This carne guisada recipe is a crowd favorite at Ninfa’s in Houston. Founded by local legend Mama Ninfa, the 50-year-old Texas institution has two locations, each filled nightly with families that have been visiting for generations. “The kids grow up and come back,” says chef Alex Padilla who’s worked on the line for 17 years. “And now they’re bringing their kids.”
A hallmark of Tex-Mex cuisine, this slow-cooked beef stew is the descendant of a Puerto Rican dish by the same name (the main difference lies in the base aromatics of the dish). Though the cook time here is an investment, the results are worth the multiple-hour braise: tender, shreddy short ribs in a deeply flavorful tomato sauce. Padilla cooks carne guisada on the stovetop, but you could easily do the first round of braising in a slow cooker for a partly hands-off approach, then cool and chill the mixture for up to three days before continuing.
Serve the spiced stew meat and sauce over white rice, or with warm flour tortillas for tacos. The chunks of beef, potato, and veggies also make a great filling for enchiladas, a topping for tostadas, or the base of a breakfast hash. Save any unused braising liquid to use in place of beef broth in your next batch of soup.
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
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Wooden Spoon
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Ladle
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Recipe information
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
2
8
3–4
1
3
1
3
2
6
1
1
1
2
1½
1
Preparation
Step 1
Cut 1 medium onion in half and smash 4 garlic cloves. Place 3–4 lb. boneless beef short ribs, cut into 4" pieces, in a large heavy pot. Add 1 bay leaf, smashed garlic, an onion half, and 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt; pour in water just to cover meat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, occasionally skimming foam from surface, until meat is nearly fork-tender, about 3 hours. Transfer meat to a large bowl. Strain braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl; discard solids. Set liquid aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 1 lb. red potatoes, peeled, cut into 1" pieces, in a medium pot of salted boiling water until just fork-tender, 8–10 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Step 3
When short ribs are almost done braising, coarsely chop remaining 1½ medium onions and finely chop remaining 4 garlic cloves. Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in another large heavy pot. Cook onions, garlic, 2 lb. tomatoes, coarsely chopped, 6 oz. tomatillos (about 3 medium), coarsely chopped, 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped, 1 green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped, 1 small jalapeño, finely chopped, and 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 18–22 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp. tomato paste, 1½ tsp. ground cumin, and 1 tsp. ground coriander; season generously with freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are coated and mixture is pasty, about 4 minutes.
Step 4
Add short ribs, potatoes, and 3 cups reserved braising liquid to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat falls apart easily, 65–75 minutes. Let cool slightly; ladle into bowls and top with cilantro sprigs.
Leave a Review
Reviews (3)
Back to TopThis was fantastic. I made half a portion with a full amount of veg and ate it for several days. I went "all out" and made homemade tortillas to dip/scoop, and I was so happy I did. The only thing I thought it needed was a squeeze of lime on top.Will definitely make this again.
Helena
Copenhagen, Denmark
5/13/2024
Well worth the time. This is a great Sunday Supper recipe as it eats amazing and is great as leftovers for the work week. The jalapeño added just enough kick without being too hot. I would dice the tomatoes and peppers a little bit finer next time so it doesn’t take as much of a bite.
Adam L
Arlington, WA
10/8/2023
I, a picky eater, married a picky eater and produced four little picky eaters. And we still thought this was delicious. Takes a lot of time and requires a lot of chopping, but overall it's not difficult to make and as a result you get a rich, flavorful, vegetable-packed beef stew. Like other reviewers said, it would be great with rice or toasted tortilla strips. If you have the time, definitely make this.
Anonymous
Oregon
3/1/2023
I tore out the recipe for this from the BA mag and thought about it for several days. I hoped more people would make it and comment so I could see their modifications, but if you’re like me and like to read other people’s variations, here’s what I did: -I used 4 lb stew meat because it was on sale. It was delicious. -I simmered the beef as written, but then did the second step in a slow cooker. I used the sauté setting to break down the vegetables and then slow cooked for a few hours because I had to leave the house and didn’t want to leave this on my stove top. -I didn’t cook the potatoes separately and added them during the slow cook stage. -I double or tripled the seasoning. This chopping and patience this took paid off. I served it by itself with tortillas but it would be nice over rice. I added lots of hot sauce; I would probably do 3-4 jalapeños next time. BA has done it again etc. etc.
Alex
Kansas City, MO
2/21/2023
This recipe is worth the (long) time it takes to put it together. It's actually a very simple and the perfect thing to make on a Sunday afternoon when you' re around the house for hours anyway. The instructions didn't say to cover the pot while it simmers so for the first two hours I kept checking on the water level and refilling the pot with boiling water from my tea kettle to keep the meat covered. I then gave up on that (worried that I was losing flavor) and covered the pot for the third hour. By then the meat was falling apart and tender so I didn't need the 4th hour of cooking after combining all the ingredients at the end. The meat was soft and delicious and the flavors were excellent. I will definitely make this recipe again.
Ann H
Valencia, Spain
2/13/2023
Things I liked about this recipe: * boiled 1lb potatoes in salted water 1” thick for 8-10 min then threw them in soup for the final hour, simmering. Potatoes are very glutinous and soft when bitten into. Perfect for all stews * Created a stock by slow cooking meat with half onion and several cloves of garlic. Used that for the broth when putting stew together
Isaiah Gray
Chicago, IL
2/13/2023