By Christmas week. My parents drove up again — a different energy this time, more relaxed than Thanksgiving, the way Christmas settles into tradition in a way the other holidays don't quite. Mom took over the kitchen on the twenty-third and Diego helped her while I handled the grill outside. Cold day, maybe thirty-five degrees, but the charcoal was going and I had a windbreak up and the carne asada marinade had been on the skirt steak since Tuesday. You make adjustments for weather. The meat doesn't care about temperature. The temperature is your problem.
Christmas Eve tamales. This is the event. We set up the assembly line after lunch — Mom spreading masa, Lisa filling, me folding and arranging in the pots, Dad overseeing and offering commentary from his stool. The twins ran around the kitchen being generally unhelpful but hilarious. Diego got serious about the folding; Sofia disappeared to her room and reappeared with a friend who happened to be in the neighborhood and somehow also ended up folding tamales. Seventeen dozen by six o'clock.
Christmas morning: the twins at five-fifteen. I don't know how they coordinate but they always come in together, as if they've conferred. The joy of small children at Christmas is pure oxygen — you breathe it in and it makes everything larger. Diego got a football training equipment set he'd been researching for months; he was more grateful than excited, which is a version of growing up. Sofia got running shoes she'd picked out herself. She tried them on immediately and ran a lap of the living room.
After the kids were in bed, Lisa and I sat by the tree with wine. I told her about the Eldorado Prep situation more fully than I had before. She held her glass and listened and didn't interrupt. When I finished she said, "I want you to want this for the right reasons." I've been thinking about that sentence ever since.
Seventeen dozen tamales is a lot of tamales — and every year after Christmas, I find myself wanting to keep that same slow-cooked, deeply seasoned energy going into the week. This Slow Cooked Green Chili Beef Burrito recipe delivers exactly that: bold beef, layered spice, and the kind of low-effort patience that feels right after days of assembly lines and cold-weather grilling. It’s the recipe I make when the family is still around but the big production is done, when the kitchen belongs to whoever wanders in and wants something real.
Slow Cooked Green Chili Beef Burritos
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed
- 2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 8 large flour tortillas (10-inch)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1 cup sour cream, for serving
- 1 cup salsa verde, for serving
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Season the beef. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels. Season all sides generously with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and oregano.
- Layer the slow cooker. Place the diced onion and minced garlic in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Set the seasoned roast on top.
- Add the chiles and tomatoes. Pour the diced green chiles and diced tomatoes (with their liquid) over and around the roast. Add the beef broth.
- Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is fall-apart tender.
- Shred the beef. Transfer the roast to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Return the shredded beef to the slow cooker and stir it into the cooking juices. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Warm the tortillas. Wrap the flour tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, or warm them one at a time in a dry skillet over medium heat.
- Assemble the burritos. Spoon a generous portion of the beef mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with shredded cheese. Fold in the sides and roll tightly.
- Optional finish. For a slightly crisp exterior, place the rolled burritos seam-side down in a skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden.
- Serve. Plate the burritos and top with sour cream, salsa verde, and fresh cilantro if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 520 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 41g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 780mg