Cook’s notes: I like to use my favorite salsa(Frontera chipotle and tomato salsa) to cover the enchiladas , it’s a great time saver. If you want to make my roasted tomatillo salsa, the best time to do that is while the beef is cooking in the oven. The full recipe is below.

Begin cooking:

For the beef, pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Let the beef sit at room temperature for 25 minutes and then season the chuck roast with a liberal amount of salt and a bunch black pepper all around the meat. Pre-heat a large cast iron dutch oven over medium-high heat for 3 minutes with 2 tablespoon of oil. Make sure the pan is hot and place the beef in the pan and let it sear for 5-6 minutes, or until a deep golden brown crust forms. If the meat does not sizzle as soon as put it in the pot, take it out and let the pot pre-heat another minute. Flip the meat, let it sear another 5-6 minutes, and remove it from the pot.

Lower the heat to just above medium and immediately add the onions, carrots, celery, and thyme to the pan along with ½ teaspoon of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the garlic and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times. Add the beef back to the pot then pour enough beef stock/broth to come ¾ of the way up the sides of meat along with the cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil, give the meat a good stir, place the lid on the pot, and cook for 1.5 hours. Flip the meat and let cook another 1-1.5 hours until the meat is fork tender and falling apart. Transfer the cook beef to a large platter or dish and use two forks to shred the meat into pieces.

Place the diced red onions in a small bowl and squeeze over the juice of 1 lime, let sit for 15-30 minutes then drain the excess lime juice and reserve the pickled red onions for garnish.

If making the roasted tomatillo salsa, do so when the beef is cooking and pre-heat the broiler to high. Place the first 4 ingredients on a sheet tray and season everything with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Do this on both sides of the onions. Make sure the oven rack is at least 8 inches away from the broiler and broil for 3 minutes and remove the garlic, as it will burn easily. Broil another 5-7 minutes until the nicely charred, flip and repeat. You may need t raise the broiler to high after 4-5 minutes if the veggies are not browning. Keep your eye on it, because the veggies will burn quickly.

Peel the skin off the garlic and add it to a blender. Peel the skin off the poblano pepper and remove any seeds, add to blender along with the roasted tomatillos, onions, and any juices from the pan. Add the cilantro and blend until well combined. Check for seasoning, you may need a little more salt or a little water if the salsa is too thick. Set aside.

To assemble the enchiladas, char the corn tortillas directly on your burner for 15-30 seconds, until slight char marks appear. Keep the tortillas stacked and wrapped in a damp towel to keep them moist. Add some beef to the middle of the tortilla, spread it in one even line, roll the tortilla up, and place it seam side down in your baking dish or meal prep container. Repeat this process with remaining tortillas. Spoon a generous amount of salsa or enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas, then top with a generous amount of cheese. Pre-heat your broiler to high and place the baking dish with the enchiladas 8-10 inches away from the broiler, broil until the cheese is nicely golden and bubbly. Watch the enchiladas so they don’t burn. Remove from broiler as soon as they are done.

Garnish the enchiladas with pickled red onions, chopped herbs, and finely sliced red chiles. Enjoy!

The enchiladas will keep in the fridge for 5 days or the freezer for 2-3 months. When time to re-heat, take the lid off the container, cover with tin foil, and reheat in a 400 degree F oven for 10-12 minutes. If re-heating in the microwave, take the lid off, cover with a wet paper towel, and make sure not to re-heat too long or the enchiladas will dry out.