‹

№ 247 · Cuban

Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef)

Tempo

1h 30

Picante

Dificuldade

Fácil

Rende

6porções

Ingredientes

Meat

1.2 kg

fraldinha (flank steak), kept whole — or peito bovino (brisket); músculo also works in a pinch

1 tbsp

salt

1 tsp

black pepper

2 tbsp

olive oil

Sofrito and braise

large onions, sliced thinly

large red bell peppers, sliced

large green bell peppers, sliced

garlic cloves, minced

small jalapeño OR 1 tsp Cepera Mexicano (optional — for the gentle heat)

2 tbsp

tomato paste

1 can

(400g) chopped tomatoes (or 4 fresh tomatoes, chopped)

250ml dry white wine (or 250ml stock + 2 tbsp white vinegar)

250ml beef stock

bay leaves

1 tbsp

ground cumin

1 tbsp

dried oregano

1 tsp

paprika defumada (smoked paprika)

1 tsp

paprika doce (sweet paprika)

Finish

1 tbsp

red wine vinegar

100g pimento-stuffed green olives (azeitona com pimentão)

50g jarred roasted red peppers (pimentão vermelho assado em conserva), sliced — optional but classic

¼ cup

fresh coriander or parsley, chopped

To serve

White rice

Black beans (feijão preto cubano-style if possible)

Fried sweet plantains (banana-da-terra frita)

Modo de preparo

01**Sear beef whole.** Pat fraldinha dry. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat olive oil in pressure cooker. Sear the whole piece, hard, 4 minutes per side until well browned. Remove to a plate.
02**Sweat the sofrito.** In the same pot, add sliced onions, peppers (red and green). Cook over medium-high 8 minutes, stirring, until softening and edges golden. Add garlic and jalapeño if using; cook 1 minute. Add cumin, oregano, both paprikas; toast 30 seconds.
03**Build sauce.** Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scrape the bottom. Add chopped tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves. Bring to a simmer.
04**Return beef.** Lay the seared fraldinha back into the sauce — it should be mostly submerged.
05**Pressure cook.** Lock lid, high pressure, **50 minutes** (45 if using flank, 55 if using brisket). Natural release fully — quick release toughens the meat.
06**Shred.** Lift the meat onto a board. With two forks, shred along the grain into long strands — this is the *ropa vieja* texture.
07**Reduce sauce.** Open the cooker, set sauté mode. Discard bay leaves. Reduce sauce uncovered 8-10 minutes until thickened and glossy. The peppers and onions should be soft and integrated, the sauce concentrated.
08**Combine and finish.** Return shredded beef to the sauce. Stir in red wine vinegar, olives, roasted red peppers if using. Simmer 3-4 minutes to combine. Taste; adjust salt and pepper. Off heat, scatter coriander or parsley.

Ropa Vieja

"Old clothes" — the Cuban national dish. Shredded beef braised with peppers, onions, tomatoes, and the warm spices of sofrito: cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, a touch of vinegar. The shreds in colorful sauce supposedly look like a heap of worn rags. Pressure cooker is a revelation here — fraldinha that would take 2.5 hours becomes spoon-tender in 50 minutes.

Heat: 1/5. Mild background warmth from cumin and a small chile. Not really a spicy dish.

Tame it (drop to heat 0)

Skip jalapeño / Cepera Mexicano entirely → heat 0
The dish is mild already; it doesn't lose much

Serving

The classic Cuban plate: a mound of white rice, a ladle of black beans, a generous portion of ropa vieja, two pieces of fried sweet plantain. A wedge of lime on the side. Cold beer (Heineken or a Cuban-style lager) or a mojito. Dinner sit-down, no cutlery elegance required.

Notes

Fraldinha vs brisket: fraldinha (flank) is the traditional Cuban cut and shreds beautifully along the grain. Brisket is meatier and richer, equally good. Músculo is a pinch-hit option but loses some of the long-fibered shred character.
The sear matters. A pale, unseared piece of meat = pale, watery ropa vieja. Hard sear builds the sauce.
Olives at the end is non-negotiable — the briny lift balances the sweetness of the long-cooked peppers and onions.
Better the next day. Ropa vieja sandwiches on Cuban bread (or sourdough rolls) with mustard and pickles is a leftover that justifies cooking double.
Variations: add a splash of rum at step 3 for depth. Or replace some stock with a small amount of beer.
Vegetarian variant: swap beef for 600g portobello mushrooms + 1 can drained jackfruit. Dramatically different but works on its own terms.