Carne Guisada is a Mexican-Style slow-braised, beef stew dish that is out of this world! It's tender and wonderfully cooked in a luscious tomato-based gravy. It's great piled onto soft flour tortillas or even onto tortilla chips for the best nacho ever!
I've made mine in slow cooker to make this recipe incredibly easy. However, I've included dutch oven or an Instant Pot instructions. Serve this fantastically tender beef on warm tortillas for an ultimate comfort food delight!
Let's get started!
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And, if you're in the mood for more simple, slow cooker/Instant Pot/dutch oven, you've come to the right place! Try my Instant Pot Pot Roast, Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip, or my Braised Pork Shoulder. All so good, all so easy!
Pull Up A Chair And Let's Chat!
This carne guisada dish is not only incredibly tasty, but it truly is one of the easiest recipes a slow cooker has ever met. With prep time only a matter of minutes, minimal chopping, Carne Guisada is sure to be a family favorite. Try it once and I promise you'll add it to your weekly rotation!
What Goes In It
Beef Chuck Roast - My favorite cut of beef for slow cooking. It becomes soft and tender and wonderful.
Beef Broth - For the braising liquid. You can use chicken broth as well, but use a good quality one. The ingredient list is short, so quality will matter and you'll be able to taste the difference.
Yellow Onion and Garlic - I cannot imagine a world where most recipes don't start with these things. They go together like peas and carrots.
Canned Whole Tomatoes and Tomato Paste - For the rich, wonderful tomato flavor that makes up the braising liquid/gravy.
Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, and Bay Leaves - Cumin and chili powder for their quintessential Mexican flavor and bay leaves for their herbal, earthy flavor. This is where the classic Carne Guisada flavor comes from.
A Word About What Cut of Beef To Use
I will forever be a fan of the chuck roast for slow cooking beef. It has the perfect amount of fat that not only gives this carne guisada amazing flavor, but it will give you that succulent, fall-apart tender beef that we all know and love.
Other cuts you can consider would be an arm roast or a round roast. Both perfectly acceptable choices, but they are leaner. This means they will not get to that unctuous texture. It'll be very good, just not great.
My Top Tip: Do not use store-bought, pre-cut "stew meat". That will be a collection of chopped mystery meat from the nip of the nose to the tip of the tail. You don't know where or from what cut it's came. Might be tough. Might not. Don't risk it. Not worth it.
How To Make It
Not only is Carne Guisada one of the most delicious dishes to ever grace a warm tortilla, but it is also one of the easiest. Grab your slow cooker and let's go!
Now, listen closely, this is gonna go quick. All you need to do, to make one of the world's true comfort foods is give the roast a quick sear and throw everything into the slow cooker, set it, and forget it.
I designed this carne guisada recipe to be super easy, super convenient. Sear it, chuck it all in and carry on with your day! We've got world domination to do, after all!
For The Instant Pot: Simply sear using the high sauté function and add all of the ingredients, cook on high pressure for an hour and a half. Allow pressure to release naturally. Remove lid and shred beef.
For A Dutch Oven: Sear the beef in the dutch oven and then add all of the remaining ingredients, cover with a lid, and place into a 250° oven for 6-8 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender.
How To Enjoy It (Hint: It's Not Hard)
This is my favorite part and I can become a bit excited. I'm gonna apologize in advance. Sorry, not sorry.
To begin, Carne Guisada served on warm homemade flour tortillas is one of life's try joys. Sprinkle with a little cheese and maybe some fresh cilantro leaves and I am in heaven!
You can also serve it over mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or even grits. It's delectable either way.
There are also the usual suspects - nachos, tacos, and rice bowls. Carne Guisada is a great protein option for all of those!
Always keep some pico de gallo or salsa verde close by. Naturally. Try it with my Instant Pot Pinto Beans or Queso Fundido. This is my dream meal. I'm drooling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this dish gluten-free?
The actual Carne Guisada recipe is gluten-free. There is no flour or anything that will cause concern for anyone following a gluten-free lifestyle. Just make sure to be aware of anything you serve with it.
Is Carne Guisada dairy-free?
This dish is dairy-free. Nothing in the recipe would be of any concern for someone with a dairy issue. Just make sure you are mindful of the toppings!
Why don't I cut up the chuck roast before cooking?
Simple. I don't like cutting up raw meat if I don't have to. Also, this recipe is designed to be low maintenance. The chuck roast will cook low and slow and become so fall apart tender at the end, that cutting is just unnecessary. At the end of cooking, you can shred the beef by barely touching it with a fork. Yummmmm!
Nevertheless, if you want to cut it up beforehand, go for it!
Variations
- The Spices - You can add your favorite taco seasoning blend here if you don't have the separate spices on hand.
- Heat - If you like things spicier, throw in a jalapeño or serrano into the cooking bowl along with the roast.
- Broth - The broth you use is up to you. I used a beef broth, but chicken or vegetable will work. If you use water, you'll need to add extra salt.
- Beer - You can add beer instead of broth for a fantastic flavor
- Thickening the gravy - Because we cook the roast whole and then shred it in the gravy, I personally do not feel like it needs to be thicker. It all comes together perfectly. However, if you want the carne guisada to be a little thicker, you can add either a cornstarch slurry or some flour mixed with butter. It'll thicken right up!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the microwave, covered with a damp towel, in small increments until warmed through.
- Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop on medium heat until warmed through.
- This recipe can be frozen and will stay food in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Carne Guisada aka Mexican Braised Beef
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1 (15 oz) can whole tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, rough chopped
- 7-8 cloves garlic
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoon cumin
- 1½ teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Liberally salt and pepper the roast and sear it on all sides. See note below.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the cooking bowl along with the roast.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Just make sure to cook long enough for the meat to become fall apart tender.
- Shred the beef with forks in the cooking bowl along with the braising liquid. Mash any garlic cloves or whole tomatoes into the sauce. Stir everything around.
- Serve on tortillas and garnish with pico de gallo, avocados, cilantro, cheese, etc.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you guys make this Carne Guisada, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I absolutely love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every one of your comments!
Thank you!
I am so incredibly happy that you are here! I hope you try my Carne Guisada recipe and fall in love with it. If you make this recipe, please share and tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok! And, please leave a comment or review. I absolutely love seeing each and every one of your kitchen masterpieces. And, as always, if you ever have any questions about any of my recipes, please don't hesitate to contact me!
Happy Cooking!
-Rufus
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