Typically this dish is made with flank steak, which is lean and has long, shreddy fibers, and is how the dish earned the name “old clothes.” It’s the traditional choice, but we find it can be a bit tough, even after it’s braised for a long time. We prefer chuck roast for its fat, tenderness, and richness, but at the end of the day, this will be good with whatever you have on hand. Serve with maduros (fried sweet plantains) and Cuban-style black beans.
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
3
2
2
2
2
8
½
4
1
2
1
½
1
2
¾
2
Preparation
Step 1
Pat roast dry with paper towels. Heat oil in a large heatproof pot over high. Cook chuck roast, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides, 5–7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 250°. Cook onion, bell peppers, and salt (plus 2 Tbsp. oil if using flank steak), stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12–14 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pan, until vegetables are golden brown, 3–5 minutes. Stir in wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Stir in paprika, oregano, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne until vegetables are coated; continue to cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and coarsely break up with a spoon (they’ll continue to break down as they cook). Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Nestle roast into tomato mixture and tuck in bay leaves on either side. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise roast and vegetables until meat is very tender and shreds easily, 2½–3 hours. Let cool 15 minutes.
Step 4
Skim excess fat from sauce; discard bay leaves. Using a potato masher or 2 forks, tear and smash beef into sauce until it’s shredded and incorporated into sauce. Stir in olives and vinegar.
Step 5
Divide ropa vieja among plates. Top with cilantro. Serve with rice, maduros, and beans alongside.
Leave a Review
Reviews (67)
Back to TopDelicious! I've never made this dish before and looked at different recipes for Ropa Vieja. I decided to go with bon appetit's version because every dish made with this site's recipes had been spot on so far. I'm happy to add this creation to my virtual recipe box. I followed the instructions except I 1) used a slow cooker after sauteing the flank steak and put all the other ingredients in the slow cooker without cooking them, 2) seasoned the flank steak for about 2 hours with salt, pepper, paprika and cumin prior to sauteing the steak, 3) used one 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes because that's what I had, 4) added 1 1/2 tablespoons of capers, 5) used short squirts of sriracha instead of cayenne and 6) chopped up cerignola olives because that's all I had. I cooked the dish for 5 hours on high. However, I probably could've shortened the time. Next time I'll use chuck as the flank steak was a little tough albeit delicious. I'm looking forward to making this dish again!
Anonymous
NYC
6/6/2018
absolutely incredible. I halved the recipe as I live / cook alone, and I think I have enough for 2 weeks of dinner! Pretty much followed this exactly - I cut my roast in the middle (it was a bit over a pound) and aggressively salted / peppered before browning. I used beef shoulder, roasted in the oven for about 3 hours between 250-300 degrees. shredded beautifully and I shed a tear a bit as I ate :') Also, I used a glass baking dish instead of the original pan, pouring the finished sauce over my browned meat. Can't wait to share this meal with friends.
Anonymous
Barcelona, Spain
7/26/2018
I’ve had this dish in Sourh Florida and Havana, and every time it has been really good. This is better This is the best I’ve had. I used chuck and it was lovely and tender. This is a keeper.
Anonymous
NYC
12/8/2018
Soooo amazing, this is my first experience of Cuban food and after this dish I regret waiting so long.
emilyreeves101
London
2/10/2019
One word - INCREDIBLE! My first time cooking Cuban food and this was seriously one of the best dishes I have ever made. I made it with chuck roast and the only alteration I made was doubling the cayenne. A serious must-try!
Anonymous
Houston, TX
3/4/2019
Wow this was amazing! I will keep this recipe forever and make it again. Everyone loved it. Takes a while to cook so definitely a weekend dinner.
Anonymous
Los Angeles
3/14/2019
it is great and love the name
cocomelon14599
why?
9/30/2019