Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja is a very popular Cuban, Colombian, and Latin American recipe. This classic beef dish is very easy and is great over rice, patacones, and arepas. It can also be used as a filling for tacos or empanadas.
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Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja
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Ingredients
Arepa con Carne Desmechada (Arepa with Shredded Meat)
Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)
- 2 pounds Flank Steak
- 9 cups Water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Pepper
- ½ cups Hogao
- 1 teaspoon Tomato Paste
Instructions
Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)
- In a pot, place the flank steak, water, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
- Measure 1 cup of the liquid used to cook the meat. Set aside.
- Remove the beef from the pot, let it cool and shred with a fork or your hands.
- In a saucepan, place the shredded beef, hogao, tomato paste and 1 cup of beef liquid. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Arepa con Carne Desmechada (Arepa with Shredded Meat)
- In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the diced plantains. Brown the plantains for about 3 minutes and set aside.
- Place an arepa on a serving plate, top with the carne desmechada and add avocado and plantain.
- Sprinkle fresh cilantro and serve.
Notes
The Canary Islands in Spain have a version of Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja with potato cooked in the pot with the beef and vegetables, not needing to be eaten with rice cooked separately. It is a very traditional dish for the islands that many restaurants offer on the menu. The most common preparation in mainland Spain involves shredding and frying the leftover meat from cocido with paprika and chickpeas.
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