Ropa Vieja
Delicious Cuban food is prevalent all over South Florida, but not so much in the Bay Area. This recipe is for one of my favorite dishes: Ropa Vieja, which actually means 'old clothes'. Trust me, it's delicious. It's best made in the summer when the tomatoes and peppers are at their height of tastiness, but of course it can be done any time of the year. If you're making this outside of tomato season, then find good canned tomatoes to replace the fresh ones. Traditional this is served with black beans and rice, which I've made separate posts for. For a nice touch of sweetness to compliment this very savory dish, you can make some sweet fried plantains to go along with it.
Flank is the cut most commonly used for this dish. It's a cut of meat that responds well to braising which makes it perfect for this dish. Since I'm always on the hunt for the best ingredients I can find, I decided to keep the same cut of meat but try to find the highest quality version of that cut possible. I came across a great butcher department that carried Akaushi Beef, which is an American Wagyu. They had a large selection of Prime graded beef, and one of those cuts happened to be flank. Being up front an honest here: I can't truly say that prime beef really made a difference here. When beef gets braised it is completely broken down so that even the toughest cuts become meltingly tender. What I will say is that it's tenderness becomes very apparent in the earlier stages of cooking, but once you hit the 4-5 hour mark, they are pretty similar in terms of tenderness and flavor. I'll always advocate getting the highest quality cut possible when you're looking for steaks that you're going to cook with dry heat, but when you're going to braise, I honestly think you can hold onto a bit more of your money and put that towards some good wine or other ingredients.
This is not a dish you'd make quickly after work one night. If you're using dried beans for the side dish, then they'll need to soak in water over night. The beef in this dish also takes several hours to braise, so make sure you plan ahead. You could do this in a pressure cooker to speed things up, so maybe I'll do a version of that at some point. For now, we braise this dish low and slow until it's fall-apart tender.
Ingredients
4lbs flank steak
1 sweet onion
3 green bell peppers
3 red bell peppers
1 head of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
kosher salt to taste
1tbsp of tomato paste
2tbsp ground cumin (or to taste)
2tbsp white wine vinegar
2tbsp red wine vinegar (or sherry)
Champagne vinegar to taste (at least 1tbsp)
2/3 cup Shiraz red wine
2 cup beef broth
drippings from rested meat
2 packets Goya Sazon
29oz can crushed tomatoes (Muir Glenn was used in this recipe)
canola oil or avocado oil
large rondeau or braising pan
1lbs ice for ice bath
Equipment
large rondeau or braising pan
Cooking Instructions
preheat oven to 300º
season the beef with kosher salt on all sides. If the meat is too large for the pan, you can cut it. I broke mine down in 4 pieces.
Heat your cooking oil over medium-high heat until shimmering
Brown the meat in the pan. You're cooking for color here, so don't worry about cooking the meat through. Just get a nice crust on both sides. Transfer to the cooling rack. Reserve the drippings. You'll add those to the sauce just before the braise happens.
You should still have just enough oil in the pan to coat the bottom. If not, add more and heat it until it shimmers.
Add the peppers to pan and cook for a 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add the onions and continue to saute for a few minutes
Add the garlic, one packet of Goya Sazon, bay leaf, oregano and cumin and saute for 3 minutes. stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the red wine to deglaze. Cook for 3 minutes so the alcohol evaporates over medium high heat.
Add the beef stock, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, and a nice pinch of salt
Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute
Add the crushed tomatoes, stir to combine
Add the second goya sazon, stir to combine
Add the drippings from the meat, stir to combine
Add meat back to the pan and make sure it is submerged in the liquid as much as possible
Turn the heat up to high, bring everything to a boil. Let it boil for 30 seconds and then reduce the heat to medium-low. It'll take a few minutes for the heat to stabilize, but after 3-5 minutes, you should be at a low simmer.
lid the pan and transfer to the pre-heated oven
Cook for 3-5 hours or until meat is pull-apart tender. You can test this by sticking a fork in the meat and gently turning it. The meat should pull apart effortlessly. If you have the time, I'd say braise it for 5 hours as it will make sure the meat is tender and intensify the flavor of the sauce. You may be able to get away with 3 hours, but 4-5 is preferred.
When the meat has finished cooking, using tongs or large slotted spoons, transfer the meat to a large mixing bowl to shred.
Reduce the sauce in the pot by 1/3 over high heat. This will help intensify the flavor.
Adjust any seasonings as needed
Add the champagne vinegar to taste
Add the shredded meat back to the sauce and stir to combine
Serve over white rice with black beans
Cooling the Ropa
You can prepare an ice bath to speed up the cooling process so you're not putting hot food into a refrigerator. Follow the directions for Making an Ice Bath. Once it's cooled, you can transfer it to your storage container and refrigerate for at least 3-5 days.
Ice bath to rapidly cool the Ropa before refrigerating.
