Mexican cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Zacatecas Wedding Roast

Wedding roast from Zacatecas: beef in a dark ancho sauce with chocolate, orange and a hint of cinnamon.

Ingredients · for 6 servings

• 1.2 kg beef shoulder, whole
• 6 dried ancho chilies
• 2 dried guajillo chilies
• 1 white onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 organic orange
• 50 g dark chocolate
• 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cinnamon and 3 cloves
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 stale bread roll
• 3 tbsp oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the beef into 4 cm cubes, pat dry, season with salt and pepper; stem and seed the chilies.
2. Toast the chilies in a dry pan for 30 sec per side, pour over 500 ml boiling water and let soak until soft for 20 min.
3. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven until very hot and brown the meat cubes in batches, 4–5 min each, deeply on all sides, then remove and sauté the roughly chopped onion with the garlic in the same pot for 5 min.
4. Finely purée the chilies with their soaking water, the onion, garlic, the soaked bread roll, cinnamon, cloves, oregano and vinegar, and pass through a sieve back into the pot.
5. Add the meat, the juice and thinly peeled zest of the orange and 400 ml water, cover and braise over low heat for 100–110 min, until the meat gives under pressure.
6. Melt the chocolate into the sauce, reduce uncovered for another 10 min until it turns dark and glossy and coats the spoon, adjust the seasoning generously and serve with rice or tortillas.