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Cuban Braised Shredded Beef (Ropa Vieja)
Why This Recipe Works
Traditional ropa vieja recipes require making a beef stock and then using the meat and some of the liquid to make a separate sauté with onion and pepper slices and spices. To simplify, we combined the two cooking methods into the ease of braising in a Dutch oven, which also meant that all of the beef’s juices ended up in the final dish. We eschewed traditional flank steak in favor of brisket, which contains the right mix of beefy flavor and collagen to guarantee just-tender, flavorful juicy shreds. We cut the brisket ahead of time into 2-inch-wide strips to speed cooking and make shredding a breeze. To mimic the meatiness that commonly comes from an MSG-spiked seasoning blend, we chose to sear the meat before braising, and we added two glutamate-rich anchovies to the mix. We found that slowly caramelizing the onion and pepper strips mimicked the deep flavor of a traditional sofrito without requiring an extra step. The final addition of briny chopped green olives and a splash of white vinegar brings all the flavors into sharp focus.
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Ingredients
1 (2-pound) beef brisket, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
Salt and pepper
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, halved and sliced thin
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into ¼-inch-wide strips
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1(8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
¾ cup pitted green olives, chopped coarse
¾ teaspoon white wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
Instructions
Look for a brisket that is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick. Serve with steamed white rice and beans. Another good accompaniment is our recipe for Fried Sweet Plantains (see related content).
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut brisket against grain into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut any strips longer than 5 inches in half crosswise. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to large plate and set aside. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until softened and pan bottom develops fond, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty pot, then add anchovies, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and bay leaves. Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer over high heat. Transfer to oven and cook, covered, until beef is just tender, 2 to 2 1/4 hours, flipping meat halfway through cooking.
2. Transfer beef to cutting board. Remove and discard bay leaves. When beef is cool enough to handle, shred into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Meanwhile, add olives and reserved vegetables to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat; simmer until thickened and measures 4 cups, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in beef. Add vinegar. Season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste; serve.
Fried Sweet Plantains (Plátanos Maduros)
Ingredients
3cups vegetable oil
5 very ripe black plantains (8 ½ ounces each), peeled and sliced on bias into ½-inch pieces
Instructions
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish
Make sure to use plantains that are very ripe and black.
Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it registers 350 degrees. Carefully add one-third of plantains and cook until dark brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon. Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer plantains to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. (Do not place plantains on paper towel or they will stick.) Season liberally with salt. Repeat with remaining plantains in two more batches. Serve immediately.
Why This Recipe Works
Traditional ropa vieja recipes require making a beef stock and then using the meat and some of the liquid to make a separate sauté with onion and pepper slices and spices. To simplify, we combined the two cooking methods into the ease of braising in a Dutch oven, which also meant that all of the beef’s juices ended up in the final dish. We eschewed traditional flank steak in favor of brisket, which contains the right mix of beefy flavor and collagen to guarantee just-tender, flavorful juicy shreds. We cut the brisket ahead of time into 2-inch-wide strips to speed cooking and make shredding a breeze. To mimic the meatiness that commonly comes from an MSG-spiked seasoning blend, we chose to sear the meat before braising, and we added two glutamate-rich anchovies to the mix. We found that slowly caramelizing the onion and pepper strips mimicked the deep flavor of a traditional sofrito without requiring an extra step. The final addition of briny chopped green olives and a splash of white vinegar brings all the flavors into sharp focus.
...
Ingredients
1 (2-pound) beef brisket, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
Salt and pepper
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, halved and sliced thin
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into ¼-inch-wide strips
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1(8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
¾ cup pitted green olives, chopped coarse
¾ teaspoon white wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
Instructions
Look for a brisket that is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches thick. Serve with steamed white rice and beans. Another good accompaniment is our recipe for Fried Sweet Plantains (see related content).
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut brisket against grain into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut any strips longer than 5 inches in half crosswise. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to large plate and set aside. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until softened and pan bottom develops fond, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl and set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty pot, then add anchovies, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and bay leaves. Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot and bring to simmer over high heat. Transfer to oven and cook, covered, until beef is just tender, 2 to 2 1/4 hours, flipping meat halfway through cooking.
2. Transfer beef to cutting board. Remove and discard bay leaves. When beef is cool enough to handle, shred into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Meanwhile, add olives and reserved vegetables to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat; simmer until thickened and measures 4 cups, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in beef. Add vinegar. Season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste; serve.
Fried Sweet Plantains (Plátanos Maduros)
Ingredients
3cups vegetable oil
5 very ripe black plantains (8 ½ ounces each), peeled and sliced on bias into ½-inch pieces
Instructions
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish
Make sure to use plantains that are very ripe and black.
Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it registers 350 degrees. Carefully add one-third of plantains and cook until dark brown on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon. Using wire skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer plantains to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. (Do not place plantains on paper towel or they will stick.) Season liberally with salt. Repeat with remaining plantains in two more batches. Serve immediately.