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Carne Guisada

Carne guisada is a Tex-Mex beef stew with tender 1-inch chuck cubes in a thick cumin-spiced gravy. It simmers low and slow until the meat is very tender, then comes together for spooning into warm flour tortillas with fresh cilantro and lime.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef and seasoning
  • 2.5 lb beef chuck
  • 1.5 salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
Sauté base
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 4 garlic
Spice and thickener
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
Simmer liquid
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
  • 3 cup beef broth
  • 1 bay leaf
Serving
  • 1 warm flour tortillas
  • 1 cilantro
  • 1 lime wedges

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Season beef with salt and black pepper, then brown it in hot vegetable oil in batches until well browned on the outside.
  2. Transfer browned beef to the Dutch oven as batches finish, leaving any deep browned bits in the pot.
Build the flavor base
  1. In the same Dutch oven, cook onion, green bell pepper, and jalapeno for 5 minutes until softened, then add minced garlic for 1 minute.
Thicken with spices
  1. Sprinkle in all-purpose flour, chili powder, ground cumin, and dried oregano, then stir for 1 minute to toast the spices.
Simmer into a thick gravy
  1. Add tomato sauce, beef broth, and bay leaf, then add the browned beef back to the pot.
  2. Cover and simmer at a gentle bubble for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the beef is very tender and the gravy is thick.
Serve
  1. Serve carne guisada hot in warm flour tortillas, topped with cilantro and lime wedges.

Notes

For the thickest gravy, keep the simmer gentle (a low bubble) and avoid uncovering too often during the last 30 minutes so the sauce reduces. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 4 days; freeze up to 3 months. For a lighter option, you can trim the beef or use extra-lean chuck while keeping the same simmer time.