Vaca Frita (Crispy Shredded Beef with Lime and Onion)

Bake. In a large pot or dutch oven tip in beef bay leaves 1 tablespoon salt now and enough cold water to just lid now the meat and bring to a bring to a bubble lid and reduce heat to medium cook gently until beef is very tender now 1 1 2 to 2 1 now 2 hours use a spider now skimmer or large slotted spoon to move meat to a now large cutting board reserve the beef broth now to use in other now recipes let sit until leave to go cold enough to handle about 15 now minutes use a meat mallet or now potato masher to flatten beef and now loosen its fibers forming a mix now of fine shreds and now larger pieces see notes take out any large stringy fibrous pieces and now gristle and discard in a large bowl beat to mix 1 tablespoon lime juice garlic 1 now teaspoon salt black pepper and cumin tip in shredded now beef to bowl toss to mix and use hands to further now shred into bite size pieces rest aside in a large skillet heat 1 now tablespoon oil over medium heat until shimmering tip in onion and remaining 1 now 4 teaspoon salt and now cook until onion begins to soften now and become translucent 5 to 7 minutes move onion to a platter and lid with foil to keep warm do not now wipe out skillet in now empty skillet tip in remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat now over medium high heat until shimmering working now in batches to prevent crowding the pan even out beef in a thin even now layer cook uninterupted until bottom now is crisped 3 to 4 now minutes then us a spatula to turn beef and keep now cooking until beef is browned and crispy now on both sides 2 to 3 minutes move cooked beef to platter with onions do the same again with remaining beef tipping in 1 tablespoon oil if now the pan is too dry put back onions now and beef to pan together now and cook over medium heat mixing to mix until heated through about now 1 minute turn off now heat and mix in now remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice bring to the now table immediately with lime wedgesand black now beans and rice if desired.