Meat bread is a delicious invention I came up with a few years ago. It basically consists of shredded meat (beef or pork) in a spicy sauce, topped with white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, and encased within a classic bread dough. I have shaped it many different ways—from long and rectangular to ring-shaped to round and open-faced. Whatever shape it takes on, this super-fun party food is always a total hit.
First you must start by coaxing amazing flavors from the chunk of meat of our choice. I like to use pork shoulder (Boston butt roast), beef chuck roast, or beef brisket. This treatment tastes delicious on any of them:
The Meat Bread Meat
I usually purchase about a 4-pound chunk of meat, then serve about half of the roast with mashed potatoes the first night, then save the remaining 1 or 2 pounds for the meat bread. It's a good idea to put the rub on the meat at least 2 hours (or up to 24 hours) before you plan to cook the meat. That way, all the delicious flavors have time to really sink into the meat.
1. In a spice blender, add 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon peppercorns, about half of a dried ancho chile pepper, 2 teaspoons cumin seeds (toasted), 3 whole cloves, 2 allspice berries, and 1 teaspoon annatto seeds. Blend until ground finely. Rub onto meat. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add meat and brown on all sides. Meanwhile, slice 2 onions and place in a dutch oven roaster. Place browned meat on the onions. Top the meat with 2 cloves garlic (minced), 6 lime slices, and 3 strips of bacon. Pour 1/4 cup gold tequila over the whole thing. Cover and roast for 3 to 5 hours, or until meat is very tender and shreds easily.
The Meat Bread
1. Place 1 to 2 pounds of the shredded roast meat (with some of the onions that cooked with the meat) into a medium heavy saucepan. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 cup tomato juice, 1/4 cup molasses, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 2 Thai chiles, and 2 teaspoons ground black pepper. Slowly bring to a boil, covered, over medium-low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes; let cool. Remove chiles.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, combine 1 package dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) and about 1 1/2 cups warm water; let stand about 5 minutes. Add about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of flour, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix on low speed for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until all ingredients are combined.
3. Place the dough hook on the mixer and mix on low speed (or knead by hand) for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Add about 1 teaspoon additional kosher salt during the last 2 minutes of mixing. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 450 F. Punch down dough and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Roll dough into desired shape. (I usually just make a circle.) Pour cooled meat mixture onto the bread dough. Top with 6 to 8 ounces sliced white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Fold up edges of dough so the filling doesn't fall out. Brush dough with olive oil, then sprinkle with crushed red pepper and coarse sea salt (Fleur de Sel tastes magnificent).
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let stand about 15 minutes before serving.
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