How to Make the Best Ropa Vieja

Shredded Beef in Sauce

Raúl Musibay: The name of this dish in Spanish is "Old Clothes." 

Jorge Castillo: It's probably called that because the meat gets stringy and frayed. 

Glenn Lindgren: Which looks like a lot like Raúl's "lucky" fishing shirt, the one his wife Esther finally threw out one day when he wasn't looking! 

Raúl Musibay: Hey, I caught a lot of fish with that shirt!

Do not trim excess fat from meat before cooking! (You can remove the fat when you shred the beef.) Salt and pepper the meat and lightly dust with flour.

Brown the meat in oil in a large Dutch oven. Add enough water to surround the meat, but NOT cover it. Add chunked green pepper, sliced onion, and garlic. Simmer, covered, until meat is fork tender, about two hours. (Add more water as necessary to keep from burning!)

Remove from heat and cool. Discard vegetables. Shred the meat.

Sauté onions, garlic and green pepper in oil in the same pan you cooked the meat in until limp. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, cumin, red wine and bay leaf. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf and serve with rice.

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