Carne guisada, Tex-Mex stew
I receive many emails from y’all, asking when I’ll be writing about a certain favorite Texan food. I’ve had requests for everything from deep-fried pickles to peanut-butter pie. But the most requested recipe is for carne guisda.
Carne guisada, which translates to “stewed meat,” is a slow-simmered dish that varies across the state. Some people make their carne guisada with pork, others with chicken. The most common meat used, however is beef.
Another variable with carne guisada is how the gravy is made. Some people opt to cook their meat with tomatoes, potatoes and sweet bell peppers, while others just simmer the beef in water and chiles.
You’ll see your carne guisada as a group of distinct cubes floating in a rich sauce. And you’ll see your carne guisada where the meat has cooked so long it’s hard to tell where the meat ends and the gravy begins. My carne guisada, like my chili, deliciously falls into the latter category.
Actually, the way I make my chili is very similar to the way I make my carne guisada. I start with a four-pound beef roast and cut it into one-inch cubes. I chop up my onions, my garlic and my chiles, sear the beef and then throw everything in a pot with some beer and water and let it cook for several hours.
The difference, however, between my chili and my carne guisada is the types of peppers I use. For my chili, I use smoky red chiles such as chipotles and anchos; for my carne guisada I use bright green chiles such as jalapenos and serranos. There are a couple of other differences as well. A tomato will never be seen in my chili, but I don’t mind adding a few to my carne guisada. I would never add a bay leaf to my chili pot, but I like the nuance it adds to my carne guisada. And while my chili making tends to be improvisational, I have a set recipe for carne guisada from which I rarely stray.
Carne guisada can be a meal in itself, served in a bowl with tortilla chips. It’s also wonderful nestled between refried beans and rice. I like to wrap it up in flour tortillas for tacos, and the leftovers are a hearty topping on a pile of scrambled eggs.
So for all that asked about carne guisada—here is my recipe. Now I have to say that this is my recipe, so it might not be like your grandmother’s recipe because that’s the thing about carne guisada—everybody’s is different all over the state of Texas.
How do you make your carne guisada?
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Carne guisada
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chuck or bottom round beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and, diced
- 2 Serrano chiles, seeded and diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices or 3 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups water
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle of dark Mexican beer such as Negro Modelo
Instructions
- Lightly toss the beef with salt and pepper. In a large pot or a Dutch oven, brown the beef on medium high heat in 2 tablespoons of the oil. You may have to do this in batches.
- Remove beef from pot, add the final 2 tablespoons of peanut oil and cook on medium heat the onions, jalapeños, and Serranos chiles for about 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Throw in the browned beef, add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, cilantro, bay leaf, tomatoes, water, and beer and mix everything really well. Add salt to taste.
- Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer uncovered for 2-4 hours, depending on how tender you want your meat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm.
You go, girl…this is The ONE I've been looking for. Born and raised in San Antonio, ate at the first-ever Taco Cabana back in the early 80's, have LOTS of adopted comadres with various recipes…and this one KILLS. Thank you.
A few tweaks that you may want to try, a raging success in my last effort: Tri-Tip for the meat. In a blender/processor, chop the onions, garlic, tomatoes/Rotel, jalapenos & serranos together to make a salsa-like mixture, then add to recipe where requested…it makes the gravy velvety smooth and rich. Your seasoning mix was perfection, and I love the Negra Modelo add. I thought I was back in high school lapping up my senior lunch at one of my fave San Antonio hangs…thanks for the memories.
Mark in Los Angeles
Hey Lisa, Making this recipe right now. I am a native Texan from San Antonio living in San Diego, CA. I love carne guisada and never had tried to make it. Beer was a surprise but threw it in there anyway. Looked at your other Texan recipes and figured you know what your doing. Did not have Modelo but threw in Coors Light. I will let you know how it turns out. Take care. T
Hey Lisa, Im am just now getting back to the comment on how it turned out. Excellent recipe and will make it again and again. Thanks and take care.
OK Lisa….I'm finally getting around to trying to make my own Carne Guisada and your recipe is my first attempt.
I am a Carne Guisada loving fool. I've been known to pull over to previously unknown taco stands just to try their Guisada!
Interestingly enough, the ice house by my house in Bastrop makes a decent Carne Guisada and serves it from their little taco "bar".
I too like the stringy, falls-apart-in-your-mouth type. So, I'm making this for guests tomorrow.
Wish me luck.
I followed this recipe of Lisa, and the result was sooooo yummy! I used beef stew meat and beef tongue meat instead.