Slow-Cooked Carne Picada Recipe

Beef stew is a classic wintertime dish, and there are numerous variants from all over the world, ranging from Irish stew to French bœuf bourguignon to Swedish kalops. There's also a Tex-Mex version called carne picada, with picada being the Spanish word for "chopped" and carne, of course, meaning "meat." Developer Julianne De Witt describes her version as "a savory beef stew braised in a tomato-based sauce with peppers, onions, and spices."

De Witt tells us that her carne picada recipe is quite easy to prepare, as it requires "just a little chopping and measuring." She also notes that it is "easily customizable to mild or spicy tastes" and notes that you can double or triple the recipe if you need a larger amount. Conversely, you can always make a smaller amount if you're not feeding multiple people, but there's really no need to do so as this stew makes great leftovers.

To make this carne picada, you'll start with a chuck roast, salt, all-purpose flour, avocado oil, onion, Anaheim pepper, and canned fire-roasted tomatoes. You're also going to need garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, Mexican oregano, and black pepper to season the stew.

Preheat the oven to 300 F.

Add the beef to a large bowl. Season with 1 teaspoon salt.

Add flour to the beef and mix well to combine.

Place the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add the beef and sear on both sides until lightly browned, working in batches if necessary.

Place the browned beef in a Dutch oven.

Add the onions and Anaheim peppers to the frying pan and saute for 1 minute.

Add to the Dutch oven.

Add tomatoes, spices, and remaining salt to the Dutch oven. Stir.

Cover the pot and place in the oven. Cook for 2–3 hours, until the meat is tender.

Serve with beans and rice or spoon into tortillas, if desired.

This stew recipe is pretty agreeable when it comes to substitutions. For one thing, you can switch up the peppers if you like. While De Witt finds that Anaheim peppers suit her own taste, she tells us that poblano peppers make a good substitute if you want a milder pepper. In fact, as she notes, the ancho chile powder she uses as a seasoning is made from dried poblanos. She also suggests that "for a spicier stew, you can substitute chipotle chilies."

The tomatoes, too, can be changed up if need be. While De Witt enthuses over fire-roasted tomatoes, calling them "sweet and subtly smoky" and saying that they "work well with all the flavors in this dish," you can use regular canned diced tomatoes if that's what you have on hand. If you'd like to add a little extra heat to your stew, you could also try using the kind of canned diced tomatoes that come with green chiles.

There are many different ways to serve this slow-cooked carne picada. De Witt pairs it with Spanish rice and black beans, although you could also opt for either Mexican, lime-cilantro, or plain rice and refried or pinto beans. De Witt also notes that this meat can be used as a taco filling, but it could also be rolled into enchiladas or burritos or eaten on its own in a bowl with a side of tortilla chips or crackers. De Witt tells us that when she does make tacos with slow-cooked carne picada, she tops hers with cotija, cilantro, pickled red onions, and hot sauce. Diced fresh or pickled jalapeños or chopped green or yellow onions would also go well with this stew, as would typical chili toppings, such as shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

De Witt assures us that there's no need to finish all of the carne picada in a single sitting, as she feels that "leftovers will taste even better the next day." She advises letting it cool down to room temperature before you refrigerate it, and the stew should last for 3 days once you do. You can also freeze the stew for longer-term storage and microwave it back to life at any time.