Mexican Pot Roast: Cuete Mechado
Cuete, or boneless round roast, is a very lean cut and requires larding, which Mexican cooks do with pieces of bacon and sometimes with serrano ham as well. This version uses both. Leftovers are good chopped for beef tacos or empanadas.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds boneless bottom round roast or eye of round ( cuete)
- 6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch strips
- 2 ounces thinly sliced serrano ham, cut into strips the same size as the bacon
- 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- ½ onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned is fine)
- 1 ½ cups beef broth (or more, as necessary)
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Make 1-inch deep incisions on all sides of the roast. Insert the pieces of bacon, ham and carrot slices into the incisions. (Do not try to get all three into the same incision, but space them as evenly as possible.) Salt and pepper the roast.
In a Dutch oven or pressure cooker, heat the oil and brown the roast well on all sides. Remove to a plate, add the garlic and onion and cook until the onion begins to soften. Return the roast to the pot with any accumulated juices. Add the tomatoes, beef broth, and salt and pepper to taste.
If using a pressure cooker, cook for 1 hour on the high setting. If using a Dutch oven, cover and cook until the meat is tender, either on the stovetop or in the oven, according to preference. Add more stock if necessary.
Slice and serve. Serves 6.
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