Mexican Beef

This is slow cooker cooking at its most forgiving: rub cheap round steak with spices, pile it in the crock with onion and tomatoes, and walk away. After 8 hours on low, the meat is fall-apart tender and the sauce has thickened into something rich and almost stew-like.

Round steak is the right cut here, not tenderloin or sirloin. Tough cuts with plenty of connective tissue break down over long cooking into silky, shreddable meat. Expensive cuts dry out and overcook in the same conditions.

The chili powder and mustard rub does double duty. It flavors the meat as it cooks, and the mustard adds a tangy depth that distinguishes this from a plain pot of chili. Prepared yellow mustard works fine, or use Dijon for a sharper edge.

Adding the kidney beans in the last 30 minutes is a critical step. Beans added at the start turn to mush over 8 hours; added at the end, they keep their shape and absorb the sauce.

Kitchen Tips

• Slice the steak against the grain into ½-inch strips. Cutting with the grain gives you stringy, tough pieces even after 8 hours.
• Don’t lift the lid. Every peek drops the temperature and adds 20 to 30 minutes to the cook time.
• If the sauce looks too thin at the end, turn to high uncovered for the final 30 minutes. Reducing uncovered thickens naturally without a thickening agent.
• Serve over steamed white rice or warm flour tortillas with sliced avocado and cilantro.

Variations

• Swap kidney beans for black beans or pinto beans.
• Add a can of diced green chilies with the tomatoes for more heat.
• Finish with a squeeze of lime and crumbled queso fresco for a fresher, brighter finish.