This recipe is tasty, but for the purists out there -- Cubans do not eat tortillas, sour cream, cheese, etc. Ropa vieja would be served over white rice, with a side of black beans and fried sweet plantains. =) That's what I recommend -- I'm Cuban! =)
And 5 more stars too! I made this with a 4 lb chuck roast, doubled all the ingredients and added a LOT more garlic (that's my personal preference, but 2 cloves sounded way too light for this much meat!)The only other change I made was to add 2 packets of Goya sazon and some capers near the end. This recipe is as good as ANYTHING you'll get in a cuban restaurant(even in Miami). Served it with moros y christianos (black beans & white rice) for a really traditional cuban meal. A good squeeze of lime on top is all it needs. do try this..you won't be disappointed!
My husband is Cuban and he loved this dish! As suggested by other reviewers, I increased the amount of garlic. I did add some extra cumin and some salt towards the end to adjust the flavors.
I bought a crock pot specifically for this recipe. I could not have been HAPPIER!!! I made this ropa vieja for my boyfriend's 30th birthday and I got nothing but rave reviews for days to come! The only changes I made was I added an entire head of garlic (chopped) and 1/2 a 7oz jar of diced red pimientos in addition to all the other ingredients. I also took out some of the liquid approx 1 hour prior to finishing (on the 4 hours HIGH mode) shredded the meat then and added 2 tblspns of Brown Sugar then stirred. This really made the flavors come alive by the end of the 4 hours. Probably one of the best recipes I've ever made! Served over white rice black beans w/ salad. THank you so much!!
Hi! This is my recipe. When you send things in AR tweaks them. I definately add more cumin and vinegar (apple cider) and don't add the cilantro till serving. I also add a sazon packet and bay leaf. Hope you love it as much as my family does!
This came out great. I served it with black beans, white rice, and maduros (sweet plantains). I did however only give it a 4 because I did make some adjustments to make it come out more flavorful. First, I made sure to season and marinade the beef the night before. I seasoned the meat with a badia complete season (used often in hispanic dishes) and some badia chimmichuri sauce. I then sprinkled it with garlic salt and rubbed some more minced garlic as well. I then wrapped the beef in saran wrap to sit over night. In the morning I tossed the remaining ingridients as listed and went to work. It came out wonderfully seasoned and not at all bland like other reviews said. I will definetly make this again. Thanks!
I was happy to find this quick version of a recipe I got from a gourmet magazine and it was just as good! As per the gourmet version, I added a lot more garlic (5 cloves but will probably use even more next time) and 1/4 cup of capers at the end, which added a nice salty/tangy flavor. Next time I will try this with a can of drained tomatoes rather than the sauce because I think there was more than enough liquid with the beef stock. I think the nicest thing about this recipe is that it uses many fresh ingredients rather than canned or powdered soup, etc. that seems to be popular in crock-pot cooking. This might take a few more minutes to prepare than some other crock-pot recipes but it is definitely worth it!
Marvelous! I used the pressure cooker to save time. Added the beef to the pressure cooker with some water. Also added a beef boullion cube (to make beef broth). After pressure cooker stabalized I cooked it 20 minutes. I used London Broil steak. Turned off heat and let it sit 10 minutes in the PC. Then took meat out shredded it with a fork. Took out 1.5 cups of beef water to use as broth. Next stir-fried the onions, peppers garlic 3 minutes. Then added the other ingredients + a bay leaf. Simmered it covered for 30 minutes. Used apple cider vinegar, it still is delicous! Served it with black beans and rice.
my grandmother is Cuban and makes Ropa Vieja. When I told her I made it...she tried it and loved it. This recipe just might be as good as hers. Love it love it love it. Only suggestion is...if you want it a little saucier....add more tomato sauce if you are eating over rice we like it that way. Cook on low 6 hours for tenderness and use flank steak; skirt steak is ok but doesn't shread as easily) Mmmmmm
We thought this was average in taste. I cooked this on high for 4 1/2 hours after which it still wasn't as tender as I was hoping and was quite chewy. I agree that it could use some salt and I suggest using a boneless chuck roast rather than flank steak (cooking on low for 8 hrs) which I personally think would yield a much better result. It has potential!
