Pump up that salsa music and grab yourself a mojito folks! Because today we are getting down with another classic dish from La Isla Bonita, a.k.a. Cuba. Now the last time we dabbled in Cuban cuisine we made some delicious and juicy mojo chicken. And if you haven’t seen that recipe then I highly recommend you check it out, it’s phenomenal! However, today we are going to step away from chicken and move to hearty beef. And if you’re familiar with Cuban cuisine then you can probably guess that we are making none other than the classic ropa vieja.
That or you could of just read the title of this post.
But honestly, there are few dishes more beloved by Cubans (and myself for that matter) than ropa vieja. In fact, many people like to proclaim it as THEE national dish of Cuba. And for good reason, it tastes great! I mean you have tender strands of shredded beef, accompanied by strips of onions and bell peppers. All of which is soaked in a wonderfully rich sauce made of tomatoes, beef broth, and wine. What’s not to like? And if you pair it with some white rice and black beans you have yourself a perfectly balanced meal that’s fairly easy to prepare.
So if you’re ready to eat one of the best damn dishes ever conceived then let’s get to making our ropa vieja.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- There’s an ongoing debate about what cut of beef is best for ropa vieja. Many people argue that you should use chuck, not only because it’s cheap, but also because it suits well to braising. And while it’s not a bad choice the problem with chuck is that it is cut in a way that will often result in strands of shredded beef that are too short. Instead, I recommend you use the more traditional cut, flank steak. Now I know that it is a slightly more expensive cut than chuck. And I also know that members of the beef Gestapo will insist flank steak should never be braised. But for one, this is a special dish and flank steak isn’t that much more expensive than chuck, so live a little. And two, the beef Gestapo don’t know what they’re talking about. I have made this dish with flank steak numerous times and it has always turned out perfectly tender. So I’ll leave the decision up to you, but really you should use flank steak.
- Can you do this in a slow cooker or an instant pot? Yes of course! For a slow cooker simply add everything except the olives and cappers to your slow cooker. Let it cook for 8 hours, then shred the beef. Add the beef back along with the olives and capers to the slow cooker and let it cook for another 30 minutes. For an instant pot use the sautee feature for steps 2 & 3. Then let it pressure cook for 90 minutes, letting it release naturally. Add the olives and capers and set it to warm for another 20 minutes.
- Let’s talk a little bit about the two seasonings used in today’s recipe, the adobo, and sazon. I find that goya brand is the best, however, these can sometimes be difficult to find depending on where you live. So if you are unable to find the adobo then sub it with a mixture of half salt and half granulated garlic. And if you can’t find the sazon then try out this mix. Also, I should note that Goya brand sazon comes in different flavors, so make sure to use the one labeled “con corianto y achiote”
- I would like to say that the olives and capers for this dish are completely optional. In fact, most ropa viejas that I’ve eaten in my life omitted them completely. That being said I feel that they add a nice touch and depth of flavor to the dish.
- Ropa vieja makes great leftovers and is sometimes even better the next day. To heat it back up either place it back into the pot you cooked it in, or microwave it for a minute or two. You can also use it as a filling for delicious panini sandwiches!
- I like to pair this dish with some white rice and our recipe for Cuban style black beans. Also if you are looking to get a little buzzed then try out our recipe for mango mojitos.
Ropa Vieja Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 3 Hours
Servings: 8
Ingredients
2 Lbs flank steak
1 Yellow onion, cut into strips
2 Bell peppers of any color, cut into strips
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 Cups of beef broth
1 16 oz. Can of crushed tomato
2 Teaspoons of Sazon seasoning
1 Tablespoon of Adobo seasoning
2 Tablespoons of capers (optional)
1 Cup of Spanish olives stuffed with pimento (optional)
½ Cup of dry white wine
2 Bay leaves
3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish:
Minced cilantro
Instructions
- Prep the flank steak: Get out a cutting board and place your flank steak on it. Then observe the steak and find out which way the grain is going and cut it into thirds against the grain.
Finally, rub the adobo seasoning into each piece of the steak.
- Brown the flank steak: Get out a large pot, pour two tablespoons of olive oil in it and place it over high heat. Once it’s hot place each piece of flank steak in it and let them brown on each side, about 5 minutes.
Depending on the size of your pot you might have to do this in batches. After each piece is browned take them out of the pot and set them aside until step 5.
- Sautee the vegetables: Pour another tablespoon of oil to the pot and toss in the onion and bell peppers. Sautee both of these ingredients for 3 to 5 minutes or until they have softened. Then toss in the garlic and sazon seasoning, mix it all together and continue sauteing for another minute or two.
- Make the sauce: Pour in the white wine and use it to deglaze the pot. Then add in the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves. Stir everything together and let it come back to a simmer.
- Add the pieces of beef back to the pot and make sure they are all covered by the liquid. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 2 hours.
- Shred the beef: After the two hours are done take the beef back out of the pot and back onto your cutting board. Then use either your hands or two forks to shred the beef into thin yet long strips.
- Finish the dish: Add the shredded beef back to the pot along with olives and capers. Stir it all together and let everything simmer for another 20 minutes uncovered.
In the end, taste a piece of beef and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the ropa vieja on a plate with some rice and black beans, garnish with some cilantro and enjoy!
Ropa Vieja Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs flank steak
- 1 Yellow onion cut into strips
- 2 Bell peppers of any color cut into strips
- 4 Cloves of garlic minced
- 2 Cups of beef broth
- 1 16 oz. Can of crushed tomato
- 2 Teaspoons of Sazon seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon of Adobo seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons of capers optional
- 1 Cup of Spanish olives stuffed with pimento optional
- ½ Cup of dry white wine
- 2 Bay leaves
- 3 Tablespoons of Olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
Garnish:
- Minced cilantro
Instructions
- Prep the flank steak: Get out a cutting board and place your flank steak on it. Then observe the steak and find out which way the grain is going and cut it into thirds against the grain. Finally, rub the adobo seasoning into each piece of the steak.
- Brown the flank steak: Get out a large pot, pour two tablespoons of olive oil in it and place it over high heat. Once it’s hot place each piece of flank steak in it and let them brown on each side, about 5 minutes. Depending on the size of your pot you might have to do this in batches. After each piece is browned take them out of the pot and set them aside until step 5.
- Sautee the vegetables: Pour another tablespoon of oil to the pot and toss in the onion and bell peppers. Sautee both of these ingredients for 3 to 5 minutes or until they have softened. Then toss in the garlic and sazon seasoning, mix it all together and continue sauteing for another minute or two.
- Make the sauce: Pour in the white wine and use it to deglaze the pot. Then add in the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves. Stir everything together and let it come back to a simmer.
- Add the pieces of beef back to the pot and make sure they are all covered by the liquid. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 2 hours.
- Shred the beef: After the two hours are done take the beef back out of the pot and back onto your cutting board. Then use either your hands or two forks to shred the beef into thin yet long strips.
- Finish the dish: Add the shredded beef back to the pot along with olives and capers. Stir it all together let everything simmer for another 20 minutes uncovered. In the end, taste a piece of beef and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve the ropa vieja on a plate with some rice and black beans, garnish with some cilantro and enjoy!
