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Slow Cooker Beef and Pineapple in Colima Style Mole

Colima Style Mole with Beef and Pineapple for the Slow Cooker

Adapted into a slow cooker recipe from Marilyn Tausend
Course Entree
Cuisine Mexican
Author TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 - 3 lbs beef chuck or brisket cut into 2-inch pieces
  • about 2-3 t salt divided
  • 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper divided
  • 1-2 T vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic minced, divided
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 dried pasilla chile peppers seeded and toasted
  • about 3 inches long skinny French baguette sliced lengthwise in half
  • 2 inch stick true Ceylon cinnamon (or 1 t ground Ceylon cinnamon)
  • 1 large pineapple outer skin removed, and core removed and set aside. Chop the remaining pineapple. Slice the core into thin slices.
  • For garnish: fresh pineapple, chopped cilantro, queso fresco (or sub crumble feta), pickled red onions
  • Serve with either corn tortillas, preferred if you can get good ones or Mexican seasoned white rice

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a cooktop-safe slow cooker insert (or a cast iron skillet) over medium high heat. When it is hot, add the beef in batches, browning on all sides. While the beef is browning, prep your other ingredients.
  3. As each batch of beef is browned, set it aside in a bowl. When it is all browned, add the chopped onions and cook for about 7-9 minutes, until starting to caramelize. If it starts to scorch or stick, add a little (tablespoon or 2) water.
  4. Add 4 cloves worth of the garlic, cook for another minute.
  5. Add the beef back into the slow cooker insert (or add everything to the slow cooker if it is not cooktop safe) and add water to come about halfway up the sides of the beef, about 1 cup. Add the sliced pineapple core.
  6. Place in the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
  7. While the beef is cooking (or the night before if time is an issue), toast the chile peppers. Place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water.
  8. After 10 minutes, toast each piece of the bread and then add it to the chile peppers to soak as well.
  9. Let soak another 5-10 minutes.
  10. Add the soaked bread and chile peppers to a blender or food processor (I used a wet dry grinder which does the best job of all, kind of like a VitaMix), being certain to reserve the soaking water. Add the cinnamon and the remaining garlic. Puree until smooth, adding 1/2-1 cup of the chile pepper soaking water as needed. Puree in 1 cup of chopped pineapple.
  11. Set aside 1 heaping cup of the chopped pineapple.
  12. Add the chile puree to the slow cooker when the time is up. Add all of the remaining chopped pineapple except for the heaping cup you have set aside. Cook for an additional 1 hour on high or 2 hours on low.
  13. Taste the final dish for additional salt and black pepper.
  14. The end result with be quite saucy. If you choose to serve the meat with corn tortillas, I recommend using the beef with just a little of the sauce. If you choose to serve on rice, I would include more of the sauce. Either way, garnish with chopped cilantro, queso fresco (or feta), the reserved fresh chopped pineapple and pickled red onions.