Burritos made super easy

Matt's favorite food that I make for him is hands down burritos. I took a long time and careful planning to make them for him the first time, but every time since then I haven't have the time commitment and the burritos kind of suffered. I tried steak sandwich meat and thin steaks and everything proved to be a tad bit stringy and hard to chew in a tortilla. My idea of a perfect burrito is in the bite. You don't want the meat to be too hard or the tortilla to be too crispy. Everything should just kind of meld together in a nice smooth bite.

My most recent of plans on how to recreate that perfect burrito without the perfect burrito cooking time(the first time I made them I cooked beef cubes down to a perfect fall apart consistency) involved boneless ribs. I love boneless ribs. They really are an amazing thing, but how often do you eat boneless ribs without a bbq sauce? Well I hardly ever follow the rules, so I diced up half an onion and threw it into a crockpot. I also added some(ok a lot) of adobo, sazon(red coloring and some flavor), some garlic, the ribs, and I added enough water to cover the ribs. I would have probably added some recaito too; but I didn't have it so I stuck to what I had.

I cooked that on high in the crockpot and Matt and I left to run some errands. I put it in the crockpot around 11 and it was done probably around 2; I just judged it by it falling apart. It was at perfection for me when I stuck a fork into it and couldn't pick it up. The flavor of the ribs was not incredibly strong, but you could really taste the flavor of the meat and it was the perfect consistency to melt in your mouth with the rest of the ingredients.

Now onto the other ingredients. I made about a cup of rice and I heated a can of Trader Joe's Cuban style black beans. I was kind of experimenting with TJ's beans, but it really worked out. They tasted just like the beans you would eat at a typical burrito place.

Matt and I have only have one other problem with burrito making in the past. This problem was the burrito shells. They always tend to fall apart or get kind of messy. I bought small soft shell tacos, hoping that making the burritos kind of like a taco and being able to fill less and have one more might make things easier. Another success!!! I know it's hard to believe that I'd make so many wise choices in one meal, but I was definitely on for some reason.

For the finished product, I put a layer of rice, a layer of cheese, a layer of beans, and a layer of meat in each of the taco shells. Of course the key was to not overfill the shells(a lesson I am always trying to teach Matt). If you want more filling, have another.

I am proud to say I've finally created a burrito success I am excited to recreate. There were plenty of leftovers, so I can't wait to enjoy the burrito again for dinner later in the week when I'm stressed and have no time. Matt seemed like a very happy customer(he called them a success too), and the best part I could feel the Ramen quivering in its package. Real meals are not impossible, and a little extra work can make you so much happier and fuller(not sure if that's a word, don't judge).

I have a terrible headache tonight, so I'm going to resign to a cup of tea and hopefully going to get to bed early.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily