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Mexican Beef Stew

Mexican Beef Stew, This is a popular dish in the northern states of Nuevo Leon and Coahuila, and it’s very similar to the “carne guisada” dish made in the border towns of Texas. It consists of finely diced beef slow cooked in a tomato stew.
Course Beef
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword a beef stew to serve with flour tortillas, carne guisada mexican beef stew recipe, carne guisada tacos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 217kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ pound of top round sirloin, or any other cut of meat
  • without fat. Finely diced.
  • Salt to season
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 8 peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ large white onion diced
  • 1 green bell pepper diced
  • 1 ½ pound tomatoes diced
  • Water as needed

Instructions

  • Heat oil (or lard) in a large skillet, at medium-high. Season the meat with salt and add to the saucepan to cook.
  • While the meat is cooking, grind the garlic, peppercorns, and cumin in the molcajete (mortar). Add 2 tablespoons of water to the molcajete mixture to form a paste and add it
  • to the meat. By the time you add this spice mixture, the meat should be releasing its juices. Cook for 5 more minutes and lower the heat and place the lid to slowly cook the meat.
  • Cook the meat for about 20 minutes and before all the liquid gets dry, add the diced onion and green pepper. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Now, add the tomatoes, stir again, and place the lid to slowly simmer the stew.
  • After 20 minutes, check the meat for doneness; depending on the cut of meat the cooking time will vary, it has to be fork tender. Just to be safe, keep checking the stew every 10 to 15 minutes, until you see that the meat is soft.
  • Season with salt a few minutes before it finishes cooking and serve with rice, pinto beans, and warm flour tortillas.

Notes

  • Since this type of meat is very lean, I like to cook it with lard to add flavor, but you can use vegetable oil if you prefer.
  • Grinding the fresh spices gives the meat a unique taste compared to dried spices, but you can still use the dried already-ground version.
  • If you prefer to make a spicy version of this dish, add diced jalapeños in step 3. The amount will depend on your personal taste.
  • Some versions of this recipe also add Mexican oregano.

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 32.5mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2.7mg