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.
This recipe, and your wonderful photos, look so delicious that I am actually salivating. And, that is a rarity for me at this early hour, here in California.
Your Guisado is very similar to my Chili Con Carne except you add tomatoes, and my Chili Con Carne has beans. Oh, and the bay leaf, of course.
I have got to have some!! Now I know what I am doing with the big chuck roast I just defrosted!
Thank you, Lisa!! I can’t tell you how much I enjoy your blog!!!
Cheers,
~ Paula
Tommy,
True “Texas Red” chili never has tomatos or beans by tradition. Purists can be very fanatical. Meat, peppers, herbs/spices, and water are the sole ingredients. Masa may be added as a thickener to get the stew-like consistency. Individual palates determine the heat or lack there of in a given recipe. I’ve seen this form of chili served with cornbread, or corn/wheat tortillas.vA modified form sometimes has tomatos but never beans. Military style can have both tomatos and beans as it was easier to strech a batch for large groups. Theories are that military and the natural migration of recipes with travelers added the changes to the original recipe source of Texas Red.
Mmmm. Yum. When I don’t have hours and hours and hours, I make ‘Carne G’, a recipe given to me courtesy of the San Antonio Fire Department, of which my brother in law is a lieutenant.
Kathi–I don’t know anyone else that makes it with beer either, but I like the flavor it adds.
Allie–Wow! That’s great you still have fresh cilantro. I’ve tried to grow it on my fire escape with pretty poor results. But I’m hoping that this year I’ll succeed.
Brenda–This is a perfect cold-weather dish. And how nice to be missed! My job has been crazy so I took a breather from the blog for a week.
Best, Punchy–Hope it compares well with your own recipe.
Matt–Well that’s just too long! You’re very welcome!
Tommy–Sure, asada means grilled so carne asada is simply grilled meat sans gravy. And true Texas chili should never have tomatoes, though onions and garlic are fine by me.
Texasann–If you can make chili, you can make carne guisada. And yep, that’s my grandma!
Paula–This is a wonderful way to use up a big ol’ chuck roast!
Monica–Thanks for the links!
Amber–Ha! Carne G sounds like a rapper! And the San Antonio Fire Department should be a fine source for a recipe!
CraftyCanadian–I have to admit, I don’t have a slow cooker so I don’t know how to cook in one. I know! I know! I should totally get one. But something tells me this would be a wonderful Crock Pot dish.
Miss Meat and Potatoes–Seriously? You have to try it!
I grew up in the Austin area and we ate a lot of carne guisada and potato tacos.
I’ve tried cooking carne guisada in a crock pot and it ends up being too thin. Much prefer the stove top.
Susanne