Cuban ropa vieja is a hearty, rustic dish of braised and shredded beef, sliced peppers and onions, chopped green olives, and a brothy sauce. Traditionally, the dish requires simmering beef in one pot, and then using the meat and some of its broth in a separate sauté of onions, peppers, and spices. To simplify, we combined the two steps into the ease of a Dutch oven braise, which also meant that all the beef’s flavorful juices ended up in the final dish. We eschewed typical flank steak, which can turn out dry, in favor of brisket, which has great beefy flavor and enough collagen to guarantee tender, juicy shreds. Cutting the brisket into 2-inch-wide strips sped up cooking and made shredding a breeze. Searing the meat before braising and adding glutamate-rich anchovies gave the dish serious savory flavor. We caramelized the onions and peppers and then set them aside while cooking the beef so they would retain some texture. Reserving the briny green olives for the end kept their flavor sharp. Depending on the size of your Dutch oven, you may need to brown the beef in two batches rather than one. Serve with rice.
Ingredients
- 1 (2-pound) beef brisket, 1½ to 2½ inches thick, fat trimmed to ¼ inch
- Salt and pepper
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 onions, halved and sliced thin
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced into ¼-inch-wide strips
- 2 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, and minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup pitted brine-cured green olives, chopped coarse
- ¾ teaspoon white wine vinegar, plus extra for seasoning
- Lime wedges
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut brisket against grain into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut any strips longer than 5 inches in half crosswise. Season beef with salt and pepper.
- Heat 4 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown beef on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to plate. Add onions and bell peppers to fat left in pot and cook until softened and pan develops some fond, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer to bowl.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add anchovies, garlic, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomato sauce, and bay leaves and bring to simmer. Nestle beef into pot, adding any accumulated juices. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until beef is just tender, 2 to 2¼ hours, flipping meat halfway through cooking.
- Remove pot from oven. Transfer beef to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into ¼-inch-thick pieces using 2 forks.
- Meanwhile, add olives and reserved vegetables to pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until sauce is thickened and measures 4 cups, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Stir in beef and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste. Serve with lime wedges.