Guajillo Beef with Chile Sauce
Dried chiles rehydrated in the pot, blended rough, poured over beef. Car camping food that takes an hour and no fridge.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 45 min
- total time
- 60 min
- water
- 700 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Dried guajillo chiles | 12 | stems, seeds, and veins removed at home |
|---|---|---|
| Beef, cut into cubes | 2 lb | chuck or sirloin instead of tenderloin; it holds up to a long simmer |
| Avocado oil | 3 tbsp | 1 for the chiles, 2 for the beef |
| Garlic cloves | 3 | |
| White onion | 1 | half for the sauce, half diced for the beef |
| Powdered chicken bouillon | 2 tsp | stands in for 1 1/2 cups stock |
| Bay leaves | 2 | |
| Ground cumin | 3 tsp | |
| Mexican oregano | 1 pinch | |
| Salt | 2 tsp |
Method
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in the pot and toast the chiles a few seconds a side. They should smell nutty, not burnt. Pull them the moment they darken.
- Add the garlic and half the onion, then pour in about 500 ml of water to cover the chiles. Bring it to a boil, kill the heat, and let it sit 20 minutes with a lid or a rock on top to keep the chiles under.
- Blend the chiles, garlic, onion, and their soaking water into a sauce. A stick blender works; so does mashing it through a strainer with a spoon. Set it aside in a cup or bag.
- Wipe the pot, add the remaining 2 tbsp oil, and brown the beef in two batches. Crowd it and it steams. Add the diced onion for the last few minutes.
- Return everything to the pot with the chile sauce, bay leaves, cumin, oregano, salt, bouillon, and 200 ml water. Simmer covered 30 to 40 minutes over low coals or a low flame until the beef gives.
- Fish out the bay leaves. Eat with tortillas or rice.
Guajillos are the whole point. Toasting wakes up the oils, the hot soak softens them, and the soaking water becomes the braising liquid, so nothing gets thrown out and no stock has to be carried. The sauce is mild and fruity rather than hot, which means you can eat a bowl of it after a long day instead of picking at it.
Two changes from a kitchen version. Tenderloin is wrong here: it goes gray and stringy over coals, so use chuck or sirloin and let the long simmer do the work. And 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock is a pound and a half of water to haul, so it becomes powdered bouillon plus the chile soaking liquid. Cook it over coals rather than flames, since the sauce scorches on the bottom fast if the pot runs hot.
Packing
Chiles ride in a paper bag, not plastic, so they do not sweat and mold. Cumin, oregano, salt, and bouillon go into one small jar at home. Beef stays in the cooler, frozen flat, and thaws on the drive.
Variations
- No blender: chop the softened chiles fine and simmer longer. The sauce stays rustic.
- Swap the beef for a can of jackfruit or two cups of rehydrated soy curls, and use vegetable bouillon.
- A squeeze of lime at the end cuts the fat if you brought one.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/carne-con-chile