The ultimate version of one of Cuba’s most famous dishes, this Ropa Vieja recipe is positively PACKED with flavor!! A myriad of flavorful ingredients and spices come together to make this dish truly unforgettable. Make a double batch while you’re at it and you’ll be glad you have the leftovers!
If you’re looking for more exceptionally flavorful beef dishes from around the world try our Sega Wat, Guinness Stew, Hungarian Goulash, and Domoda!
What is Ropa Vieja?
Shredded beef and vegetables that resemble a heap of colorful rags  – that’s Ropa Vieja.  From the Spanish term for “old clothes”, this is one of Cuba’s most popular and beloved dishes.  So popular in fact that it’s one of the country’s designated national dishes.
This dish dates back to the Middle Ages of Spanish Sephardi, a loose adaptation of a dish that remains popular in southern and central Spain. Â Traditionally it was a way to stretch the leftovers of stews such as puchero or cocida, both of which are garbanzo-based dishes as is the original Spanish version of Ropa Vieja. Â This dish was later taken to Cuba where the Cubans made it their own.
Central in this dish are beef and tomatoes, both naturally umami-rich ingredients. Â Added to that are zesty bell peppers, caramelized onions, and to that we’re going to add some additional ingredients and spices that will make your taste buds sing with joy!
What is the Best Cut of Beef to Use?
Traditionally Ropa Vieja is made with flank steak. Have a look around the internet at all the ropa vieja recipes and virtually all of them call for flank.  That piqued my curiosity because here’s the thing:  Flank steak is from the bottom hard-working muscle area of the cow (ie, very lean/very little fat) so it not only has less flavor than some other cuts of beef, it’s also notoriously tough.
Because of its low fat content, flank steak is best suited to very quick, high heat cooking, like grilling.  It’s not the best choice for braising or slow cooking because without the fat content and connective tissue it dries out during the cooking process.  For all of these reasons flank steak used to be one of the cheaper cuts of beef.  But in recent years the price has sky-rocketed and in many places is double the cost of chuck. But flank still continues to be used in nearly all ropa vieja recipes out of tradition because of its shape – the grains of the cut yield long strands of shredded beef resembling the dish’s namesake, torn clothing.
Flank steak is unique in that respect with those long tough strands.  But I wasn’t willing to sacrifice tenderness, flavor or cost for the sake of having long shreds of beef.  So I went to three different butcher shops and chatted with their butchers.  First I wanted to see their reaction when I told them I was looking for flank steak for a low and slow-cooked dish.  All three raised their eyebrows and asked me why on earth I’d want flank steak for that.  They all shook their heads and said that, hands down, the best choice for slow-cooked shredded beef was chuck.  Better texture, better flavor and at nearly half the price of flank.
Chuck works so well for slow cooking because the long cooking time over low heat breaks down the cartilage, melts the fat and keeps the beef moist while also adding a ton of extra flavor.  It’s by far the most popular beef cut of choice for slow cooking and shredding. So what about the aesthetics element, those long strands of beef you get from the flank steak?  Chuck has short strands that after slow cooking and shredding typically look less pronounced and are mushier.  The way around that:  Simply ask the butcher to cut you a piece of chuck that is taller than it is wider (the height running with the direction of the grains).  That way you’ll get longer strands along with a deliciously flavorful, tender and moist shredded beef.
How to Make Ropa Vieja
Today we’re going to make some ultimate Ropa Vieja with a wonderfully rich depth of flavor! Â In the end you’ll have to make your own judgment call, but I’m pretty confident you’re going to love it!
And at the same time we’re going to take a shortcut and braise the meat in the sauce rather than the traditional method of braising it in water, shredding it and then adding it to the sauce. Â Doing it the first way releases those flavorful juices from the beef directly into the sauce and saves us a lot of time. Â To mimic the extra step of making a separate stock, we’re also going to add whole carrots, celery and bay leaves and then discard them at the end, infusing the sauce with some umami qualities and natural sweetness from the vegetables.
Ingredients
For our ultimate ropa vieja recipe we’re adding an array of other classic Cuban and Spanish ingredients such as olives, pimientos and capers. Â In addition to the red bell pepper that’s caramelized with the onions, we’re also going to add roasted red bell pepper in the end for added smokiness, sweetness and flavor.
You may be wondering, “what’s the difference between pimientos and red bell peppers?  Aren’t they the same thing?” A pimiento, also called pimento or cherry pepper, is a variety of red chili pepper that is sweeter and more aromatic than red bell peppers (though some varieties of pimientos are hot).  They add a nice element of natural sweetness and flavor to this dish.
All of these ingredients combined with delicious spices result in a truly unforgettable Ropa Vieja – it’ll become a staple dish in your home!
Can You Freeze It?
Yes, ropa vieja freezes well!
Freeze it in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Remove it from the freezer, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, and slowly reheat it on the stovetop, in the oven, the microwave, or slow cooker.
Ropa Vieja Recipe
Let’s get started!
Pat the beef dry and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Â Once very hot add the beef and brown generously on all sides.
I’m using my Le Creuset Dutch oven. I also have the Lodge Dutch oven that is a fraction of the price. I love both of them and use both on a regular basis.
Transfer the beef to a plate. Â Do not discard the drippings and blackened bits in the pot, they are key to the flavor.
Add the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized.
Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute.
Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pan (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan).
Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Â Simmer for 5 minutes.
Return the roast to the pot along with the pieces of carrots and celery. Â Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender and falls apart easily.
Discard the celery, carrots and bay leaves.
Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it with two forks.
Return the shredded beef to the sauce.
Stir in the olives, roasted red peppers, capers and pimientos.
Simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce for 30 minutes.
Stir in the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Your Ropa Vieja is ready to serve.
And its flavor only improves the next day if you can be patient enough to wait!
Serve with steamed or yellow rice and black beans.
Ropa Vieja only tastes better the next day as the flavors have more time to meld, so this is a perfect dish to make in large batches for leftovers!
Enjoy!
For more incredible beef stews from around the world be sure to try our:
- Guinness Stew
- Hungarian Goulash
- Sega Wat (Spicy Ethiopian Beef Stew)
- Pörkölt (Hungarian Beef and Onion Stew)
- German Goulash
- BEST Beef Stew
- Beef and Pepper Stew
- Beef Bourguignon
- Hachee (Dutch Beef and Onion Stew)
- Domoda (Gambian Peanut Stew)
Ultimate Ropa Vieja
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chuck ask your butcher to cut it taller than wider so you get long strands of beef along the grain. OR you can use flank steak (see discussion in this post about cuts of beef and why we recommend chuck over flank)
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 of each large green red and yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 16 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large carrot cut in half
- 1 large stalk celery cut in half
- 1 cup green olives , rinsed and drained (you can slice them if you prefer)
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers , drained
- 1/4 cup pimientos , drained
- 2 tablespoons capers , rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat the beef dry and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once very hot add the beef and brown generously on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate. (Do not discard the drippings and blackened bits in the pot, they are key to the flavor.)
- Add the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute. Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pan (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan).
- Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Return the roast to the pot along with the pieces of carrots and celery. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender and falls apart easily. Discard the celery, carrots and bay leaves.
- Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it. Return the shredded beef to the pot.
- Stir in the olives, roasted red peppers, capers and pimientos. Simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet June 27, 2016
Tim Wiedman says
This was absolutely incredible!! The most flavorful ropa vieja I’ve had, and I’ve had many. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so happy to hear that, Tim, thank you!
Mats Henriksson says
I used beef knuckle instead of flank steak, doubled the garlic because I like it and omitted the roasted red peppers as I forgot to buy them. Came out great! I’ll do this again for sure! Thanks! =0)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mats, thank you!
Mister Butler says
I apologize but I’m a newcomer and just wrote lengthy post, praising you all for this thread/ site. And then asking a question, because I’ve lost threads before and figured at least I could always come back to this specific thread ssince I both saved it my phone AND email it to myself. Then poof …. my entire comments vanished.
Here is my question: do any of you all have a beef Barbacoa recipe that you especially like? I think it was traditionally used for goat, (barbacoa de chivo, if i remember correctly).
Thank you for any comments or links you can offer.Â
Heather says
Made this for my husband for Father’s Day and he loved it! I used 2 flatiron steaks and they fell apart after 2 1/2 hours. Perfect! Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Terrific, Heather, I’m so glad it was a hit and that your husband enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Fidel says
Funny, my mom use to start “un potaje de frijoles colorados” early in the morning. It would “resucitar al los muertos” and she would add flank steak to it. After a few hours, she would pull it out of the “pottage” and once cool to the touch, she would pull it. She would then make her tomato stew magic and it was TERRIFIC! My favorite was when she had as sides; tostones, ensalada de berro y aguacate and a nice tall flan.
This looks very similar to my moms, although much more nuanced.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That sounds marvelous and served with those sides and dessert – heaven!
Vikki says
I can’t believe there is more than one person that took the time to read and respond with their disapproval for you calling this one of Cuba’s traditional dishes. This is actually one of the first dishes that comes to mind when I think of Cuba. Aside from that….I have my Dutch oven on the stove & my Ropa Vieja is well on its way. This is my first time making it and I’m so excited to see how it comes out. Thank you for sharing!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That is exciting, Vikki, I hope you enjoy it and please let us know what you think once you’ve tried it!
Vikki says
I wish I could post a picture, it came out amazing! My husband & I both loved it. It was one of the best versions I’ve ever had. I didn’t have everything on hand so omitted the celery & carrot as well as tomato paste and added fresh okra I brought in from the garden. It was perfect! Thank you so much for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic! I’m thrilled to hear that, Vikki, thank you!
C. Guerra says
It’s a good dish and a good recipe, BUT the Bational
Dish of Cuba it is NOT. I am Cuban and the son
Of Cuban historian J. Guerra Aleman and author of
“Cuba Inginita” an intense historical four volumes of Cuban history.
The National Dish of Cuba is Arroz con Pollo (Yellow rice and chicken). This dish was officially declared by legislation to be the National Dish of Cuba.
Please correct. Thank-you.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi C., most countries have more than one national dish (e.g., Germany and England where I’m from both have least 4 national dishes). And Ropa Vieja is indeed one of Cuba’s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_dish
Julie says
I just returned from Cuba and wanted to find a good recipe. My Cuban friend’s mom uses olives in her recipe so I was happy to find your recipe. I made the dish and it was delicious. I almost prefer the chuck roast for a bit more fat and flavor. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Julie, I’m so happy to hear that – thank you! I hope you had a great time in Cuba!
Stacey says
I made this recipe tonight. Tweaked the recipe slightly by adding fresh jalapeno for some added heat. This was my first time cooking Ropa, therefore, I was a bit nervous to how it would turn out. Pleasantly surprised how delicious it was. Thanks for the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Stacey, thank you!
Rene' says
Just returned last night from Havana. We traditionally serve a meal highlighting the foods of a recently visited country with our family. Your recipe will be the center star of our family meal of Cuba very soon. Thank you for the suggestion of substituting chuck for the flank
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
What a wonderful tradition, Rene’. I hope you had a fabulous time in Cuba and enjoy this ropa vieja!
Theo G says
I love this dish! I first had Ropa Vieja in the North West of Cuba. It was truly delicious! I had it again in Havana before leaving (not as good as before but still yum) since returning to England i wanted to make this dish but instead of beef, i used some of the tougher cuts of venison from the local hunter. Works a treat!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’ll bet that was a treat indeed, Theo, thanks for sharing!
Ron G says
Ookay so I made this dish, it seemed like a acquired taste initially.On day 2 it tasted much better.the servings were more than enough eat alone so I froze half. 3 weeks later I pulled out the leftovers and OMG …original,modified,classic, ultimate. This dish is amazing and just gets better.
I’ve been waiting for a special occasion to make this dish again.my occasion:why wait any longer.Simple to make yet complex flavors united.THANK YOU
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Ron! I agree, the leftovers taste even better. I haven’t tried freezing it yet but you’ve convinced me I need to do it :) Thanks again for the feedback, I’m so glad you enjoyed the ropa vieja!
Cori Landon says
This was SO delicious! Everyone in my family loved it. I made it exactly as directed and the combination and balance of flavors was perfect. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Cori, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Alexandra says
I made this last night and it was absolutely fantastic. Mine was a bit saucier, I think I was a bit free-flowing with the wine and broth, but simply incredible. Thanks for the recipe. Easy to follow, and well worth the effort!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Alexandra, thank you!
Maria says
Hmm I’m from Cuba don’t ever remember carrots salary are Dutch ovens but the rest of the recipe is good we don’t have Ovens of any kind back home most of our stoves are outside you know like back in the eighteen-hundreds here like a rack and stones,we use pressure cookers makes the meat soft…but the rest of the recipe is on point…
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the insight, Maria!