This is an easy Tejano version of the classic Carne Guisada (Stewed Beef), a recipe that has been passed down for several generations. Made on the stove or in the slow cooker, this meat is perfect for tacos, burrito bowls, salad, etc. Or pick it all out of the pot with your fingers, I’m not gonna judge. Originally published March 3, 2015.
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Brushing toddler’s teeth really ought to be given an honorary-Olympic-event title. I’m not saying it should BE an Olympic event, because no sane person with children really wants to relive those kind of memories.
But you know how universities hand out honorary degrees to Important People sometimes? The Olympics should have that. And Toddler-Teeth-Brushing should be first on the list (next would be “Shopping at Costco with Multiple Children”).
Brushing kid’s teeth is not just about prying their mouth open. Round these parts it starts with a warm up chase, then a tackle, then what I like to call the Death Grip, in which one must use both legs, arms, and elbows to straddle and secure all toddler appendages. I personally prefer the Cross-Chest-Forearm-Pin.
Then, by the time you have prodded them enough to get them to open their mouth, they are mad, and start to scream at you with real tears. And that’s the easy part. Brushing a crying kids mouth is easy. You can get way in there.
The other day I went through this ordeal with Truman, and when I finally freed him, he immediately bent down, scooped a tortilla chip off the ground, and ate it. Toddler: 1 Mom: 0.
You will love this traditional Carne Guisada Recipe
Carne guisada literally just means “stewed beef.” What’s so special about stewed beef??
First, carne guisada, cooked low and slow, magically turns a cheap cut of beef into super tender, fall apart meat. Its connective tissues are actually an asset, because the low slow heat breaks them down and makes the meat so soft and delectable.
Second, carne guisada is deceptively simple. You might already have ALL the other ingredients at your house! Tomato sauce, onion, cumin, beef bouillon, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper–we’re not talking fancy or expensive ingredients. This short list is all you need.
Third, carne guisada has amazing flavor. AND smell. If you make carne guisada your house is going to fill with the aroma of perfectly seasoned beef and onions. If you open the window the neighbors might come running. This isn’t an apology, I just helped you make new friends!
What is Carne Guisada?
Carne guisada means “stewed beef.” It’s a really simple preparation of slow-cooked beef with beef broth, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, and cumin. We’re making my brother-in-law’s grandma’s Tex-Mex recipe, in case these ingredients don’t match exactly with the carne guisada you might have had in Puerto Rican or Mexican cuisine (now I want to try those versions too!).
What is the origin of carne guisada?
Carne guisada originated in Puerto Rico and spread to Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine. It’s a simple way to get tender, juicy beef from a cheap, widely available cut.
What you’ll need for Carne Guisada Tacos
Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- Stew meat or cheap roast (2-3 pounds)
- Onion
- Tomato sauce
- Garlic powder
- Beef bouillon
- Cumin
What is the best meat for carne guisada?
Since carne guisada gets cooked for a long time on low heat, the connective tissues in the meat you choose have a long time to soften. I always just buy the cheap pre-cut stew meat because I’d rather save my meat money for ribeyes some other day. If pre-cut stew meat isn’t available or you’d rather cut it yourself, buy beef chuck or beef round. It may also simply be labeled “beef roast” or “pot roast” (it is indeed the same kind of meat that you can cook as an entire roast).
How to make Carne Guisada
You guys remember these Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans? I’ve got the sister recipe for you today. This Carne Guisada is another recipe from my brother-in-law’s Tejana grandmother. It is so simple, and so good. All of the ingredients are pantry items that I always have on hand, except the meat, and even that I sometimes have tucked away in the freezer. Next time you see stew beef on sale, stock up.
The original recipe is simmered on the stovetop for a few hours. It’s really low maintenance, but you do have to be home to babysit it a little. I figured out a way to do it in the crockpot; all you have to do is omit most of the water called for.
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this recipe on the stovetop and on the crockpot. Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
On the stovetop:
- Heat a large, high-sided skillet (or a wide-bottomed pot), over medium high heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl.
- Salt and pepper the beef chunks and add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Brown all sides. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remainder of the meat.
- Add the onions to the pan and saute.
- Return the meat to the pan. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, beef bouillon, pepper, and cumin.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is tender and the gravy has thickened. Stir occasionally.
In the crockpot:
- Heat a large, high-sided skillet (or a wide-bottomed pot), over medium high heat. Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl.
- Salt and pepper the beef chunks and add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Brown all sides. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remainder of the meat.
- Add the onions to the pan and saute.
- Add the browned meat and sauteed onion to your crock pot. In a glass measuring bowl, measure out 1/4 cup hot water. Add the beef bouillon and dissolve. Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin to the measuring cup. Stir and combine, then pour over the meat in the crock pot, stirring to coat.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Do note that this is a recipe for Carne Guisada, which directly translated means “Stewed Beef.” It’s not meant to be shredded. It is bitesize pieces of meat in a thick gravy. If you make this in the crock pot, make sure you don’t accidentally break up the meat too much by over-stirring.
To serve this authentically, put the meat, some rice, cheese, and guacamole in a warm flour tortilla, with these beans on the side. This is my favorite way to eat it, but I also think it would be amazing in burrito bowls, enchiladas, topping a huge salad, in a quesadilla…or just solo with a fork.
My sister Laura made this for my whole family over Christmas. We were staying in a hostel near San Francisco with a community kitchen. One of the staff members followed his nose to the kitchen and asked if we were making Carne Guisada. “Are you guys from Texas?” he said. I was pretty amazed that he could identify what we were making (and that we must be Texan) just from the smell. We all went on a short hike that afternoon, and promised him some of the goods if he would tend the pot for us while we were away. I think he was pretty stoked.
What do you serve with carne guisada?
To serve carne guisada authentically, put the meat, some rice, cheese, and guacamole in a warm flour tortilla, with these beans on the side. This is my favorite way to eat it, but I also think it would be amazing in burrito bowls, enchiladas, topping a huge salad, in a quesadilla…or just solo with a fork.
Here are some of my favorite recipes for serving with carne guisada!
Traditional Tejano Pinto Beans << these are from Adam’s Tejano grandma. They might just change the way you look at beans forever!
Corn Salsa with Lime << This is such a refreshing salsa, perfect for summertime.
How to Make Authentic Pico de Gallo << A must have for a Tex-Mex meal.
Mexican Street Corn Dip << Pass the tortilla chips, you can’t stop with this dip!
Horchata << I can drink this sweet, cinnamon infused rice drink all day long.
Carne Guisada storage
Carne guisada can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If you prepare it in the crockpot or slow cooker, make sure that you either transfer it to another container or allow the crockpot to cool down completely before putting it in the fridge.
Best Carne Guisada Recipe FAQs
Carne guisada means “stewed meat” while carne asada means “roast meat.” This is pretty confusing, because while carne guisada is, in fact, stewed meat, carne asada is actually grilled. Also, carne guisada is made from beef roast–the cheaper the cut, the better–and carne asada is made from skirt steak. I love both–check out my recipe for Carne Asada Made with Juicy Skirt Steak + the BEST Mojo Marinade!
When I make carne guisada, it thickens up on its own. A gravy is created over the long cook time. However, if you’re unsatisfied with the thickness of the guisada “gravy,” you can add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to cold water, blend well, and then stir into the slow cooker or pot you’re using to cook the guisada at the very end.
If you’re buying premade carne guisada seasoning…you’re probably in Texas. Ha! But seriously, it’s hard to find that stuff anywhere other than an H-E-B (IYKYK). It includes cornstarch, probably MSG, and then some seasonings you can find easily in any grocery store. For today’s recipe, the only carne guisada seasonings you’ll need are beef bouillon, cumin, and garlic powder. Easy!
This one’s simple–you didn’t cook it low and slow. The type of meat used for carne guisada has lots of connective tissue, and if you tried to cook it too fast or too hot, you didn’t give that connective tissue a chance to break down. It’s worth getting up early and getting that breakdown started!
You might also like:
Chicken, Tomatillo, and Chipotle Chimichangas << so flavorful and satisfying!
Taqueria Style Chicken Tacos << slow cooker and stovetop versions. I LOVE these!
Chile Rellenos Casserole << Dinner or breakfast, you make the call.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas << a healthy vegetarian Mexican-inspired dinner.
Carne Guisada con Papas from Hispanic Kitchen
Smothered Chile Colorado Burritos from Creme de la Crumb
Pressure Cooker Mexican Beef from Nom Nom Paleo
Carne Guisada (Stew Meat for Tacos)
Ingredients
- salt and pepper
- oil
- 2-3 pounds cheap steak or roast, chopped into bite size pieces*
- 1 large onion, chopped well
- 3 cups water
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons beef bullion, good quality
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions:
- Heat a large, high-sided skillet (or a wide-bottomed pot), over medium high heat.
- Salt and pepper the beef chunks.
- Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and swirl. It should start to shimmer if the pan is hot enough.
- Add 1/3 of the seasoned meat to the pan. Place the pieces of meat so that they are not touching each other (You don’t want them to steam–see photos). Turn the pieces with tongs to brown all sides. Remove to a plate and repeat 2 more batches, adding more oil as necessary.
- Remove the final batch of meat, then add the onions to the pan, adding more oil first if there is none left.
- Saute the onions over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, or until mostly cooked through. Do your best to scrape up the browned bits.
- Return the meat to the pan. Add the water, tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt**, beef bullion, pepper, and cumin.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. You want there to be some movement. If the mixture is completely still, turn it up a little. I had my burner set just below medium.
- Simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the meat is tender and the gravy has thickened. Stir occasionally.
- To serve authentically, put the meat, some rice, cheese, and guacamole in a warm flour tortilla.
- It’s important to note that this is not a shredded beef recipe; “Carne Guisada” literally means “Stewed Beef” so you want it to be just like beef stew, but without any veggies.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Don’t add 3 cups of water! Read on:
- Brown the meat and saute the onion as instructed above. Add the meat and onion to a crock pot. In a glass measuring bowl, measure out 1/4 cup HOT water. Add the beef bouillon and dissolve. Add the tomato sauce, garlic powder, salt**, pepper, and cumin to the measuring cup. Stir and combine, then pour over the meat in the crock pot, stirring to coat.
- Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
- Remove the lid for the last half hour of cook time, and turn the heat up to high. This is to burn off some of the excess liquid. If it’s at a consistency you like, you can skip that step.
- It’s important to note that this is not a shredded beef recipe; “Carne Guisada” literally means “Stewed Beef” so you want it to be just like beef stew, but without any veggies.
Not sure if I missed it. What size crock pot.
Thanks
Hi Nick! You can make this in a crockpot as small as 2 quarts; larger crockpots will work just fine as well. Enjoy!
Thank you! Chuck roast thawing now.
Kind regards,
Nick
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It calls for 2 tablespoons of beef bouillon. I’m assuming that’s granules. If using Better Than Beef paste, is it still 2 tablespoons? Thank you.
Hi Sandy, so I actually meant the Better than Beef paste! You can use a little less and it will still be good!
Hi there! Thanks so much for recipe – I wanted to comment because I tried to adapt it to my instant pot and thought someone else might want to do same. I had about 2.5 lbs of beef chuck, and followed recipe exactly. After browning the meat (I did brown separately in cast iron, and sautéing the onions in the IP, because I am not good at getting a really good sear from the instant pot), I pressure cooked everything for about 45 minutes and then did natural release for 10 min. After that, I I put it on sauté again for a while to let the gravy reduce more. Besides the fact that I forgot about it and burned the bottom (my fault, lol), I thought it came out really good. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for the Instant Pot instructions Lauren! Super helpful!
Absolutely fabulous. Thank you. My entire family loves this.
Karen I am making this recipe as we speak. I am wondering if I can add potatoes to the slow cooker? The first time I had guisada was in a Texas restaurant and they served it with potatoes. It was scrumptious and I have been looking for a good recipe ever since. I was thinking I could add potatoes to the sow cooker halfway through. What’s your advice?
Hi Pat! Sounds like you know what you’re doing! Yes that’s exactly what i would do. cut potatoes only need like 3-4 hours on low in the crock. It sounds good! Fun twist! Thanks for sharing!
I made it in the crockpot. There was not enough liquid. 1/4 cup water is too little. And 6-7 hours is too long. I did 5 hrs on low and it was burned to the bottom. The first time ever something burned in my crockpot. The dish was very salty. I used bouillon cubes. And 2 Tbs of garlic powder is too much. My husband did not like it. I now have a stomach ache at 2 AM.
Your Carne Guisada recipe is delightful. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Katrina! Thanks for commenting!
This was phenomenal. I made the slow cooker version, and added some canned diced green chiles. Perfection.
Love the chiles addition! Sounds delicious! Thanks for chiming in Renee!
Was there enough liquid using the crockpot? I’ve only made this using the stovetop. And I use three cups of water for 3#of beef. We love the gravy so I’m concerned.
Hi Jan! I just made this again last week. I promise there is plenty of gravy! The beef releases a lot of liquid. Enjoy!
Does 2 tablespoons of beef bouillon seem a lot? It’s 620mg of sodium per tablespoon.
Hi Sara! 2 tablespoons is correct! You can totally use less if you want!
First time viewing and trying from this site. I rarely post but knew after making it I HAD TO. My husband is a huge fan of chili colorado so I admit looking for a recipe for this. I’ve tried so many and all were soooo lacking in flavor. So I went with this recipe because I wanted to do it on the stove AND use stew meat. I have to say this was the BEST RECIPE EVER! I usually tweek recipes, even the first time. I have no idea how/why I didn’t here. But do yourself a favor. Follow the recipe as is. (confession: I did leave out the salt but I really don’t consider that a mod). After reading the reviews I did go out and buy the rather expensive Better Then Bouillon stuff. I think that really made the difference. I honestly didn’t hold out a lot of hope for this dish given the ingredients didn’t look all that great. They actually sounded … boring and bland. But let me tell you… It is neither boring or bland. It is SOOOO DAMN TASTY!
This is definitely going to be on my bi-weekly rotation! Thank you karen!
Oh…. TIP ON THE BROTH: Her advice about lid off to thicken and lid on to make it more liquidy is spot on! I had the lid off and on throughout the simmering and it really does work. The lid off the last 30 plus minutes really did thicken it nicely. I had 2.8 pounds stew meat and simmered 4 plus hours. The meat was still a bit tough after 3 hours. But was PERFECT at 4.5. So don’t be afraid to simmer longer. It doesn’t turn tough with more time. It just starts to fall apart with more time.
Hooray, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe Janet! The Better Than Bouillon really does make all the difference :) Thank you so much for your detailed review!
Hi Janet!
When you mentioned 4.5 hours, is that low or high?
Thanks!
THE best recipe I’ve found. Been looking for YEARS! So perfect!
That is so awesome Patti!! I’m so glad you’ve finally found ‘the one’ :)
Love this recipe have it saved in my iBooks I make it so much
I have received an instapot this pat Christmas from my wife and wondering if you have tried this recipe in one also if you’re guessing to make this please do you will love it I make burritos with it with rice and black beans inside and then smother it with the “gravy” cover it in fresco cheese and sour cream and cilantro mmmmm
Hey Shawn! So glad you are enjoying the recipe! I haven’t tried this in the IP yet but I’m sure it would work great, just find another IP beans recipe and apply the method to these ingredients. And your burritos sound delicious!!
I haven’t made the guisada or the beans yet but I am going to get the jalapeno and the meat as soon as I go out to pick up the first grandkid from school. But your story about the teeth brushing had me laughing out loud SO hard (all by myself) I nearly fell off the side of my chair. Thanks for both the recipes and the laugh.
Haha! You’re my new favorite reader Janet :) I’m so glad it gave you a laugh, I just reread it and now I’m laughing too! I still think I deserve that medal ;) ha! Thanks for commenting, let me know if you get to try the recipe!
Delicious! I love how simple the ingredient list is and it turns out so flavorful. I was nervous adding so much garlic powder but it didn’t stand out at all, just such a good savory flavor. My whole house smelled so good with this pot next to the beans this afternoon! Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it Bet! Yeah a lot of people get nervous about the garlic powder but it really does work out! Thanks so much for commenting, it’s good to hear from you!
Is it ok if we use only 1lb of beef? If so how do we need to adjust the recipe? Also is there a replacement for the beef buillon?
Hi Sarah! If you only have 1 lb of beef, just half the recipe! and no, there is no replacement really for the bouillon.
Oh, this recipe is just delicious. I just made and devoured a bowlful of this tender meat over a bowl of rice. The gravy is to die for! It will definitely be in my Tried and True rotation! Thanks.