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?
—————
Would you like more Homesick Texan? Well, I’ve started offering additional recipes for paid subscribers to help with the costs of running the site. While I’m not taking anything away, if you’d like to support Homesick Texan and have access to exclusive, never-seen-before subscriber-only posts, please consider becoming a member; annual subscriptions are as low as $25. Thank you for reading, your consideration, and your support!
—————
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.
I'm glad you suggested round steak. The Mex restaurants used chuck because it was cheaper. They also made a thicker gravy because it would be more filling. In order to same time, they didn't saute the meat but threw everything into a large pot which made the meat steamy and gray. My mother always sauteed the cubes of round steak until they browned like you stated. The brown stuff or "fond" on bottom of skillet make a wonderful sauce. We skip the hot peppers and serve it on the side after it's cooked. That way everyone can add however much heat they want. We never added beer or cilantro or bay leaf it might be interesting. Mom and gma would also crush fresh garlic and cumin seeds in the mocahete bowl (lava rock bowl) and add it to the cooked meat. That bowl became wonderfully seasoned with those ground spices and it just made the guisada so savory. Fresh made tortillas, fresh pot of beans, delicate Spanish rice, fresh made salsa (also crushed in the mocajete) and I was in heaven.
Thanks for this. Since I am married to someone from New Mexico, sometimes we have a Carne Guisada/Green Chile Stew Hybrid. Your recipe but add flour to ziplock bag and put raw meat in before browning. Then replace other chilies with plenty of Green Chilies and a 28 oz can of Pozole for a Tex/New Mex winner my kids don't get from either grandma. Porfirio
This is awesome!!!! Just like I remember from San Antonio! Thank you for posting this.
Thank you. I brown my beef cubes, then put everything in a crock pot for about 3-4 hours. You have 2 ingredients that I've not tried–beer and bay leaf. Today I added bay leaf to try. Next time I'll get some beer. I learned to make this in Lubbock, Texas, from a friend, Mrs. Velasquez who was an awesome cook. I like it as a taco/tacquito in a flour tortilla with pico de gallo. One of my favorite meals. It's also awesome over rice. I haven't tried the layered with beans–another option.
This dish is known as "guiso" in San Angelo. It is often hit-or-miss when ordering this in a restaurant or taqueria – sometimes the meat is not cooked enough and in chunks that are too large. But when it is on, it is my favorite Tex-Mex. I've always wanted to try making it myself when I could take the time to do it right.
Thanks so much for posting your recipe. I just finished my first guiso using your recipe and its freaking delicious, probably better than any I've ever had!