Dec 4, 2000

Mexican Beef Stew

Photo: Laurie Smith

SERVES 8

On the Isthmus, it is still the custom to cook the meat from an entire cow overnight in jarros, which are large ceramic pots, in backyard ovens. The result of the long, slow-cooking process is a meltingly tender stew of meat and vegetables, best scooped up with tortillas.

5 dried guajillo chiles
3 dried ancho chiles
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
3/4 tbsp. ground Mexican cinnamon
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small tart green apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
3 ripe plantains, peeled and finely chopped
5 bay leaves, crumbled
2 1/2 lbs. boneless chuck (or round), cut into 2'' pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup lard, melted
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1-2 tbsp. sugar
16-24 corn tortillas, warmed

1. Rinse guajillo and ancho chiles. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add chiles, and cook, turning, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Transfer chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak until soft, about 25 minutes. Drain chiles and remove and discard stems and seeds. (It is best to wear rubber gloves when handling chiles because oils can irritate skin.)

2. Place chiles in a blender. Add garlic, oregano, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup water. Purée until smooth. Press through a sieve into a bowl.

3. Preheat oven to 275°. Mix together tomatoes, onions, apple, pineapple, plantains, and bay leaves in a bowl. Season beef with salt and pepper. Place about one-third of the beef in a 4-quart dutch oven. Top with one-third of the tomato mixture, then one-third of the chile purée. Repeat layering with remaining beef, tomato mixture, and chile purée. Pour lard on top, cover, and cook in the oven, stirring occasionally, until beef breaks down, about 8 hours. Stir in bread crumbs and sugar. Serve warm with tortillas.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #16

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Ratings & Reviews (9)

by scaffnet on 2010-01-18

The meat from an entire cow in a clay jar? That must be one huge jar. I have the meat from half a cow in my freezer and it weighs 250 pounds!

by sellmoremeals on 2010-01-18

I'd love to see pictures of that process myself, scaffnet. Though it's multiple jars, not one big jar.

by chermar on 2010-01-19

Someone gave me a slow cooker and I've been looking for recipes... any tips on using this recipe in a crock pot?

by mstanger on 2010-02-05

Fantastic recipe. Plantains are hard to come by around here, so I used underripe bananas without a problem. In the future, I will bump up the liquid in the chile paste. 1/4 cup makes it too thick and unwieldy to get through the sieve, plus I had to add liquid toward the end as it began to dry out too much. Go with 3/4-1 cup of the soaking liquid (why use water when you have a flavorful broth sitting right there?).

by annielaurieshepard@yahoo.com on 2010-03-21

wow, this was delicious, and easy to prepare. I used bacon instead of lard however and did not see the need to strain the chili and it turned out fine...very well received

by MASHABEDDA on 2010-11-22

Needs serious modification- it's SO SWEET that it's difficult to eat. Maybe the writer couldn't get sweet pineapples or something? The only thing I changed was that I added unsalted butter instead of lard, and I didn't add sugar because it would have crossed the line from edible to disgusting. I'm hoping to counteract the unbelievable sweetness with sour cream when I get home from work today...

by MASHABEDDA on 2010-11-22

@chermar-

i used the pot for my crock pot (it's ceramic and glass) in the oven (i don't have a dutch oven)... is that helpful? Haha.

by bigrey on 2010-12-14

This is an interesting take on this dish. The fruit adds a sweet undertone and the plantains add some starch. I could only find under ripe plantains, so cut them very fine to assist them in dissolving into the mixture. I also added an extra tablespoon of sugar at the end, and split the sugar 2/3 light brown and 1/3 white.I stirred at 2 hour intervals initially, and then every hour following. The dish was done for me, in just 7 hours. Made the kitchen and house smell wonderful the entire time. Garnished with some chopped cilantro and enjoyed with warm tortillas. An easy recipe for a very comforting dish.