Machaca is a Mexican dish made with marinated shredded beef, traditionally dried after cooking. It can be served in tortillas or with salsa, guacamole, or scrambled eggs. Marinades usually contain garlic, chiles, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. The meat is usually roast beef, cut into pieces before marinating. Onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, peppers, and seasonings can be added. The dish is cooked in beef broth and simmered for up to two hours. Some versions omit the marinating step and simmer the meat with seasonings before adding the broth.
Machaca is a Mexican dish consisting of marinated shredded beef. Traditionally, the beef in machaca was dried after cooking, creating a beef jerky. More modern versions, however, do not dry out the meat. Instead, the meat is placed in tortillas or taco shells or served with salsa, guacamole or scrambled eggs. Macaca is often found in Mexican restaurants, but is usually identified by the simple name of ground beef.
Marinades for machaca usually contain garlic, chiles, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce. Other spices, such as cumin, can also be included in the marinade. Garlic and chili powder can be used in place of fresh garlic or red chilies. Salt and pepper are also usually included in the marinade.
The meat used is normally roast beef. A subprime beef, chuck is generally a fatter choice than many other cuts. Only after the meat has been cooked is it ground up, but the roast is cut into pieces, usually about a quarter-pound each (113 g), before it is marinated.
Onions, garlic and diced tomatoes are often added to the dish. Peppers and chillies can also be included. Seasonings such as dried mustard, cumin, oregano and peppercorns can also be added. Normally, macaca is cooked in beef broth.
To prepare the machaca, the marinade ingredients are combined and the cut meat is placed in the liquid overnight. After marinating, the meat is drained and left to rest until warmed to room temperature. Then, the meat is browned in oil and set aside. The onions, garlic and seasonings are fried and the tomatoes, chillies and broth are added. After the mixture cooks briefly, the meat is included and the dish is allowed to simmer for up to two hours.
Once cooked, the meat should be tender enough to separate with a fork and is shredded. Some versions return the ground beef to the pan and continue to simmer the machaca until the liquid is almost gone. When the dish is complete, it is seasoned to taste with salt and pepper.
Some versions of machaca will omit the marinating step. Instead, the meat and some of the seasonings are simmered for over an hour. Next, the meat is cooled and the stock reserved. The other ingredients are then fried before returning the meat to the pan. The reserved broth is stirred in towards the end of the cooking process.
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