Ropa Vieja by Carmencita

When I was a little girl and till this day my mom calls me Carmencita. It means lil Carmen. Carmencita would request this dish all the time! I haven't made in years and today I decided to make it "my way". So, here it goes.

3 pounds flank steak or brisket (cut off all fat)
3/4 cup Seasoning rub - recipe follows
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 bottles beer ( i use Mexican beer!)
3 tbs. olive oil
1 red yellow onion chopped
1 green bell peppers, cored, seeded, ribbed and chopped
6 scallions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and then cut. Don't forget the smash.
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes-about 3/4 of the can
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste -about 1/2 of the can
Optional: 3 ounces of chopped piementos/ and/or 3 large Red Roasted Peppers
Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste ( i use very lil salt.) Kosher salt is great too.

Seasoning Rub:

2 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons lemon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
2 tablespoons achoite powder from annatto seed (found in a lil bag in the Spanish section)
1 tablespoon cumin powder

Directions:

Make seasoning rub by mixing all ingredients with the Worcestershire sauce. Rub unto the meat. Place meat in a container and pour the 3 bottles of beer over it. Marinade for an hour in the fridge. You can place directly into the crockpot for less to wash!

In a crockpot cook seasoned meat with the beer for about 3 hours on low. Take meat out and cut up into large sections. Cook on high for about 2-3 hours more or until it has shredded completely.

Sautee pepper, onion, garlic and scallions in the olive oil until onion is translucent. Add the tomato cans and the optional ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes. If desired you can press a garlic at this point and pour over pot...simmer for a few more minutes for a garlic bang!

Serve over white rice and garnish with fresh parsley.