Crock Pot Carna Asada

Here is another one of those times that I fail at being a photographer. I thought about taking a picture, but then the meal came and went and no picture was taken. There's some leftovers in the frig that DH will have for dinner tonight, so this picture is of our left overs. That I wished I could have over and over again!

So good.

It's safe to say this will become a staple in my freezer. A go-to meal when I've forgotten to defrost anything or when I hear "Surprise! You have dinner guests coming!"

So usually when I do a freezer meal, I suggest a defrost the day before and stick in the crockpot, however yesterday at noon, I realized I hadn't taken anything out to defrost and we had two extra mouths to feed. So I couldn't just tell the lot to "Eat Top Ramen!" It happens, don't judge me.

Into the freezer I delved and scratched my head. It's almost time for me to plan my April, so the pickings are slim. I have about five meals remaining and something I think I forgot to label. Hmmm.

What to choose... I closed my eyes and reached in and grabbed a ROCK SOLID ICE BRICK of food labeled: Carne Asada. I debated on putting the brick of food in the microwave, but decided since it was only noon and this was beef, I had a fighting chance of a finished meal by 5:30 or 6:00. So I cut off the plastic bag (because there was no way I could get that sucker out otherwise!) and quite literally SHOVED it into my crockpot. I may have chiseled off a corner to get it to fit, but I just threw that part in there aswell.

Set it on high and went back to work. At 3:00pm when I finally started to smell it, I moved the two flank steaks around a little but it looked good! I was impressed. At 5:00 I fished out each cut of beef and sliced it across the grain with a really sharp knife into really thin pieces. I then stuck all the meat back in the crockpot and turned it to warm until we were ready to eat.

I served the asada inside a soft taco shell with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce and a smile! The everyone gobbled it up, which is why I didn't think for a picture. Hopefully later tonight I will grab one.

The thing that most surprised me about this was that I hadn't defrosted and the meat didn't turn out tough or chewy. It was perfect. Ready to make it?

Put the following seasonings in a gallon sized freezer bag:
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper

Now throw in 1 pounds of Flank Steak (or skirt steak)

Press out the air and then massage the spices into the meat. When it pretty much looks like a big mess, you are ready to add the rest.

1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth (I used bouillon)
3 diced tomatoes (but I used roasted red peppers... perfect flavor)
2 jalapeno peppers chopped (mine were very mild)
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

Seal the bag and place it inside another gallon sized back and write CARNA ASADA 4-6 Hours on High or 6-8 on low. And remember, this meal can go in the crockpot frozen!