Ropa vieja
Ropa vieja
Shredded beef in tomato, pepper and onion — Cuba's national shred, named for old clothes, served with rice and beans.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Ropa vieja.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 2 hr 45 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Ropa vieja is flank or brisket simmered until it shreds like rags, then fried with a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic and tomato, sometimes olives and capers. It should be juicy, not dry threads. Rice, black beans, fried plantain if you have it. The name is a joke. The pot is dinner. Simmer flank or brisket with onion and bay until it shreds. Reduce the cooking liquid. In a second pan, cook a sofrito of onion, pepper, garlic and tomato until it is a sauce, then add the shredded meat, olives and capers if you use them, and enough liquid so the shreds stay juicy. It should look like rags in sauce, not dry threads. Rice, black beans, fried plantain if you have them. The name is a joke. The pot is dinner.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer beef in salted water with a bay leaf 90 minutes until it shreds. Lift, shred, keep a cup of broth.
95 minStep 2
Soften onion and pepper in oil. Add garlic, tomato, cumin, oregano. Return the beef and enough broth to stay juicy. Olives if you use them. Simmer 20 minutes.
25 minStep 3
Rice, black beans, fried plantain if you have it. The shreds should glisten, not dust.
3 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Flank → Chuck or leftover pot roast
Same sofrito. Still shred.
Tips
- A pressure cooker cuts the simmer to 35 minutes.
- Yesterday's pot is louder. Reheat with a splash of broth.
History & culture
Cuban national dish with Canary Island / Iberian cousins. Diaspora pots in Miami kept it Sunday food. Cuban national plate with Canary Island and Iberian cousins. Diaspora kitchens in Miami and elsewhere kept it as Sunday food. It reheats well. A pressure cooker is a weekday adaptation and should be named as one. The olives are a house choice, not a purity test.
A Spanish shredded-meat idea that Cuba made tomato-pepper and famous. Sephardic 'old clothes' stories are often attached. A Spanish shredded-meat idea that Cuba cooked with tomato and pepper until it became the plate people mean. Sephardic 'old clothes' stories get attached; treat them as stories, not as a requirement. You are braising tough beef and frying it back through sofrito. That is the method.
Traditional
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Ropa vieja take?
2 hr 45 min all in — 15 min prep, 2 hr 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Dutch oven, Frying pan.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1½ tsp.
What can I use instead?
Flank → Chuck or leftover pot roast. Same sofrito. Still shred.
Any tips from this recipe?
A pressure cooker cuts the simmer to 35 minutes. Yesterday's pot is louder. Reheat with a splash of broth.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Yesterday's pot is louder. Reheat with a splash of broth.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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