Several months ago I was reading a few of the foodie blogs I follow and one of the authors (I wish I could recall who) had created a Foodie Bucket List. I thought that was an awesome idea. Starting small, I decided to write down all of the dishes that I had never made that I had been meaning to. The first on the list, chimichangas.
I don’t know why I hadn’t made them. I’ve made hundreds of burritos, hundreds more tacos, dozens of enchiladas and even a few tostadas, but not a single chimi. Time to rectify it.
This was great. I don’t know why it took me so long. I guarantee it won’t take me much longer to make more!
There are a lot of ingredients here, but keep in mind that some of them are part of the serving suggestion.
The pan was very crowded at first. I was a little concerned about adding more, but everything cooked down.
The onions didn’t saute as there were quite a bit of beef juices in the pan, but they still tasted really good.
I did need to add about two more cups of beef broth before it was over.
Shredding the beef is a thankless job.
With the beans and cilantro.
Making the chimis.
As there were four of us, I decided to make only 8. Even with that, I used only about half of the meat, so I froze the rest.
Frying up four at a time.
Delicious! The meat was just plain awesome!
Top Notch Top Round Chimichangas
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 2 hr 30 min | Makes: 10 servings | Difficulty: Difficult
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 pounds boneless beef rump, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 3 teaspoons seeded and minced jalapenos
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 2 1/4 cups beef broth, plus extra if necessary
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 3 limes)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 4 to 6 cups corn oil
- 10 (11-inch) flour tortillas, steamed
- 2 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup seeded and diced tomatoes
- 1 avocado, diced
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cayenne, granulated garlic, and flour. Set aside. In a heavy bottomed, large stock pot, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more. Mix in flour mixture, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Deglaze with beef broth. Then add vinegar. Stir well to combine. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 hours, adding additional beef broth, if necessary, to keep meat simmering in liquid. When meat is fork tender, remove to a sheet pan and shred with 2 forks. Add shredded beef back into pot, along with pinto and black beans, lime juice and half the cilantro. Cook until mixture is heated through. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large, deep-sided skillet, heat corn oil to 325 degrees F. While oil is heating, prepare chimichangas. Fill bottom half of a tortilla with 3/4 cup of the beef and bean mixture and 2 tablespoons pepper jack cheese (when filling tortillas, use a slotted spoon to scoop out beef if mixture is a little liquidy). Lift the edge of the tortilla and roll it over the filling to secure it. Fold in both sides and continue rolling until you reach the opposite end. Secure with a 6-inch skewer weaved through the seam side of burrito. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Slowly lower chimichangas into hot oil and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. You can cook 4 burritos per batch. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and keep warm in oven until all are cooked.
To serve, place a bed of shredded lettuce on each plate, then a spoonful of salsa. Place chimichangas on top and add a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle with diced tomatoes, avocado and remaining cilantro to garnish. Serve immediately.
Note: If tortillas tear while folding, make them more pliable by wrapping tortillas in a damp paper towels, then fully cover with foil. Place in 250 degree F oven to warm them up.
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/top-notch-top-round-chimichangas-recipe/index.html
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
Wow that looks sooooo good!!!
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Looks super yummy. One thing that you mentioned was the ‘thankless job of shredding’ the beef. I learned how to do this from a friend of the family that had 13 children…fed all of them and the neighborhood kids too (she ruined me for mexican food). She taught me to slow cook in the crock pot the larger roasts and then let it stand for a bit and then shred from the larger piece of meat. It actually is easier to handle the larger piece of meat and use your forks to shred off the meat. 😉
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Would love to smell your house when you’re in the kitchen!!
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Fried burrito. Who would have thunk it ? I’m keen!!
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Looks good!! Have never heard of chimi before! 🙂
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I love this recipe.
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Those look delicious! For the longest time I never made chimichangas mainly because they just seemed so unhealthy. I found a recipe for BAKED chimichangas, and I am so in love! They were amazing! I posted about it a while back… http://normalcooking.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/oven-baked-chimichangas/
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I love the idea of making a foodie ‘bucket list’, although I suspect mine would be about 7km long! The chimichangas certainly look yum!
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Waw! What a heavenly creation you have made! The dinner looks mouthwatering too!
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Holy yumminess!! 🙂
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Looks good… try this for mexican feel but no mexican credentials (call it fusion!) http://toddlerfood.wordpress.com/2012/12/05/quick-chorizo-and-vegetable-warmer/
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Reblogged this on On Becoming A Whole Person… and commented:
I bet this is fattening, but looks worth it…should I? Hmmmmm
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It looks amazing but also like it is far more work than I want to go through just for myself. Now I feel like going out to a ‘good’ mexican place to get a really good chimi.
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