Beef With Guajillo Sauce Baked In Banana Leaves - Mixiote De Car

Total Time: 13 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 12 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 ounces dried guajillo chilies (12 - 18) or 3 ounces new mexico peppers, wiped clean (12 - 18)
• 3 tablespoons annatto seeds (achiote seeds)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 5 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup distilled vinegar
• 6 lbs beef short ribs, cut into 16 (2 to 3-inch) or 6 lbs lamb shoulder, with bone cut into 16 (2 to 3-inch)
• 3 banana leaves, thawed if frozen (from a 1-lb. package) or 1 parchment paper, cut into 8 pieces (11-inch-square)
• 8 turkish bay leaves or 4 california bay leaves
• rice

Recipe

• 1 fill a 2-quart saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil.
• 2 meanwhile, slit chiles lengthwise, then stem, seed, and devein.
• 3 add chiles to boiling water and remove from heat. let stand, uncovered, until chiles are softened and have turned a brighter red, about 10 minutes.
• 4 meanwhile, toast annatto and cumin seeds in a dry small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker. transfer to a bowl to cool, then grind seeds to a powder in a grinder or mini food processor.
• 5 transfer chiles to a blender, then add 1 1/2 cups soaking liquid, ground seeds, garlic, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon salt. blend until smooth, at least 2 minutes. pour sauce into a large (3 to 4 -quart)shallow container and cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
• 6 sprinkle meat with 2 teaspoons salt, then add to sauce and turn meat to coat using tongs or your hands (wear protective gloves to prevent staining). marinate meat, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.
• 7 preheat oven to 350°f with rack in middle.
• 8 holding both ends of a banana leaf, drag leaf slowly over a burner on medium-high heat until it changes color slightly and becomes shinier. repeat on other side of leaf, then toast remaining banana leaves.
• 9 cut off tough edges from banana leaves with kitchen shears, then cut 8 (11-inch square) pieces from leaves, discarding remainder. put each leaf on a 12-inch-square piece of foil, then arrange 2 pieces of meat and some sauce in center of each leaf, using all of sauce, and top each mound with a bay leaf (or if using california leaves, with half a bay leaf). fold in all 4 sides of each banana leaf to enclose meat, then wrap tightly in foil. arrange packages, seam sides up, in 1 layer in a large roasting pan and add just enough water to measure 1/8 inch in bottom of pan (about 2 cups).
• 10 bake adding more water as necessary to prevent pan from becoming dry, until meat is tender and falling off the bone (open 1 package to test), about 3 1/2 hours for beef or 2 1/2 hours for lamb.
• 11 discard foil and bay leaves and serve meat in banana leaves if desired (do not eat banana leaves).