Chivichangas de Machaca (Stewed Brisket and Cheese Chimichangas)
- Total Time
- About 4 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:Makes enough filling for about 12 chivichangas
- 2pounds beef brisket, cut into approximately 4-by-3-inch pieces
- ½yellow onion, outermost layer peeled
- 4cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 2tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1¼teaspoons ground coriander
- 1¼teaspoons ground cumin
- 1¼teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1¼teaspoons cayenne powder
- 1¼teaspoons garlic powder
- 1¼teaspoons onion powder
- 4Roma tomatoes
- 4fresh Anaheim peppers
- ¾cup (about 2 ounces) finely grated Cheddar cheese
- 1½cups (about 4 ounces) finely grated Monterey jack cheese
- Flour tortillas (see recipe or use store-bought 8-inch tortillas)
- Sliced radishes and lime wedges for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
281 calories; 21 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 316 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Place brisket, onion, garlic, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder in a 4- or 5-quart pot or Dutch oven. Add 3 cups water and cover pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours or until meat is tender when pierced with a fork.
- Step 2
If using a charcoal grill, fill a chimney starter with charcoal and light. When the coals are white-hot, pour them out of the chimney starter into the grill to form a hot bed of coals. Use tongs to move any flaming coals off to one side of grill. Set grill grates over the coals, and allow them to get hot. If using a gas grill, preheat to medium-high. If using a broiler, turn oven to broil setting.
- Step 3
Grill tomatoes and peppers over medium-high heat (or broil) rotating from time to time, until skins are evenly blistered and charred, about 20 minutes. Place into a metal bowl and seal with plastic wrap. When cooled, peel tomatoes and peppers and discard skin and stems. Use your hands to crush tomatoes and peppers into a rough salsa in the bowl. Set aside.
- Step 4
When tender, remove meat from pot and set aside. Discard onion, garlic, and all but 1 cup cooking liquid. When meat is cool enough to handle, shred thoroughly, scraping off any fat and setting aside as you go. Finely chop the fat and add back into meat.
- Step 5
Return pot to stove and set over medium heat. Add meat, fat, crushed salsa, and grated cheeses. Stir well to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt as needed. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until thick and unctuous.
- Step 6
To form chivichangas, spoon a heaping ¼ cup of machaca mixture into the center of each tortilla and spread into a 3-inch rectangle. Fold the bottom half of the tortilla over the filling, then pull the edge of the tortilla back toward the top of the filling to create a tight cylinder of filling. Fold both sides of the tortilla in, then tightly roll the chivichanga toward the top of the filling to yield a small, rectangular burrito.
- Step 7
Stoke grill or preheat griddle or skillet to medium-hot. Cook the chivichangas for about 2 minutes per side until evenly crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with sliced radishes and wedges of lime.
Tip
- If you cannot find Anaheim chilies, you can substitute 2 large green bell peppers. If homemade tortillas are no longer warm, gently reheat on a hot griddle and return to plastic bag to steam and soften before rolling chivichangas.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Elissa
Oh wow this was delicious. Wanted to note that I successfully adapted this for the Instant Pot -- cut the water for the brisket down to 1 cup, and it went in for 90 minutes on high pressure with a 20 minute release after that. Added the salsa and cheese and moved the mixture to the stove to simmer. This is going to be on a regular rotation!
Carol
klkruger -- if you look up the word "unctuous" in the OED, rather than on the internet, you will find many more meanings for the word, many of them positive. For example : "of meat (definition b) -- Greasy. fat, rich." And definition c) -- "Characterized by the presence of oil or fat." These are precisely the definitions meant my the recipe writers. If you can think of a better word that describes a rich, oily mouth feel, please tell us what it is.
Ernie
Can this be frozen? At which stage is it best to do so? Freeze the machaca mixture? Freeze the ungrilled burrito? Freeze the grilled chivichanga?
Phill
This recipe makes an authentic Mexican burrito, small and tasty, not as big as your head the way they are in the U.S.
BB
I worship at an altar of salt. I have a salt lick on my nightstand just in case I want some at 3am. And folks: this recipe is punitively salty. Cut it by half and you’ll still feel a pleasant sting in your mouth and plenty of water bloat the following day. Other than that, it’s a great recipe.
Robin
This is unbelievably good. I have to say I did not add all the fat back in and used poblano in place of anaheims ( personal preference). Was a little skeptical of adding cheese to the mix but never doubt a mothers cooking. This was so good. Like queso with brisket. Really amazing home cooking.
Erica
Made the meat in the crockpot on low for 6 hours. Followed the rest of the recipe as written with store bought flour tortillas. INSANELY GOOD!!
Mariana
Hi! You really don't want to freeze the tortilla. They must be kept from humidity. Preferably just freeze the machaca mixture and make more tortillas when needed. I'm not an expert or even very good cooker, but take this advise from a Mexican hehe
Vonna
Oh so very delicious! I made a mistake with the very first step by tossing in the brisket whole. My butcher sealed pouches of that cut and luckily it was 1.5" thick, so able to be covered by the liquid. In the end, did nothing to affect the outcome. Cheese for 35 minutes?? Doubtful, but perfection! 8" tortillas = perfect size for folding 4 Cloves of garlic rescued before tossing and were smeared on fresh french bread for a snack while waiting, bonus!
Mollyo
These were delicious! I couldn't get brisket that wasn't corned beef, so I subbed in chuck roast. Slow cooked for nine hours on low for step 1 and did the rest as written. Wonderful flavor. My family loved these! Served with refried beans and Mexican rice (Goya).
Laurel W
Mexican comfort food at its finest. The brisket filling is heavenly, also easy to make. Tomato season is over, so I used canned fire roasted. Appreciate a chivi recipe that does not involve deep frying — this is indulgent enough as it is! I am lucky enough to get homemade flour tortillas at our farmers market.
Phil
"Umami" has its own definition, and it's pretty obvious by the use of "unctuous" that the author means something completely different than that- they are referring to mouthfeel, not flavor.
Laura
Amazing! We used poblanos instead of Anaheim and seared the chivichangas very quickly in butter. This is my husband's new favorite meal.
Michael - Santa Fe
Making this now but my brisket after 3 hours cooking is tough and rubbery not very tender. Not sure if it is overcooked or undercooked and what to do to get it to the tender stage from which to proceed. Now having read lots of internet commentary on the difficulties of cooking brisket properly, I am wishing there might of been more mention about this process in the recipe and what to do (1) to avoid this situation and (2) in this case to proceed (which doesn't seem so unusual with brisket).
note
Make the day before
SVA
Made the full recipe this time. Great but note not to use corn tortillas--they tear. Would make again, stopping at the cheese part. It was already delicious, and I think I liked it better loose in tortilla rather than fried up. Consider throwing in a guajillo chili during the braise.
Roz
Made with pork shoulder as it’s what I had and we absolutely loved it..along with the tortillas a good Sunday’s cooking-satisfied both stomach and soul
Erik O.
This is an amazing recipe. I’ve made it at least a dozen times and it’s always a crowd pleaser. You can easily swap in different meats by fiddling with the cook times. Chicken thighs taste fantastic in this recipe and pork shoulder is also a winner. I’ve used Anaheim and green bell peppers, they both work.
Srw
Amazing! When my 8- and 10-year old offer praise it’s a keeper. I love the story behind Chivas!
emily
Can I sub a pork should for the brisket?
Linda M
Made these as recipes dictates, except halved salt for we oldie moldies. These can only be improved if they were waiting on the counter when I come home hungry. So worth it!
slaughterwater
To speak to freezing leftovers: we made the 12 chivis but were stuffed after 7! So we wrapped the remaining 5 up in foil and put them in the freezer. Just popped out three this morning for breakfast, put them in the oven at 400 for 7ish minutes, flipping halfway through. Just until the edges of the tortillas began to crisp up. They still hit! Seems like the took extraordinarily well to the freezer. Perhaps not traditional, but still so good.
Nercon5
Winner winner chimichangas for dinner!!! Easy and delicious. I accidentally bought corned beef brisket because it was on sale (lol), but just cut it into mini cubes after braising. Shalom chimichangas!!! I also made homemade tortillas per the recipe. Even with the brined brisket, didn’t find the salt overkill (using Diamond Crystal).
JG
This recipe is salty. Cut it by half and you’ll still feel a pleasant sting in your mouth. Other than that, it’s a great recipe. I successfully adapted this for the Instant Pot -- cut the water for the brisket down to 1 cup, and it went in for 90 minutes on high pressure with a 20 minute release after that. Added the salsa and cheese and moved the mixture to the stove to simmer.
BEST recipe from NY Times that I've tried
Favorite recipe from NY Times so far!! Seriously this was so good, you have to try it
cindy
Made these after listening to samin discuss on her pod cast. Omg- delish! I had a little trouble wrapping...but eventually got it! Big hit !
NaeHoward
Delicious! The only major change I made was to skip adding the brisket fat back in at the end. The shredded meat plus salsa and cheese and broth was plenty unctuous and still made a wonderful filling. Why add all that extra fat? I didn’t have sufficient Anaheim peppers so used a roasted jalepeno and a can of fire roasted chiles along with the single Anaheim I had on hand.
Shawn
Amazing flavor. When adjusting seasoning, pay attention to acid. Needs a light splash of white wine vinegar or lime juice. Then it is perfect. Also, 1/4 cup filling overstuffs an 8” tortilla, leading to soggy and torn rolls. Try two heaping Tbsp.
rjm
This was truly fantastic and simple. A very high quality, authentic tasting filling. I halved the salt...just seemed a bit much to me when I read the recipe. I’m glad I did.
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