Cuban Roast Beef Recipes

CUBAN SHREDDED BEEF (SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• SEARING THE MEAT: Take the beef chuck roast and using a small paring knife, make 3 small 'x' marks into the meat. Take 3 cloves of garlic and insert them into the 3 'x' marks so that the clove is completely inserted into the thickness of roast. Season both sides of the meat with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the beef in one piece and fry on each side for 5 minutes, turning only when the exterior is browned. This will splatter a bit but don't cover the pan as the meat will end up steaming rather than searing.
• FOR THE ROPA VIEJA: Chop the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into thin slices and add to the slow cooker along with all the remaining ropa vieja ingredients. I used a 6-quart slow cooker but a 3-quart slow cooker will work too. Cover and let cook on the low setting for 7-8 hours. When the beef falls apart easily when pulled with two forks, it's done. Shred the beef with the forks and give it a stir. Taste for seasonings, season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
• TO SERVE: Serve over a bed of rice with cuban-style black beans on the side topped with additional cilantro and a few lime wedges. You can also use the shredded beef for burritos, breakfast quesadillas, or tacos! The possibilities are endless!

BOLICHE (CUBAN POT ROAST)

Steps:

• Lay the eye of round roast on your work surface. Use the tip of a sharp boning or paring knife to cut a pocket by inserting the knife all the way through the center of the roast, beginning on the flat side. Rotate the blade 90 degrees and insert the knife in the same spot, creating an cross shape that extends through the roast. Stuff the chorizo pieces into the pocket. Using the same knife, pierce the roast all over. Set aside.
• Mash garlic and oregano with a mortar and pestle to create a paste. Rub paste all over the roast, then season with paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour the orange juice, lime juice, and lemon juice over the roast. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Remove the roast from the marinade, and shake off excess. Reserve marinade.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Place the roast in the Dutch oven and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove roast to a platter, and set aside. Stir in the onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Return the roast to the pot. Add the bay leaves, sherry, beef broth, and reserved marinade. Increase heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low; simmer 2 hours.
• Drop potatoes into the pot, cover, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes more, adding additional beef broth as needed.
• Remove the roast and place on a platter. Cover the meat with two layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes. Slice roast into 1/2-inch thick slices, and arrange potatoes on the platter. Spoon the remaining sauce over, and serve.

ROPA VIEJA (CUBAN BEEF)

Steps:

• Cut flank steak in half across the grain. Mix salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Season both sides generously with the salt mixture.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over high heat. Add steaks and cook until outsides are well browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add red onion, garlic, and more of the salt seasoning. Cook and stir until starting to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cloves, and allspice. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
• Return beef and accumulated juices to the pot. Season with salt and add bay leaves. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until beef is almost fork-tender, not falling apart, about 2 hours.
• Remove pot from heat and let stew cool to room temperature, at least 45 minutes. Refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight, for best results.
• Remove beef to a plate and set stew over medium heat. Tear beef along the grain into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-wide shreds; place back in the stew. Add bell peppers, poblanos, smoked paprika, capers, olives, and sugar. Stir together and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until peppers are soft and meat is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, remove bay leaves, and stir in cilantro.

CUBAN MOJO POT ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
• Whisk together orange juice, lime juice, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and garlic until combined. Set aside.
• Season the chuck roast with the Kosher salt, and pepper.
• Add the canola oil to a pan and heat. When it ripples and is hot add in the roast and brown, deeply, for 4-5 minutes on each side.
• Add carrots, potatoes, orange juice mixture, bay leaves, and beef broth and cook for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.
• If you want a thicker sauce, 30 minutes before it is done skim the fat off the top, add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water) to the pot and cook for remaining 30 minutes.

SHREDDED SLOW COOKER CUBAN BEEF

Steps:

• Cut roast into 4 quarters and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place a large cast iron pan over high heat and coat with olive oil; heat until smoking. Place meat in the hot pan and turn to sear on all sides until a crust forms, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer seared meat to a slow cooker.
• Add bitter orange marinade, garlic marinade, onion, garlic, and cumin to the slow cooker. Make sure meat is mostly covered in marinade.
• Cook on Low for 6 hours; shred meat in the slow cooker using tongs or a fork. Continue cooking on Low for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add additional salt or cumin if desired.

BOLICHE CUBANO - CUBAN-STYLE STUFFED BEEF ROAST

Steps:

• Step 1 Using long knife, make lengthwise slit in center of thickest end of roast to form deep pocket, about 3" long. Pierce beef all over with tip of knife. Transfer beef to large zip-top bag (or to non-reactive container with lid). Pour Mojo over beef; seal bag. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours for best results. Step 2 Heat oven to 275°F. Remove beef from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking; discard marinade. Using paper towels, pat beef dry. Stuff pocket of beef with chorizo. Using kitchen twine, firmly tie beef in 1½ " intervals, perpendicular to pocket, to enclose chorizo. Sprinkle beef all over with Adobo. Step 3 Heat oil in large Dutch oven, or large oven-proof pot over medium-high heat. Add beef. Cook, flipping beef with tongs, until golden brown all over, 5-7minutes; transfer to plate. Add onions to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes more. Pour wine and 4 cups water into pot. Bring liquid to boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot with wooden spoon. Add carrots, olives, bay leaves, oregano and beef to pot. Tightly cover pot; transfer to oven. Step 4 Cook, flipping roast every hour, until beef is fork-tender, about 4 hours, adding potatoes after 3 ½ hours. Step 5 Transfer beef, potatoes, carrots and olives to platter; tightly cover with foil to keep warm. Place pot on stove over medium-high heat. Bring liquid to boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce reduces to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. To serve, cut beef roast into ½" slices. Pour sauce over beef. Serve warm. More Cooking Tips

CUBAN ROAST BEEF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• Mix the first 7 ingredients to make a stuffing.
• Make an incision 1 1/2" to 2" deep along the length of the roast.
• Stuff the stuffing into the incision.
• Salt and pepper the roast.
• Brown the roast on all sides in bacon fat in a large heavy casserole Add all the rest of the ingredients and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
• Check once or twice to make sure that the liquid is not boiling away.
• Add water or unsalted stock as necessary.

SLOW COOKER CUBAN POT ROAST

Steps:

• Trim fat from roast.
• Line the bottom of a slow cooker with onion slices, then place roast on onions.
• Mix red wine, water, gravy mix, soup mix, and bay leaves together; pour over roast. Cook on Low for 8 hours.
• Remove roast from slow cooker and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves. Run onions and juice through a blender, then transfer blended juice back to the slow cooker and bring to a boil.
• Mix cornstarch and water together in a small dish and add to the boiling sauce. Cook until sauce is consistency of a thick gravy. Add paprika.
• Slice roast crosswise on a slight diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Pour sauce over meat and serve.