor and puree on high speed until smooth.

Trim the fat from the meat, and then slice the roast into 6 smaller pieces. Sear all sides of the chunks of meat in 2 tablespoons of oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat until browned.

Add the adobo sauce to the meat, pour in the chicken broth, and add the bay leaves. Cover the pot, turn your stove to med/low heat and let the meat simmer (braise) for 5 to 6 hours or until meat easily flakes apart. Turn meat every 30 minutes as it cooks. After 4 hours, keep the lid off the pot. At the 5-hour mark, you should be able to tear meat apart into bite-size chunks with tongs.

As soon as your meat is in the pot, make pico de gallo by combining all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill for several hours while the barbacoa is cooking.

Just before meat is done, prepare the pinto beans by combining beans with bacon fat and oregano in a medium saucepan. Simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone and beans are soft. Keep beans covered until the meat is ready.

Make the cilantro-lime rice by combining water, rice, and butter, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to low, cover saucepan, and simmer for 20 minutes.

When the rice is done stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Keep rice covered until you're ready to assemble the burritos.

Make each burrito by first heating a flour tortilla on a large skillet over medium heat, or wrapped in moist paper towels in the microwave. When the tortilla is warm, spoon a healthy portion of barbacoa meat into the tortilla, followed by the cilantro-lime rice, beans, pico de gallo, and your choice of cheese. You can also add sour cream and/or guacamole, if you like. Fold in the sides, tightly roll the tortilla, and dig in.

Makes 8 large burritos
Source: Todd Wilbur