Can you believe that it's already August? Where did the summer go? We're just over a month away from swapping out lemonade for pumpkin lattes and, you guys, I'm so not ready for the sun to start setting before I leave the office. We'll be packing away our swimsuits and taking out our sweaters in no time. NO. Nooooo!
Wait, I'm totally getting ahead of myself here, aren't I? There's still plenty of glorious sunshine left and we've still got time to tick off boxes on our summer "To-Do" checklist. I've got a vacation coming up (yes, an actual vacation, as in I am leaving the state of New Jersey and not doing work for a whole week... can you believe it?) and I've got a ton of warm-weather recipes in the queue before Fall settles in. Make the most of what's left, right? Right.
Since we're in agreement about making the most of things in this next month, I'm here to introduce you to a recipe that you need to put on your summer menu: Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Stout Enchiladas. The beef is cooked until tender and juicy right along with the homemade enchilada sauce in the slow cooker. Then you're free to use it in typical enchiladas (with plenty of cheese, to boot) or in enchilada skillet form, if you prefer to skip the rolling step.
As you're well aware if you're a regular 'round here, I'm unbelievably indecisive. Being as I am, I like to make both the rolled enchiladas and the skillet version, since there is a ton of meat and sauce to go around. I even save some for breakfast leftovers, which I use up in Frico Egg Breakfast Tacos. Don't worry, I'll have a recipe for those up soon, so be sure to check back in for it.
But back to these enchiladas. I tweaked my typical Homemade Enchilada Sauce to add some extra depth with beer and some sweetness from honey, and eliminated some of the liquid to make it slow-cooker friendly. What resulted was almost like a BBQ sauce - enchilada sauce hybrid in terms of flavor, AKA completely and utterly delicious. Don't believe me? You'll just have to try it for yourself, then.
I've written the recipe below for a full set of enchiladas, but feel free to make a smaller batch and use the remaining beef and sauce for leftovers, nachos, or to make a enchilada skillet with them. (I typically do all of the above-- it's all about the options, baby!)
I've also included a note for how to make the skillet at the bottom, which is adapted from my Vegetable Enchilada Skillet.
No matter how you serve the enchiladas, I promise you, you're going to love them. My brother said this was one of the best meals he's had all summer-- and he's been home from college taste-testing everything I've made over the past few months. James hardly said anything about these enchiladas, but that's purely because he didn't spend a second without a mouthful of them. I did catch a few groans of approval and a thumbs-up from him though, so I think I can safely assume that he enjoyed them as much as the rest of my family did.
When you give them a go, be sure to take a picture and tag #hostthetoast on Instagram or Twitter to show 'em off in the feed, and let me know how you plan to make the most of your remaining summer days!
PrintSlow Cooker Honey Chipotle Stout Enchiladas
- Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 enchiladas 1x
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 3 lbs brisket or boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat
For the dry rub:
- 2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
For the sauce:
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes, drained of all excess liquid
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can
- ⅓ cup stout
- ⅓ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
To serve:
- Canola oil, for frying
- 12-16 corn tortillas
- 12 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 jalapeno, sliced and seeded, to garnish
- 2 sprigs green onion, to garnish
- Cilantro, to garnish
- Refried beans, to serve, optional
Instructions
- Place the minced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the dry rub ingredients and mix to distribute evenly. Rub the dry spice mix all over the beef and place the beef in the slow cooker.
- In a blender, combine the tomatoes, chipotle pepper and adobo, stout, honey, cumin, salt, and cornstarch. Blend until pureed. Taste and adjust as desired.
- Cover the beef with the blended sauce and set the slow cooker to low. Cook for 6 hours, or until the beef is easily shredded. Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred with two forks, then set aside.
- Stir the enchilada sauce remaining in the slow cooker well, increase heat to high, and cook until ready to use.
- Lightly oil a small skillet over medium heat and fry the tortillas, one at a time, until soft and pliable (but not crisped). Set aside on a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spread 1 to 1 ½ cups of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish to fully cover it. One at a time, dip the tortillas into the sauce, flipping to coat both sides, and then top with beef and cheese. Roll the tortilla around the filling and place seam-side up in the baking dish. The enchiladas will be small if using average-sized corn tortillas, but you can place them end-to-end to fill the baking dish if you’d like to make a full tray at once.
- Spoon additional sauce liberally down the center of each row of enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until the cheese is fully melted and beginning to brown, about 15 minutes. Top with sliced jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro, and serve with refried beans, if desired.
Notes
If you’d like to make the skillet version, cook in the slow cooker as described. Then, cut up the tortillas into strips, heat oil in a large, oven-safe skillet, and combine tortilla strips, brisket, refried beans, cheese, and enough sauce to coat everything, and stir until well-distributed. Top with additional cheese and sauce, as desired, and baked at 350 degrees F until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with jalapeno, green onion, and cilantro before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 7 hours
Deepa says
Hi Morgan -- I made it as is, but with chicken instead. SO GOOD, and just the kind of leftovers I'm happy to eat all week! I had basically given up on my slow cooker until I tried some of your recipes, so thanks!!
Alisha says
Hey! I just found your recipe, and I'm really excited to try it. Any idea how to adapt this recipe for a pressure cooker?
Thanks
Alisha says
I just wanted to comment that I made this with a pressure cooker tonight. I couldn't find brisket or chuck roast at the grocery store, so I went with some 50% off flank steak, cut it into long thin pieces, covered it with the rub and then the sauce for 15mins on high, and it was delicious. DH says he's ruined for enchiladas now. So easy and good! Mmmmmmmm!
Jessica says
Made this yesterday. A bit of work before hand, but I managed not to mess it up while hangover as heck, so obviously not difficult.
I also couldn't fnd briket or chuck roast, so I went with a roast (forget which kind) and it flaked really nicely.
The real winner of this recipe is the sauce it makes. My roommate raved how great it was; smoky, a kick of heat, and just fantastic overall. She wants me to make jars of the sauce for her so she always have some available to put on *everrrrrrything*.