Mexican Machaca Beef Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What meat is machaca? ›

Traditional Machaca is a Northern Mexican type of dried meat, often made from beef or pork. Slices or strips of meat are traditionally rubbed with simple spices and left outside to dry under the desert sun. After a few days of air-drying, the meat maintains a jerky-like taste and texture.

What's the Difference Between Machaca and Shredded Beef? Traditionally, machaca was a form of dried, spiced beef that would stay good for a long time, unrefrigerated – making it perfect for taking on journeys or out on a hard day's work. It could be simmered and rehydrated as needed.

Dried like jerky, then pounded into shreds, machaca can be rehydrated and used in all sorts of dishes, from scrambled eggs and stews to a filling for burritos.

In Tucson, Arizona and southward, the preparation is almost always dry, and approximates more closely the taste and texture of the original dish prepared from dried meat. Carne seca is an alternative name for machaca in parts of the Southwest and Sonora, Mexico.

It's more authentic to what you might find in Mexico but in Phoenix, where I'm from, machaca is a bit moister and soupier and I greatly prefer it this way. It is often beef brisket or chuck, well cooked, shredded then cooked again, with onions and chilies. It's also usually very spicy, which is just how I like it.

The shredded dry beef, carne seca or "machaca", is said to have originated in the town of Ciénega de Flores, about an hour's drive north of Monterrey, Mexico. The early settlers in the area air-cured beef so that it would be preserved.

Many people associate machacado with being high in calories and saturated fat, but that's not the whole story. In fact, machacado is a good source of protein, iron, and B vitamins, making it a healthy addition to a balanced diet.

What is the best cut for shredded beef? Chuck roast is hands down the winner for maximum beefy flavor, the right amount of fattiness, and cost-effectiveness, but there are a few runner-ups that will yield a delicious result. Brisket is always a delicious choice, but it can be on the pricey side.

Chuck roast is arguably the best cut to use for pulled beef. Similar to the front shoulder of pork (or the pork “butt”) chuck roasts, being from the front shoulder of the steer, are chock full of fat, collagen, and marbling. This is the stuff we need to make delicious juicy pulled beef.

Carne Seca is a popular type of dried beef that has been a staple of southwestern people for generations. Originally used as a form of food preservation, since this type of dried beef stays fresh for months, carne seca has become a staple as a snack food in many modern homes.

What is Mexican beef called? ›

Carne Asada – Marinated, grilled, sliced beef, cooked so there is some charring to impact flavor. The cuts used can be skirt, flank, or flap steak and the marinade varies. Carne Asada can be served as a main dish or can be sliced up and used as a filling for burritos, tacos, and tortillas.

What is machaca? Basically jerky meets cotton candy. It's an ancient way Mexicans have used to easily eat hard dried carne seca, or jerky, that requires no refrigeration. Jerky, pounded into wispy filaments, that are then eaten with eggs, peppers and onions, or however you like it.

Carne Asada – Asada (or asado) means “roasted” in Spanish. Carne asada is a spicy, marinated grilled steak that's cut into strips. This is the meat that goes into burritos and tacos. Pollo Asado – Pollo means “chicken” in Spanish, which means that pollo asado is grilled, marinated chicken.

Carne asada—meaning “grilled meat”—is a taco made from thin slices of steak that have been marinated and grilled. Use flank steak or skirt steak and slice it into bite-sized chunks.

Machacado is salted dried beef. Machaca is made from beef that has been marinated, dried and shredded. The drying process helps to preserve the beef making machacado an ideal pantry staple for cattle ranchers.

Also called dried beef, chipped beef is typically made from a leaner cut of meat, such as beef round. The meat is brined and left to cure for several days before being drained and air-dried. You can now also find chipped beef that's been smoked while it dries, adding additional flavor to the meat.