I clearly have too much time on my hands.
I spent my weekend making homemade enchilada sauce and smoking a brisket (full disclosure-husband did that), and I prepared these delicious smoked beef brisket enchiladas with the homemade enchilada sauce. Wanna give it a try?
You can smoke the brisket in a smoker, or you could slow cook it in the oven with Liquid Smoke. Either way, the smoke taste makes this unique. I served it with guacamole and last week’s recipe (the Mexican corn). Really good.
Smoked Beef Brisket Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked beef brisket chopped
- 6 flour or corn tortillas
- 2 ½ cups enchilada sauce divided
- 2 cups cheese shredded Mexican cheese (divided)
Topping Suggestions
- sour cream
- fresh cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
- pickled jalapenos
- green onion chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Ladle 1 cup of the enchilada sauce into a deep 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- In a plate large enough for the tortilla to lay flat, ladle about ½ cup of the enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the plate. (Use more if needed)
- Warm the tortillas in a tea towel in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Place a prepared tortilla on the plate into the enchilada sauce and press down to coat. Flip and coat the other side; both sides should be coated with enchilada sauce. Place the coated tortilla onto another clean plate or work surface.
- Divide the brisket and 1 cup of the cheese into six equal portions. Add one portion of each to each sauce-coated tortilla.
- Roll up the tortilla and place the enchilada seam-side down into the enchilada sauce inside the baking dish or pan. Repeat until you have made all 6 enchiladas.
- Pour the remaining cup of enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Smooth over the sauce with a spatula spoon making sure to coat each enchilada completely and top with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Place the pan of enchiladas inside the preheated oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through.
- Serve warm garnished with your toppings of choice.
This is very important for this recipe. It’s homemade enchilada sauce. It really makes the difference. Well, that and the smoked brisket. It’s from my earthly cooking idol, Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman.
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 beef, chicken or tomato bouillon cube
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
Directions
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppers, onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, bouillon cube and some salt and pepper and cook until the spices darken and their flavors are released, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stir to combine and cook it for another minute. Add the stock and stir to combine, then allow the liquid to thicken. Add the tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce is nice and thick and reduced by about a third, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Allow the sauce to cool slightly, then use an immersion blender to completely puree the sauce until smooth. (Alternatively, you can transfer it to a blender to puree it; just make sure the sauce is cooled, as blending hot liquids is dangerous!)
- The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week and can also be frozen! Just reheat the sauce in a saucepan or skillet for whatever recipe calls for it.
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