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This easy carne guisada recipe is for Tex Mex style or Mexican beef stew. Chunks of beef simmered in fragrant brown gravy until tender. It’s so simple to prepare and you probably already have the ingredients on hand!
Recipe for Carne Guisada
Carne means “meat” in Spanish. Carne de res is how you say “beef” and it often gets shortened to just “carne.” Authentic carne asada is grilled and carne guisada is stewed.
Carne guisada is a comforting, filling, flavorful dinner that is traditionally served with homemade flour tortillas, rice and beans.
My cousins in Texas like to serve it over mashed potatoes which is really yummy, too.
You can also roll it up taco style and top with cheddar cheese – yum!
I highly recommend serving with the homemade flour tortillas if you can. They melt in your mouth and complement the meat perfectly.
You don’t even need utensils to eat when you can scoop it up with a tortilla!
The beef cooks low and slow so that all the ingredients melt down into a stew.
To make it an even heartier meal, you can add potatoes and carrots while it’s simmering.
I love to cook it all in my cast iron skillet for even more flavor.
How to make Carne Guisada
What type of meat is carne guisada? You’ll want to use stew meat which can be any kind of beef chuck or beef round.
I typically pick up the packet of meat that says “stew meat” and is already conveniently diced up.
If using a chunk of meat such as top round, you’ll need to cut the beef into 1-inch cubes.
Dice up an onion. Optionally, you can also dice up a green bell pepper.
We typically don’t make it with the green pepper, but it’s a common ingredient in carne guisada.
Some people will even substitute a spicy pepper such as jalapeño or poblano.
You’ll also need tomato or tomato sauce. We usually use Spanish style tomato sauce since we always have it on hand, especially when tomatoes are not in season.
The beauty of this recipe is that is can be made on any night with whatever you have on hand.
Besides the beef and vegetables, the sauce is seasoned with ground cumin. Of course, if you can freshly grind your own it tastes the best.
All-purpose flour is used to thicken it up into a nice gravy.
This carne guisada recipe cooks low and slow for at least 1 ½ hours.
The meat should be fall-apart tender and the gravy thick and rich.
It’s not a quick meal, but it produces the best flavor!
If you want a delicious dinner in about 20 minutes, try my Mexican Pork Stew (Puerco en Salsa Roja) recipe instead.
That guiso has only two ingredients yet tastes like it was simmering for hours!
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Tender chunks of beef simmered in a flavorful Mexican gravy. Flour tortillas are the perfect accompaniment for this carne guisada recipe.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs stew meat
- 1 tablespoon oil (lard, bacon grease, etc)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced (optional)
- 3 tablespoons tomato sauce or 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup water or chicken stock
- Flour tortillas, rice or mashed potatoes, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pan, brown the stew meat in oil of choice with onions and green pepper (if using) over high heat.
- Add the tomato sauce (or tomato), garlic powder (or fresh garlic), cumin, salt and pepper and stir well.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat and mix well. Add the water (or stock) and mix well so there are no lumps.
- Bring to a boil, cover pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 ½ hours, or until meat is tender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Serve with rice, tortillas or mashed potatoes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6Serving Size: 8oz
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 606Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 226mgSodium: 982mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 78g
Nutritional information provided is an estimate only. Please consult the labels of ingredients you use for more accurate results.
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Try this Mexican pork stew:
You might also like this great Southwestern side dish packed with veggies and cheese! Calabacitas con Queso:
FAQs
Carne guisada, which translates to “stewed meat,” is a slow-simmered dish that varies across the state. Some people make their carne guisada with pork, others with chicken. The most common meat used, however is beef. Another variable with carne guisada is how the gravy is made.
How do you thicken carne guisada? ›
This is another method for thickening up the gravy if you are short on time or the gravy is too thin. Mix together 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with ⅓ cup of water. Stir into Carne Guisada and turn slow cooker to high, cook for 15 minutes or until gravy thickens.
What is difference between carne asada and carne guisada? ›
Carne Asada is typically a skirt steak that has been marinated in lime juice, various Mexican seasonings and cut into long strips. Carne Guisada, on the other hand, is typically made from beef stew meat, has various veggies and is more of a Mexican stew.
How to cook beef stew meat so it is tender? ›
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
What is Mexican beef called? ›
Carne Asada – Marinated, grilled, sliced beef, cooked so there is some charring to impact flavor.
What meat is the same as carne asada? ›
Carne asada is grilled and sliced beef, usually skirt steak, flap steak, or flank steak though chuck steak (known as diezmillo in Spanish) can also be used. It is usually marinated then grilled or seared to impart a charred flavor. Carne asada can be served on its own or as an ingredient in other dishes.
Why is my carne guisada watery? ›
This usually happens when you've added too much liquid to your mix, essentially turning your stew into a soup. Luckily, it's easy to use flour, starch, vegetables and grains to thicken beef stews.
What if my carne guisada is too watery? ›
You can take two routes to help thicken your liquid.
- Reduce the liquid after cooking. Once your stew is complete, remove the meat and veg, then strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer. ...
- Make a roux (equal parts flour & butter cooked together in a pan) or use cornstarch & water.
Cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. When a gravy, sauce, soup or stew recipe calls for flour, use half as much cornstarch to thicken. To thicken hot liquids, first mix cornstarch with a little cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into hot liquid until blended.
What is guisado in English? ›
Guisado, or guiso, is a term for something braised, stewy, homey, and delicious. It's a Mexican concept, but it can be applied to food worldwide.
The term carne asada in Spanish translates to roasted or grilled meat in English. That's why it's important to recognize that, in Mexico, carne asada refers to how the beef is cooked rather than a specific recipe. Think of it as like how Americans refer to chicken cooked on the grill as grilled or barbecued chicken.
What is the origin of carne guisada? ›
Carne guisada, which translated means beef stew, is a Latin dish that originated in Puerto Rico and has been adapted in one form or another into Mexican and/or Tex-Mex cuisine.
Does vinegar tenderize meat? ›
The answer is yes—to an extent. When collagen and muscle fibers, the connective tissues in meat that make it tough, are tenderized and broken down, it helps the meat retain all of its juices. Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt and wine weaken collagen and protein in meat.
What is the best tenderizer for stew meat? ›
Our Top Meat Tenderizer Picks
- Best Overall (and Best Mallet-Style Meat Tenderizer): OXO Good Grips Die Cast Meat Tenderizer.
- Best Short-Handle Meat Tenderizer: Norpro GRIP-EZ Tenderizer Pounder.
- Best Blade Meat Tenderizer: OXO Good Grips Bladed Meat Tenderizer.
Place a lid on top, turn heat down to low, then simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove lid then gently simmer for another 1-1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender and stew has thickened, stirring occasionally. If the stew begins to reduce too quickly before the meat is tender, place the lid back on top.
What cut of meat is used for carne? ›
Carne asada is typically made with skirt steak, but I wanted to test out a variety of inexpensive cuts to be sure. I bought a half dozen different cuts of beef and marinated them in a basic mixture of lime juice, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, and chiles before grilling them to medium-rare over hot coals.
What cut of meat is carne? ›
In Central and South America, we call pretty much any barbecued or grilled meat asado (or carne asada). The BEST cuts for the Mexican version of the dish we all know and love are either skirt steak or flank steak. Personally, I prefer skirt steak (pictured).
Is carne asada a cow or pig? ›
Carne asada, which in English means "grilled meat," is beef. For this Mexican dish, one-inch-thick steaks are marinated in lime juice and seasonings, grilled, and then cut into thin strips. Carne asada is either served as a main course typically with rice and beans, or used as a filling for tacos or burritos.
What part of the cow is carne asada? ›
The most common cuts of beef used when making carne asada are flank steak and skirt steak. This is because you want a steak that will not only absorb the flavors of the marinade well but grill easily as well.
