Cuban Ropa Vieja (“old clothes”)
4 – 4.5 lbs of boneless beef roast (I use chuck roast)
5 packets of Goya “Sazón con cilantro y Achiote” powder
1 bottle of Corona beer
Salt & pepper
1 green bell pepper (cut into thick julienne strips)
1 yellow bell pepper (cut into thick julienne strips)
1 red bell pepper (cut into thick julienne strips)
1 orange bell pepper (cut into thick julienne strips)
1 large yellow onion (cut into thick julienne strips)
24 oz can of tomato sauce ( I use Contadina brand)
1 small can of tomato paste
10 oz jar of green olive with pimento (each olive cut in half)
Ground cumin
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
Garlic powder
3 bay leaves
Adobo (with cumin) seasoning
- Pat your chuck roast dry with paper towels and season by rubbing with blend of salt, pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder and 2 packets of Sazón con cilantro y achiote. Preheat your instant pot with a small amount of olive oil on the brown/sear setting. When your oil is hot, add the roast and sear on all sides. When the roast has been browned, turn off your instant pot, pour in ½ bottle of beer and 1/4 of your chopped garlic. Season liquid with a little bit of adobo powder and black pepper. Seal the instant pot and pressure cook on the MEAT setting for 40 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking, in a pot, preheat some olive oil to sauté your vegetables. When the oil is WARM (not hot), add your minced garlic and continue to heat the oil to release the aromatics (this way you won’t scorch your garlic which can make it bitter tasting). To your, now hot, oil, quickly add all your peppers and onions, seasoning with salt, pepper and cumin powder. Sauté your peppers and onions until they begin to wilt then transfer your pepper and onion mixture into a 5 quart or larger crock pot .
- When the roast is cooked, vent the instant pot and transfer the meat to a cutting board. Shred and or cut thin strips of the beef WITH THE GRAIN of the meat. Ropa Vieja is supposed to represent old rags so you want all of your elements to be stringy. Do this until the entire roast is shredded and add it to the crock pot with the vegetables.
- Take about ½ cup of your beer broth from the instant pot, blend it with your tomato paste and add the mixture to your crock pot. Add in the can of tomato sauce, and season generously with black pepper, ground cumin, garlic powder, adobo seasoning, salt (careful with the salt because the adobo seasoning is already pretty salty), the 3 cloves of chopped garlic, 3 packets of Sazón con cilantro y achiote, and 3 bay leaves. Stir the mixture. If it seems to be too think, you may add additional beef broth from the instant pot.
- Simmer the mixture in the crock pot for 4 to 5 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender. When the cooking is done, stir in your 10 oz of sliced Spanish pimento olives.
Serve with rice or cornbread made with Jiffy muffin mix (replacing ½ the milk with sour cream) cooked on a sheet pan and then cut into rounds.