Ropa Vieja – Shredded Beef

🍲 Slow Cooker Recipe

Ingredients

500 g (approx 1 lb) stewing steak
240 ml (approx 1 cup) beef stock (2 stock cubes dissolved in hot water)
1 x 400 gram (approx 14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
2 onions, sliced
2 green peppers, deseeded and sliced into strips
2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced into strips
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons red or white wine
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Directions

In a large frying pan, sear the meat (you may need to do this in batches) until well-browned. Remove from pan and place into the slow cooker. Add the onions to the frying pan and sauté until golden. Add the garlic and fry for another few minutes. Remove from pan and add into the slow cooker. Quickly sauté the bell peppers, then remove those from the pan and add them into the slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients into the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6 hours. Once done, the meat should be easily shredded using 2 forks. If the sauce needs thickened, you can remove the slow cooker lid and cook further in 30 minute increments until it has reduced to your preferred consistency.

My Notes

I used stewing beef cubes, and didn’t bother frying the peppers. I didn’t have white wine vinegar, so used apple cider vinegar. I used canned whole tomatoes since that’s what I had in the house, I just chopped them up a bit in the can with a knife. At the end of 5 hours on high, the stew was quite thick, so next time I may check it after 4 hours to see if it’s done. This turned out really nice, the meat was very tender and the leftovers froze well!