Ropa Vieja (Cuban Shredded Beef)
Cuban Shredded beef or ropa vieja made in the slow cooker! We sear the meat and then braise it for hours with onions, garlic, and spices until the meat is just falling apart tender. Serve it up with black beans and rice!
ROPA VIEJA!
Okay, that’s a little too much fun to say. And a lot fancier sounding than the amount of energy actually required to make this dish. Because let’s face it, we’re talking a quick sear on the meat and into the slow cooker it goes and out comes braised, cuban shredded beef that is falling apart tender and delicious with rice, on tacos, and even with eggs and black beans for breakfast. Or maybe mixed in with migas. Holy cow, the possibilities are endless.
YUM. YES. PLEASE.
So what is Cuban shredded beef (Ropa Vieja)?
It’s the most amazing Cuban shredded beef of your life. Slow cooked and shredded beef stew-ish type dish that you didn’t even know you were missing. And if you’re thinking this is going to be a ton of work, it’s as simple as:
How to make Cuban shredded beef:
- Season a beef chuck with salt and pepper and add hide garlic cloves in the thickness of the meat.
- SEAR the meat. This is EVERYTHING. When you sear the outer surface of a piece of meat in a hot pan with a little bit of oil it forms a crust on the outside which then allows for crazy amounts of flavor to develop and helps get the meat extra tender.
- Toss in the onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and seasonings into the slow cooker. Add the seared beef and allow to braise for 6-8 hours on the low setting.
That’s it. It’s seriously the easiest dinner ever and you can start it right before you go to work and have it ready and waiting for you when you get home. Perfect, tender, and a crowd pleaser. And seriously, the comfort factor — it’s to a whole new level. I serve it on a bed of cilantro lime rice with a side of cuban-style black beans. And obvi, in the almost 3 years we’ve been together now, you know I need tons of chopped cilantro and lime wedges to serve on the side.
That’s how we do. ✌️
This crockpot braised cuban shredded beef is everything. Warm, cozy, comforting, meaty, and saucy. The tomato sauce seasoned with oregano, cumin, and garlic adds such a nice balanced warmth to the dish. Plus theres the whole thing about not having to turn on the oven and just a quick 10 minutes of stovetop time and still having comfort food that’s perfect for rainy Sundays and chilly autumn nights alike. Cuban shredded beef is my jam.
Also, whatever you do, don’t forget the black beans, cilantro, and lime juice. It’s non-negotiable! This is really my go-to shredded beef recipe for when I want to make comfort food on Monday with a bowl of rice, but then again on Tuesday for #tacotuesday topped with all the fixings and a little Mexican street corn salad action on the side. And when I feel guilty for eating all the carbs with a big baked sweet potato or mashed potatoes on Wednesday and then because brinner is a real thing, maybe with a quick scrambled egg, crushed tortilla chips, Monterey jack cheese topped with a little Cuban shredded beef for Thursday — because you gotta celebrate that it’s almost the weekend. And then on Friday over a big plate of nachos because it IS the end of the workweek.
Yummy yummy in my tummy.
Cuban Shredded Beef (Slow Cooker)
Cuban Shredded beef or ropa vieja made in the slow cooker! We sear the meat and then braise it for hours with onions, garlic, and spices until the meat is just falling apart tender. Serve it up with black beans and rice!
Ingredients
sear the meat:
- 6 whole cloves garlic
- 2-2 1/2 lbs. beef chuck roast or flank steak
- 1 tablespoon oil
for ropa vieja:
- 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons EACH dried oregano AND salt
- 1 tablespoon EACH ground cumin AND white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro + more for serving
serving:
- white rice + cuban-style black beans
Instructions
- 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!
Notes
- Leftover beef can be kept in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Can you omit the can of green chilies?!?! We really are not fond of the flavor
Yes, you can omit them if you’d like.
This recipe was amazing! I work long days and use my slow cooker a good bit. My daughter and grandkids were coming to visit for New Year’s weekend. I wanted a crock pot meal so we could spend time together instead of me cooking all day. It was a huge hit with my grand kids and I used the chiles…it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, I absolutely love this recipe. Do you think I could make it in my pressure cooker rather than a slower cooker? I just got an instapot.
Hi Mandy! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the ropa vieja recipe! Unfortunately, I’m not too confident this would work in the pressure cooker. The recipe only contains 16 ounces of liquid in total and since it’s a thick sauce, I’m afraid you may end up getting a burn notice on your instant pot. You could try diluting the sauce with broth or water but I’m not sure how much it would change the overall recipe.
Great recipe, I love cooking big roasts in my crockpot. I cut back on the salt and added some chopped olives as I had seen in some other similar recipes. Delicious!
I loved this recipe. Easy and delicious. I served this in bowls with quinoa on the bottom, layered with beans and meat and then a salad made with corn, quartered cherry tomatoes, chopped red onion, avocado, crumbled feta and fresh lime juice. A dab of sour cream on top and then sprinkled with chopped cilantro. Yum.
There is no way this recipe only takes 10 minutes of prep time. I just started it this morning before work thinking I had plenty of time to put it together and get to the office on time. Nope. I even began with a frozen roast and didn’t sear the meat or stuff garlic cloves inside of it and from start to finish it took me 20 minutes. I was attempting to hurry through all the can opening and veggie slicing too. I’d say that with the searing of the roast this would be at least a 25 minute prep time, if not 30. And that’s just for the stuff that winds up in the slow cooker too.
Delicious. The first time I made it my husband and I both loved it. I am making it again tonight for the family. I also serve with Cuban black beans and rice cooked in chicken broth. So good!
We LOVED this recipe! Even my 9 month old grand-daughter ate heaps of the beef as she siphoned off the sauce of each bite. Black beans are another family favorite so, along with some butter corn off the cob, we had a delightful and filling dinner. The combination of spices is perfect and no need for modification. I prepared it in my insta-crockpot but increased the time to 1.5 hrs. A few pieces had to be shredded and put back into the sauce to simmer. I cannot say enough good about this dish. Thanks again for sharing it!
Since finding this my family has requested it every 3rd week. It’s the perfect Sunday evening meal! It’s super easy to tweak it to make it work for a keto/low carb diet too! It reheats great the next day, but I don’t after that because we never have enough left over to go that far….
Absolutely amazing! I will be making this regularly from now on!!!
Made this for my family this week. It was a universal hit. I served it with the rice and Cuban black beans AND homemade sopas, which were so simple it was ridiculous. Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
Absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe to the letter, using flank steaks. Came out perfectly, beans were fantastic. Would make it again without hesitation, and will definitely be passing this recipe along!
Me and my partner loved it!!! Made everything 100% by the recipe including the beans and it was nothing like we’ve ever had before. Tasted very authentic and delicious.
So easy and delicious! We love it on tacos!
Wtf did I just eat??? This was amazing!!! I also made the bean recipe that you recommended and put the meat right over the top. Soooo good! The whole family loved this.
This has become my go to recipe when we have guests over. It is so easy and delicious. Currently attempting to modify it to use for a chili cook off. 🙂
Hi Marzia,
I had grass fed galloway beef in my freezer. I was looking for a recipe other than roast beef. I am so glad that I found
your recipe. It was soooo good. I made some corn Tortillas with it. Thank you for the recipe.
Greetings from Germany.
Oh wow, the fact that you made homemade corn tortillas is amazing! I’m so glad you gave this recipe a try, Daniela! 🙂
WOW! Made this over the weekend and it is awesome. Thanks for sharing the recipe, can’t wait to try this with tortillas. My picky husband even liked it!
Happy to hear it was enjoyed by all (picky eaters included ?)
So incredibly good! Made this last night for chipotle style burritos, fully loaded with cilantro lime rice and black beans. It was an absolute hit with my family. I’m so glad to have found this recipe, thank you!
My wife and I have made this recipe numerous times at home and for friends. It is unbelievably good, authentic, restaurant quality delicious and super easy to make. Can’t say enough good things about this one!!! Highly recommend you try it!!!
I can’t wait to try this recipe for my fiance’s birthday!
Do you think that stewing steak would work okay too?
Hi Ruth! Stewing meat would work, however, the cooking time may vary depending on the size of the meat. I would suggest just keeping a close eye on it and cook for at least 3-4 hours on low. You’ll know it’s done when the meat easily shreds apart with two forks. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
This recipe looks great! My husband accidentally bought pork shoulder instead of beef. Do you think the recipe would still work with it?
This was so delicious! It tasted just like at my favorite Cuban restaurant, but without all the salt that leaves you thirsty afterward.
So happy to hear it was enjoyed, Cheryl! Appreciate you leaving a review!
Yes I made it! Unbelievable recipe, best ever! Going to make again this week, can’t help myself, I know it’s best to not remake so quickly! To bad , lol, making again.
I was missing my favorite Cuban restaurant in Cape Coral Fl.
Well this recipe exceeded their’s. I used chuck, trimmed of 3/4 of the fat.
Folks I ate it 4 days in a row. Absolutely the best, I just hope I do not over do it.
Lol, enjoy! None made it to the freezer, no way..
I tried to rush this – 4 hrs on high. It didn’t work out – had to wait longer. But it was worth it!! The flavor!!! The recipe is the simplest but the most delicious ropa vieja I’ve ever made. I am definitely making this over and over again!
I did add a red pepper and a bay leaf but honestly, perfect as is.
I made this whole recipe and it was fabulous!
Followed every step. We ate this for several days then froze the rest.
I highly recommend this recipe!
This was sooo darn delicious. Served it with the Cuban black beans from the recipe mentioned. This has got to be one of my favorite recipes.
This is one of my absolute all time favorite dishes. I am so thankful I found the recipe and your blog! I share it constantly with neighbors and they are always impressed!
Do you think you could accomplish this recipe in the Pressure Cooker?
I haven’t made this in a long time! Thanks for the reminder. It looks so good how you’ve presented it.