Dia de Muertos stew & cocktail pairing from Chef Aarón Sánchez

Cazadores has partnered with the award-winning chef and restaurant owner Aarón Sánchez to provide a Mexican tequila and food pairing to make with loved ones this Día de Muertos.

Cooking and making something with your hands has traditionally been a way to honor those who are no longer here in a physical sense. For occasions where you are cooking a celebratory meal for a large group, Aaron recommends birria, a slow-cooked stew famous in Jalisco, Mexico. Its hearty flavors are best complemented with a fruity cocktail, like the Cantarito Familiar (recipe below).

BIRRIA (MEXICAN STEW)

Prep Time: 40m Cook Time: 2 to 3h Total Time: 3 to 4h

Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

4 guajillo chiles
4 ancho chiles
1 cup hot water
1 pound beef top round, cubed for stew
1 pound baby back ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 ½ quarts water
1 onion
6 garlic cloves
2 fresh bay leaves
6 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

½ cup diced onion
2 limes, cut into wedges
½ cup chopped cilantro
Corn tortillas, as an accompaniment

Directions

On hot griddle toast the ancho and gaujillo chile and submerge in hot water. Let chiles sit for 20 minutes. Remove from water and puree in blender with a cup of warm water. Set aside.
In a deep Dutch oven, add the beef, ribs, water, onion, and garlic cloves. Bring to boil and cook for 1 hour.
At this point add the bay leaves, thyme, chile puree, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper and simmer for 1 to 2 hours.
Serve the stew on top of two tortillas (so the taco doesn’t get soggy), with white onion, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime on top.

Paired with Cazadaroes Cantarito Familiar
Jalisco, Mexico’s most famous cocktail combines a variety of fresh squeezed citrus and Tequila CAZADORES Reposado to deliver lightly fruity flavor and fizzy finish.

CANTARITO FAMILIAR

Serves: 17 – 18

Ingredients

1 part Tequila Cazadores Reposado
1 part Orange Juice
1 part Grapefruit Juice
½ part Fresh Lime Juice
2 parts Grapefruit Soda
1 spoon of salt

Garnish with slices of orange, limes, grapefruit, and Tamarind candy

Tequila Cazadores, the almost 100-year-old tequila made from 100% Highland Blue Weber Agave from the highlands of Los Altos de Jalisco.

Meet Aarón

Aarón Sánchez is an award-winning chef, TV personality, cookbook author and philanthropist. He is the chef/owner of Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans, and a judge on FOX’s hit culinary competition series MASTERCHEF. He co-starred on Food Network’s Chopped and Chopped Junior, and is the author of two cookbooks. An active philanthropist, Sánchez launched the Aarón Sánchez Scholarship Fund, an initiative empowering aspiring chefs from the Latin community to follow their dreams and attend culinary school. One of the world’s most distinguished Latin chefs, Aarón is also passionate about preserving his family’s legacy through food and encouraging diversity in the kitchen.