Carne en su jugo
This recipe is from the State of Jalisco, where it is very popular and one of the most famous dishes from that State. Jalisco’s main city is Guadalajara, the State Capital, also known as the “Pearl of the West” in addition to being one of the largest cities in Latin American due to its dense population of more that 5 million people living in the city and metropolitan area. Maybe you have heard of Jalisco before because it is the birthplace of our world famous Tequila. But Jalisco is more than just Tequila, moreover, it has an extensive gastronomy.
The Jalisco’s gastronomy is celebrated for dishes like Birria, Pozole, Tortas Ahogadas, tamales, Coachella, pacholas, tostadas tapatías, frijoles puercos, besides an endless number of salsas, just to mention a few. The city of Guadalajara is notorious for its bakeries which make some exquisite pieces of bread and a large number of them mostly made there like the sweet bread “picones”, or the cuajada breads , and a particular bread called “birote”, a bread very similar to the French baguette, that we use to make the “Torta Ahogada” sandwich; or as a table bread, according to the local bakers the subtropical weather plus the high altitude above sea level of the city is the reason why the birote can only be made in Guadalajara.
Carne en su Jugo is a concentrated flavorful broth of beef meat finely diced and served with beans plus a wide array of toppings served alongside. I had been to Jalisco three times in my life, and in my last visit, I had a personal agenda of visiting as many typical restaurants, markets and street food stands as humanly possible. Of course, Carne en su Jugo was included in my agenda. Now, that meat broth didn’t include tomatillos, it was just the meat broth and the beans. There are many versions of this recipe that include tomatillos vs. others without the tomatillos. Personally, I prefer the kind that includes the tomatillos.
So here is my own adaptation of this popular dish with the option of adding the tomatillos, and that will be up to you to decide to add. The standard garnishes are the cooked bacon, lime wedges, chopped onion, and cilantro.
How to make Carne en su jugo
DIRECTIONS:
- Finely cut the meat into thin slices and then into small cubes. Place the meat in a glass bowl. Mix soy sauce, lime juice, and pepper and add to the meat. Let the meat marinate for a few minutes while you cook the bacon. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Fry bacon in a medium-size Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.
- Add the meat to the pot and cook at medium heat for about 8 minutes, during this time the meat will release some of its juices.
- While the meat is cooking, place chopped garlic, onion, cilantro and Serrano pepper into a blender with a cup of the broth and process until well blended.
- Pour this mixture to the meat, add the rest of the broth, and taste to season with salt as well as ground pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, place lid to pot and simmer for about 20 minutes or more until meat is tender. This last cooking time will depend on the cut of meat you are using.
To serve to divide the warm beans into serving bowls afterward add the meat to its broth. Let everyone garnish with chopped onions, cilantro, and radishes along with some drops of lime juice.
- 8 oz bacon finely diced
- 1 ½ pound top round sirloin or any other cut of meat without fat
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- Fresh ground pepper to season the meat
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 spring onions chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 serrano peppers chopped
- 4 cups of chicken broth or 4 cups of water mixed with 4 teaspoons of chicken bouillon*
- 4 to matillos cooked (Optional)
- 2 cups of cooked pinto beans warm
- Crispy bacon pieces
- Chopped white onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Tortilla chips
- Chopped radishes
- Grilled spring onions
- Avocado slices or guacamole
- Lime wedges
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Finely cut the meat into thin slices and then into small cubes. Place the meat in a glass bowl. Mix soy sauce, lime juice, and pepper and add to the meat. Let the meat marinate for a few minutes while you cook the bacon.
-
Fry bacon in a medium-size Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.
-
Add the meat to the pot and cook at medium heat for about 8 minutes, during this time the meat will release some of its juices.
-
While the meat is cooking, place chopped garlic, onion, cilantro and Serrano pepper into a blender with a cup of the broth and process until well blended. (If you are adding the tomatillos, add them in this step)
-
Pour this mixture over the meat, add the rest of the broth, and taste to season with salt as well as ground pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, place lid to pot and simmer for about 20 minutes or more until meat is tender. This last cooking time will depend on the cut of meat you are using.
*Chicken bouillon is very popular in many Mexican households; it is used to season the broth of this recipe, as well as for an endless number of stews and rice dishes.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
More recipes:
Beef Tongue in Salsa Verde
Shredded beef for tacos and more…
Mely, se ve estupendo y delicioso :)..hermosas fotos
besos
this looks wonderful and full of flavor
Mely, muy interesante este plato de Jalisco, bastante elaborado, tiene qué estar muy sabroso! Excelente paso a paso como siempre!
Besos
Wow, sé ve delicioso! Quiero un poco pero ya!!
I made this today and my hubby said it was a home run! Thanks Mely. 🙂 Now we don't have to drive all the way on the west side of Chicago to get our fix. Lol.
Hello Tifferella,
I am so glad to know you like it. This meal taste even better the next day!
another favorite of mine! so excited that you are sharing these great recipes. my mom was a great cook, but I never learned to cook. so thanks for sharing them.
Hello Sandra,
I am glad to know these recipes remind you of your mom's cooking!
Saludos!
Hola Mely!!!
I love your recipes!!! I take a lot of pride when it comes to my cooking, specially when it comes to Mexican food. I can totally tell you have a teaching backround by the way you explain the recipes. Thank you for sharing!!!!
Hello Kerenlgap,
Thank you for your kind comment. I hope you try the recipe it is mouthwatering!
Happy Cooking!
Hi Mely, I'm from Guadalajara the capital of the carne en su jugo. I read the recipe,is really close to the original one, thanks for sharing to other borders!! Congrats!
Hello Daniel,
Thank you, it means a lot to me that someone from Guadalajara approves of the recipe. Saludos!
Hola Mely !
Omg, this is so right on. I lived near Tequila Jalisco for 11 years so I am very spoiled with good authentic mexican food. I always thought about making this but always thought how to without making with beef broth. Now I see the trick, of course, it all makes sense, consommé de pollo. I am in complete heaven everytime I make this along with my frijoles de olla. MUCHAS GRACIAS !! I make it every week : )
Thank you so much for this recipe! It taste just like my moms and I didn't have to bug her for directions. This is my new favorite website! Thank you again.
Thanks a lot for trying the recipe.
Querida, Meli, I am so very excited to try your recipes. They are almost like thinking about what my mom and family cooked. We also used a lot of fresh tomatoes in our rice, fideo and guisado recipes.
Thank you so much!
Meli, just a comment: The recipes show each step of the process, of creating the dish, via photos. This is so very helpful; however, not all the recipes have the recipe, in a box, at the end. This is a great feature as I just print out 1 or 2 pages of the recipe.
Might you do that for all recipes?
Thanks!
Hello Mercedes,
We are working on adding the print option to the recipes, it’s something that has to be done one by one. we hope to finish soon. Thank you fro visiting.
This was delicious! I got some really spicy serranos so it came out a little spicier than I’m used to, but it was still great! Now that I know how easy it is to make, I don’t have to make special trips to my favorite taqueria when I have a craving.
Hello Sophia,
I’m so glad you like it and enjoyed the spiciness of those serranos. Provecho!