Day 1: Schmidt-style Barbacoa

The Back Story
For my blogrimage I will be learning how to cook.  My wife is a truly outstanding chef, and she makes gourmet meals all the time for me and our friends, however the best meal I can make is ramen.  Thankfully, the blogrimage is here to save the day!

The Diet
There is one thing you should know about this blogrimage, I'm doing it at possibly the worst time ever.  Katelyn and I are 8 days into a 30 day slow carb diet right now (read more in 4 Hour Body), so we won't be making anything with grains, breads, sugars, fruits, or many other tasty things.  We will, however, be able to use all meats, spices, vegetables, and legumes.  If I can, I'll write how you can make each recipe more delicious if you aren't on a slow carb diet.  There is one binge day a week (Saturday) so maybe Saturdays will be more interesting.  If you're interested in the slow carb diet, this blogrimage is for you!

The goal:
1. Spend the first 15 days of the blogrimage learning how to cook from my wife, and hopefully learning a specific recipe each day
2. Spend the last 15 days making food for my wife and I, hopefully implementing the recipes that I learned in the first 15 days.
3. Invite 1 friend over for each of the last 5 days to either enjoy or suffer through eating one of my meals!


Day 1: Schmidt style barbacoa
Katelyn thankfully started out simple and we used the crock pot.  Here is my version of the directions for making schmidt-style barbacoa.  It's Schmidt style because we don't cut off a cow's head and bury it in the ground for 3 days or whatever the crazy traditional way of making it is.  They are my version because I wrote them down so I could understand them later if Katelyn wasn't there, meaning they are over simplified:

1. Buy ground chuck - well marbled (lots of fat)
2. Rinse meat
3. Put meat in crock pot
4. Add a quart of water
5. Add a tbsp of cinnamon, yes, cinnamon
6. Add 4 or 5 dried chilies
7. Add 3 bay leaves
8. Add 1.5 to 2 tsp of salt
9. Add half a clove of garlic.  Whole cloves, not crushed.  Take off the skin first.
10. Add 1.5 tbsp of cumin
11. Cover and put on high over night

Here's what it looks like before you cover and cook it:

Here's what it looks like in the morning before you put it in a Tupperware and take it to work for lunch:

I hope in the future to have more appetizing pictures.  For a side you can make a can of beans or lentils.  I know, this slow carb diet is boring.

If you're a normal person you can eat it with tortilla chips with a hint of lime and have a great time with all your friends as you laugh and point at people on the slow carb diet!!!!........22 more days of slow carb....29 more days of Blogrimage!!!!


AMENDMENT: I think its chuck roast, not ground chuck.  Also, in the morning you have to take two forks and use them to pull apart the meat so its not all chucks, but its stringy.