Beef Ranchero

Beef ranchero is a delicious one pot meal that can be eaten in all sorts of ways - you can have it as tacos, quesadillas, as a soup, or over rice. I recently went a week and a half without gas in my apartment, so I needed yummy things I could make in an electric pressure cooker. Beef ranchero fit the bill perfectly!

This beef ranchero recipe is really easy and can be cooked on the stovetop as well - so you should definitely give it a try. :D

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds tri tip sirloin, or other tip sirloin - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• a shot of tequila
• 1 14 oz can tomato sauce OR diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 sweet bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• good pinch of oregano
• salt and pepper for seasoning the beef
• canola or olive oil

This recipe can be easily scaled up or down. Make sure that whatever beef you use has nice marbling - not too fatty though! You can also add jalapenos if you like. :)

Not into tequila? Add a tablespoon of vinegar. The tequila helps give it a nice tang, though - vinegar gets close but not close enough for me. :D

Dice the onion and pepper and mince the garlic. Cut the beef into one inch cubes. :)

(if you're having a hard time with the meat, pop it into the freezer for 10 minutes or so to firm it up!)

Add LOTS of salt and pepper to the beef and mix with your hands. A couple big pinches at least.

Warm up some oil in a pan and brown - I gave up with browning because it wasn't working so well in my pressure cooker. :P

Once browned, transfer to a plate to rest.

Add the vegetables and spices to the pot and cook for a couple minutes or until the onions become slightly soft and translucent.

Add back in the meat plus the juices that have accumulated. Then add the tomatoes, tequila and beef stock.

If using a pressure cooker, cook at high pressure for 15 minutes and naturally release the pressure.

If doing it on the stovetop, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until the meat is nice and soft.

I ate it both as tacos and over rice - it's amazing with thinly sliced red onions and fresh cilantro. :D

Make sure to drain the meat well if doing tacos - it makes lots of sauce!