Recipe - Mexican Shredded Spiced Beef (Carnitas)

5 One half pound Beef chuck roast
One fourth cup Bottled hot chile salsa
5 Cloves garlic; minced
2 One half tablespoon Chili powder
2 tablespoon Fresh oregano; chopped
1 One half teaspoon Ground cumin
16 ounce Canned stewed tomatoes
Salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Trim excess fat from roast.

2. Mix together salsa, garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin to make a
paste. Spread on roast.

3. Wrap roast in a large piece of aluminum foil, folding edges to seal
tightly. Place in roasting pan, with seam of aluminum foil up.

4. Bake until meat is so tender that it will shred easily, 4 to 41/2
hours.

5. Unwrap meat; discard fat and bones. Skim fat from drippings and reserve
drippings. When roast is cool enough to handle, shred meat.

6. Transfer meat and drippings to a large pan. Stir in tomatoes and their
juice, breaking them up into small bits. Heat through. Season with salt;
adjust flavors to taste, adding more salsa and seasonings if desired.

Makes about 7 cups shredded beef (enough for about twenty 8inch
tortillas).

* Timesaver Tip: Beef can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored, covered,
in refrigerator. It can also be frozen at 0 degrees F up to 3 months. To
freeze, package beef in mealsized servings.

Microwave Version:

1. Trim excess fat from roast. Mix together salsa, garlic, chili powder,
oregano, and cumin to make a paste. Spread on roast.

2. Place roast in a large (14 by 20inch) oven cooking bag; squeeze out
most of the air and tie securely. Place roast in a large baking dish.

3. Microwave roast on 100% power for 10 minutes. Reduce power to 50% and
microwave until meat is so tender it will shred easily, about 2 hours.

4. Unwrap meat; discard fat and bones. Skim fat from drippings and reserve
drippings. When roast is cool enough to handle, shred meat.

5. Transfer meat and drippings into a 2quart casserole. Stir in tomatoes,
breaking them into small pieces. Microwave on 70% power until mixture is
heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt; adjust flavors to taste,
adding more salsa and seasonings if desired. Preparation time: about 21/2
hours.
NOTES : enough to freeze half for a future meal