Monkey Meat

Main Dish

OK, you literalists! There are no actual monkeys involved in this recipe. Maybe it's called monkey meat because monkeys are fond of peppers? Who knows? It is spicy shredded beef, served on tortillas with sour cream or quacamole, salsa, or whatever you like. It's not really a fajita, but it's not really not. It'll take 30 minutes to prepare and 3 ½ hours to prepare. Not an after-work meal, but great on the weekends. You get 12 servings. Don't let the length of the directions scare ya… it's easier than it looks!

Ingredients/Shopping List
• 4 pounds tri tip roast
• 3 teaspoons salt, divided
• ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 3 tablespoons chili powder, divided
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin, divided
• 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Anaheim chile peppers, chopped
• 1 poblano chile pepper, chopped
• 2 jalapeno chile peppers, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 1 whole dried red chile pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can beef broth

Directions

Trim the beef roast of excess fat and tissue, and cut into 4 or 5 large chunks. This is why I suggest the tri tip roast. You'll get a very lean cut of meat.

In a small bowl mix:

• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin

Use this as a rub for your beef roast chunks. Rub it into the meat thoroughly and let stand 15 minutes.

Heat 3 tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the meat on all sides. Remove meat from skillet and reserve.

In the skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over a medium heat and add:

• anaheim peppers
• carrot
• celery.
• garlic
• green pepper
• jalapeno peppers
• onions
• poblano peppers

Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.

Add roma tomatoes to pan; season with the remaining quantities of:

• chili powder
• cumin
• dried chile pepper
• salt and pepper

Simmer for 5 minutes.

Return reserved meat to the skillet. Stir in beef broth; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 3-3 ½ hours.

Remove meat from the skillet, shred and return.

A large iron skillet is great for preparing this dish. A covered skillet is an asset.

Serve on tortillas with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and shredded cheese, or any combination of those. Good side dishes include pintos & cheese; a lettuce salad, or corn on the cob.