By Von Diaz
- Total Time
- 3 hours, plus marinating
- Rating
- 4(215)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Among the most recognizable dishes of my culture, carne guisada will cure what ails you. Beef is slowly braised with aromatic sofrito and tomatoes, producing a rich, delicious dish you’re likely to eat too much of. For those who have lived in Puerto Rican enclaves such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago or Orlando, Fla., this is a daily staple at cafeteria-style lunch counters, as it is on the island. You can also use this recipe to make pollo guisado, equally popular and common, simply by using chicken and adjusting the cooking time accordingly.
Featured in: Von Diaz’s Essential Puerto Rican Recipes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 2teaspoons olive oil
- 2teaspoons white vinegar
- 2large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- 2 to 3pounds beef chuck roast or boneless short ribs (see Note), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1cup fresh sofrito
- 1tablespoon store-bought or homemade sazón
- 1½cups low-sodium beef broth (or water), plus more if needed
- 1(14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 3dried bay leaves
- 1medium carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1large celery stalk, chopped
- 1pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- Cooked white rice, for serving
For the Adobo
For the Guisado
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
380 calories; 17 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 798 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the adobo: Combine the adobo ingredients in a small bowl, or blend in a large pilón or mortar and pestle.
Step
2
Prepare the guisado: Pat meat dry and put in a medium lidded bowl or a resealable bag. Evenly coat with the adobo and let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or in the refrigerator overnight.
Step
3
Heat vegetable oil in a large lidded, heavy-bottomed pot over high. Working in batches as needed to prevent crowding, add beef, shaking loose any additional adobo beforehand. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, flipping often to brown evenly. Transfer meat to a clean bowl and set aside.
Step
4
Lower heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and pour in sofrito, adding olive oil as needed if the pan is too dry. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until liquid has evaporated.
Step
5
Add sazón and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth (or water), tomatoes and their juices, and bay leaves, and scrape up any browned bits using a wooden spoon.
Step
6
Nestle meat into sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, then cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Step
7
Add carrot and celery, and cook, covered, for 1 more hour, adding more water or broth if needed. At this stage, check the tenderness of the meat. It should start to get close to falling apart when pressed with the back of a spoon.
Step
8
Add potatoes and cook, covered, for 30 minutes more, until meat and potatoes are cooked through and tender.
Step
9
Adjust salt to taste, and serve on a plate or in a shallow bowl over a mound of white rice.
Tip
- If using short ribs, which tend to be fattier, you’ll get a richer, darker, more velvety sauce. It’s a matter of taste, and both yield delicious results.
Ratings
4
out of 5
215
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Cooking Notes
Prakash Nadkarni
Good straightforward recipe. However, it cries out for an Instant Pot with manual release, which would shorten steps 6,7 and 8 to a third of the indicated times (plus time to reach pressure). Third-world cooks have always been more accepting of pressure cooking, because fuel is relatively expensive. Anthony Bourdain, in "Parts Unknown", visited a working-class Brazilian family who made feijoada (assorted fresh+preserved meats+black beans) in a pressure cooker for him.
Moyra
I used a pressure cooker and shorten steps 6,7 and 8 to 1hr total. I also didn't need to add more broth because it didn't evaporate. Instead of celery I used potatoes and instead of tomatoes I used a couple table spoons of tomato paste. My stew was so good my guests had thirds and there were no leftovers. Something else I did was to use Loisa's sazon, adobo and sofrito which gives it an authentic cuban flavor (I'm cuban :))
Kate
Very solid stew. I quadrupled the carrots and celery, threw in three crushed guindilla peppers and served topped with avocado and more cilantro.
Chloé
I followed this recipe as is up to step 7. I then separated the broth from the veggies and shredded the beef. I returned the beef and veggies to the pot and simmered, uncovered, for an hour. This allowed the broth to thicken a little and the gave the beef a decadent flavor. After and hour I returned the veggies to the pot and let heat through. Preferring crispy potatoes, I opted to roast the potatoes separately in the oven with sazon seasoning. I served the stew over the potatoes. Delicious!
Sarah
Great recipe--used yellow bell pepper instead of aji and it worked beautifully. Didn't have culantro so just doubled the cilantro. I will most definitely make this again and it made the house smell wonderful.
anthony
I doubled the amount of sazon used, it came out great.
rose
Instant pot high pressure the meat 25min, then add veggies and 10min
TaiL
I made several slight alterations based on my childhood experiences and my titi's guisadas, but this is a stellar recipe. This is the base of every guisado that everyone needs to know about! You can play with this month after month, use different proteins (especially beef and chicken) and cook for the whole week. I love Von Diaz, bringing our cuisine to the next level AND to the American public! Slay, sister!
AW
Third time making it. It gets better each time. Followed it exactly as written, except used store bought sofrito and sazon to save time. I served it with arroz verde (see recipe here on NYT Cooking). Perfection.
note
Add more carrots celery and potatoes
AW
Outstanding. We used store bought sofrito and sazon to save time. For the potatoes, we had some small red potatoes in the house already, so I cut them up (skin on) and used those instead of Yukon Gold. I had to cook the potatoes a bit longer because they were red and not the softer ones called for in the recipe. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. It came out extremely well. Great flavor. Kids have already asked when I'm making it again.
rose
Instant pot high pressure the meat 25min, then add veggies and 10min
Joe
Made this and it was a nice change-up from the usual Pot Roast, but it didn't have the savory Caribe punch I was expecting. I used Chuck, a smoked ham hock, and some pork belly. Can't recommend using PB, as it rendered a lot of fat. The soffrito, prepared per the recipe was, to my taste, bland. Perhaps should have tossed in a couple of Scotch Bonnets.
Chloé
I followed this recipe as is up to step 7. I then separated the broth from the veggies and shredded the beef. I returned the beef and veggies to the pot and simmered, uncovered, for an hour. This allowed the broth to thicken a little and the gave the beef a decadent flavor. After and hour I returned the veggies to the pot and let heat through. Preferring crispy potatoes, I opted to roast the potatoes separately in the oven with sazon seasoning. I served the stew over the potatoes. Delicious!
anthony
I doubled the amount of sazon used, it came out great.
Very Good Beef
Didn't change a thing. Great
Moyra
I used a pressure cooker and shorten steps 6,7 and 8 to 1hr total. I also didn't need to add more broth because it didn't evaporate. Instead of celery I used potatoes and instead of tomatoes I used a couple table spoons of tomato paste. My stew was so good my guests had thirds and there were no leftovers. Something else I did was to use Loisa's sazon, adobo and sofrito which gives it an authentic cuban flavor (I'm cuban :))
Kate
Very solid stew. I quadrupled the carrots and celery, threw in three crushed guindilla peppers and served topped with avocado and more cilantro.
Sarah
Great recipe--used yellow bell pepper instead of aji and it worked beautifully. Didn't have culantro so just doubled the cilantro. I will most definitely make this again and it made the house smell wonderful.
Tina
Very tasty dish! I didn’t have white vinegar so I substituted white wine vinegar and chicken broth for beef broth. I also added a Serrano pepper in the stew for added heat. I would definitely make this again.
Prakash Nadkarni
Good straightforward recipe. However, it cries out for an Instant Pot with manual release, which would shorten steps 6,7 and 8 to a third of the indicated times (plus time to reach pressure). Third-world cooks have always been more accepting of pressure cooking, because fuel is relatively expensive. Anthony Bourdain, in "Parts Unknown", visited a working-class Brazilian family who made feijoada (assorted fresh+preserved meats+black beans) in a pressure cooker for him.
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