Chile Colorado Burritos

Deep January. The kind of cold that makes you wonder why anyone lives in Nebraska, and then you eat a bowl of chili and remember: we live here because we are too stubborn to leave and the chili is good. That is the Nebraska deal. Brutal winters, beautiful summers, and the determination to survive both without complaining, which is a lie because we complain constantly but we do not leave, and that is the important part.

I had a long haul this week, Grand Island to Kansas City and back, two days of driving through frozen plains that looked like another planet. The slow cooker had my standard beef stew, the one I have been making for twenty years, the one that makes the cab smell like home no matter how far from home I am. I ate it at a truck stop in Marysville, Kansas, where the wind was blowing so hard the truck rocked, and the stew was warm, and the warmth was everything.

At home, Tyler and Justin turned eleven. Their birthday is in March, not January, but I mention them together because they are the same age and different in every other way, and eleven is the age where those differences start to sharpen. Tyler is big, quiet, steady. Justin is wiry, loud, restless. Tyler wants to build things. Justin wants to run. Tyler is his father son. Justin is becoming his own person, which is the hardest and most important thing a kid with his history can do.

I wrote a blog post this week about slow cooker basics for beginners, because I get messages from people who have never used a slow cooker and want to start. I told them the same thing I tell everyone: start with chili. Chili forgives everything. You cannot mess up chili. If the beans are too firm, cook longer. If the seasoning is off, add more. If the meat is tough, the slow cooker will fix it. Chili is the friend who shows up when you need them and never judges. Everyone needs a friend like chili.

Gayle called and said she read the post and she agrees about the chili but she still thinks my carrots are too thick. I said the post was about chili, not carrots. She said everything is about carrots if you are paying attention. I cannot argue with that. I will not try.

After two days of frozen Kansas plains and a truck cab that smelled like beef stew, I came home and wanted something that hit the same notes but felt like a celebration instead of survival. Chile colorado does that—it’s beef stew’s bolder cousin, the one who shows up with red chiles and a tortilla and makes January feel like it might actually end. Gayle would probably say my chile pieces are too thick. She’d probably be right.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 cups beef broth, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
6 large flour tortillas
Shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro for serving

Instructions

Toast the chiles. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast guajillo and ancho chiles for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant and pliable. Place in a bowl and cover with 2 cups hot beef broth. Let soak for 15 minutes.
Blend the sauce. Transfer soaked chiles and their liquid to a blender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, and vinegar. Blend until completely smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside.
Brown the beef. Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown beef in batches, about 2 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Build the braise. In the same pot, cook onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the onion and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the chile sauce and remaining 1 cup beef broth. Stir to combine.
Slow cook. Return beef to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until beef is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened.
Assemble burritos. Warm tortillas in a dry skillet or microwave. Spoon chile colorado beef down the center of each tortilla. Top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro. Fold and serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chile Colorado Burritos — The Kind of Warm That Gets You Through a Nebraska January