8 Classic Cuban Beef Dishes You Should Know About

Whether simmered, stuffed, shredded, or roasted, Cuban beef dishes celebrate the spirit of comfort food. While perusing Cuban restaurant menus, it would seem like beef dishes were always part of the Cuban culinary culture — but as popular as they are today, it wasn't always the case. 

Cattle and other domestic animals weren't introduced to Cuba until the 16th century by Spanish colonists, and it was not until the 17th century that cattle farming started becoming an essential industry on the island. Before the rise of the beef industry, indigenous Caribbeans — the Taíno — mainly relied on fish and farming local fruits, manioc (yuca), beans, peanuts, and vegetables. European and African cooking influences started to simmer into Cuban culture during the colonial period and onward, introducing new flavors, new uses for beef, and alternate cooking methods. Butterflying and shredding are just a couple of the typical Cuban beef preparations we'll be covering, so it's helpful to know your cuts of beef and where they come from. 

The following classic Cuban dishes are typically paired with sides linked to the culture's past, so these beef meals will be combined with anything from yuca, peppers, plantains, and vibrant Caribbean spices to beans of varying preparations. We'll learn about these classic Cuban beef dishes and get cooking tips from chef Jorge Alvarez, the co-founder behind the Miami area's award-winning catering company The Stuffed Cuban — a business that rose to popularity from its food truck beginnings after Alvarez beat Gordon Ramsay in a Little Havana cookoff.

One of the earliest known Cuban beef dishes that is still very popular today, ropa vieja means "old clothes" in Spanish. Though various legends abound on how it got its name, this classic Cuban dish actually dates back about 500 years, when Sephardic Jews in Spain would slow cook a meal ahead of the Sabbath, as Jewish law did not allow cooking and other physical activities on this day of rest. The Spanish version of ropa vieja reinvented stew leftovers by shredding the meat and pairing it with chickpeas. Introduced to Cuba in the mid-19th century, locals transformed it into a zesty tomato-based dish, typically enlivened with caramelized Spanish onion, red and green bell peppers, tomato paste, traditional spices, and served with black beans over rice. 

Ropa vieja is typically made with a tough cut of beef like chuck or flank steak. After the meat is browned on a skillet, chef Jorge Alvarez says, "A pressure cooker is the easiest way to prepare the beef so it shreds on its own." He then uses onions, garlic, salt, red wine, and water to make the broth. Alvarez says canned tomatoes work well for the sauce, which he cooks with strips of red, green, and yellow peppers and onions, some garlic, and salt. 

"I set it aside," Alvarez says of the sauce, "and when the beef is ready, I use some of the broth to thin out the sauce. Mix it all together, and you have ropa vieja!"

What do you get when you mix ground beef, pork, and ham, and hardboiled eggs? You get a Cuban meatloaf called pulpeta. Pulpeta may look like your average meatloaf, but after slicing off a hunk, you'll quickly realize that it's anything but. From its zingy sauce to the egg nestled in the center, pulpeta is a culinary favorite often served around holidays in Cuba, and compared to American meatloaf, it's as surprising as it is scrumptious. 

While classic meatloaf is typically baked in a loaf pan, the way to prepare a perfect pulpeta is by inserting hardboiled eggs into the center of the meat, coating the loaf in a beaten egg wash and breadcrumbs, and then frying the meatloaf in a pan. As the cooking process continues, the loaf is also basted and covered in sofrito. "It is the basis of most Cuban dishes," chef Jorge Alvarez says. "A sofrito consists of diced onions, garlic, with green and red peppers (the sweet variety). You saute this mixture with olive oil and then start the recipe!" By simmering the pulpeta in this sauce, the meat stays moist but has a crispy and flavorful exterior. Meanwhile, the egg gives the interior a unique creaminess.

But Alvarez remembers pulpeta by another name, carne fria, which means "cold meat." He adds, "Of course, it can be eaten hot, but we put it in the fridge, then the next day slice it and eat it cold on saltines for a quick and hearty snack!" Whether you enjoy it hot or cold, ensure you have extra sofrito for your pulpeta.

Bistec de palomilla might be the answer if you want to add a little Cuban culture to your steak, and it's a true favorite. Palomilla translates to "butterfly," which is precisely what we will do with whichever cut of top round, bottom round, or sirloin steak we choose to start with. The lack of fat marbling makes these round cuts more challenging to work with as they dry out when grilled or roasted, so when dealing with tougher meats, you'll want to make sure your knife is sharp enough to avoid a dangerous situation. Butterflying the meat, tenderizing it with a meat mallet, and marinating it will turn dinner from tough to tender. 

To start, season each side of your bistec de palomilla with salt or pepper, or kick it up a notch with Sazón seasoning, then marinate in a bag with fresh lime juice, garlic, and oil, making sure that each surface is evenly coated. Lay the meat in a covered container and top it off with fresh garlic and onion slivers. The meat can marinate from a few hours to overnight, depending on how hungry, hangry, or behind schedule you are. No matter the timing, you're going to love this simple prep. 

Then, once marinated, simply pan fry the meat with some oil, garlic, and onion. Serve it with white rice or a nice heap of mashed potatoes for that meat-and-potatoes-loving friend. 

Vaca frita, or Cuban fried beef, is a wildly popular Cuban dish that's pretty simple to prepare — but it does require a little labor of love. While vaca frita recipes can vary slightly online, chef Jorge Alvarez likens it to making ropa vieja, just without making a tomato sauce.

This crispy, pan-fried dish typically starts with a flank steak seasoned with garlic powder and salt. A popular practice is to cut the steak into four large quarters to season the meat more thoroughly, not just on the two sides. Again, because flank steak is a tougher cut of meat, you'll need a good quality knife. Once seasoned, make yourself a mojito, kick back, and let the beef tenderize for an hour or two. Next, the steak is best prepared in a pressure cooker. After the steak has been cooked for about 10 minutes, shredding is easy. That's the labor of love part, so grab a fork in each hand and start pulling. Once shredded, the beef gets tossed in a simple mojo sauce — which typically consists of fresh citrus juice, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and garlic, and has the consistency of salad dressing — and then pan-fried until crispy on a skillet. Sauteed onions are also typically tossed in the mojo and served over the meat. 

As an alternative, Alvarez recommends pan frying the beef with some olive oil, chopped garlic, and sliced onions, and then salting to taste. Either route you go, add a healthy squeeze of lime once plated, and dig into a dish as magical as a Cuban sunset.

Boliche is a classic Cuban pot roast that's rich in flavor and simple to prepare. Essentially, boliche is a beef roast that has been marinated in citrus juices — which is a common practice in Cuban cooking and a natural way to tenderize meat. The roast is typically stuffed with spicy chorizo, although bacon, serrano, or sausage have been known to take center stage. Olives are also commonly used to add a bit of saltiness to the meat. The essence of your center stuffing permeates the meat as it cooks, which is why Spanish chorizo is commonly used, as its spicy, smokey juices release into the meat like a flavor bomb. 

What makes boliche an especially popular dish for a friend or family gathering is that it can be prepared beforehand, it can serve a larger group (depending on the size of the beef, of course), and it's easily cooked in a cast iron Dutch oven. It is typically served with rice and beans, but a side of roasted root vegetables can hit the mark in the cooler months.

Picadillo Cubano might easily fall into the "sloppy joe" family, as sauteed ground beef is mixed with sofrito, then simmered in a tomato-based sauce with spices. To further liven things up, picadillo has a flavorful sweet and sour balance, courtesy of raisins and pimento-stuffed green olives. 30-minute, one-pan-meal peeps love this dish — fried potatoes are a popular addition and can even be prepared beforehand. 

Although many easy Cuban picadillo recipes omit the raisins, this omission sparks controversy. "The recipe for picadillo is one of the quickest ways to cause a passionate argument," chef Jorge Alvarez explains. "You either add raisins or Spanish olives or neither! Otherwise, it is a very easy ... comfort recipe." On the off chance there are any leftovers, picadillo can be used for tacos or stuffed peppers. But it's also often served for breakfast or brunch, topped with a lightly fried egg, so making enough for the next morning is recommended. When that yolk and the picadillo amalgamate, your day is off to a spectacular start.

When it comes to the ideal size of a meatball, there aren't many rules; but when it comes to preparing albondigas Cubanas, you don't want to go too small. So, for portioning these bad boys, put the little scoop back in the drawer and grab the one you use for your Ben & Jerry's. Most important when creating Cuban meatball magic is that you'll need to find the right ground beef and know how to cook it. Albondigas also consist of a blend of breadcrumbs, vegetables, and sofrito.

One important thing to remember when creating your Cuban meatballs is not to overmix it and to keep the meat loose. A typical order of albondigas Cubanas might be served with rice, but you'll often find the rice already in the meatballs. Albondigas are also popular in soup, bobbing alongside potatoes, carrots, and zucchini. But to celebrate your Cuban meatballs in the best way possible, smother them in that sofrito.

From across the counter, this Cuban beef dish might just look like a regular hamburger, but with a closer look under the bun, the frita Cubana might require a little explaining. This Cuban burger, which is topped with fries, became a popular street food in Havana sometime in the early to mid-1900s. Back then, fritas Cubanas were sold by friteros (aka fryers or frita makers) at sidewalk food stalls. For years, this burger rose and shrank in popularity in its home country, partly due to beef costs rising. But as hamburgers grew in popularity in America, Dagoberto Estevil introduced the frita Cubana stateside by opening Fritas Domino in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood in 1961 — and it quickly gained recognition as a culinary icon.

Sometimes made entirely of beef, but classically a blend of beef with pork chorizo, the patty is typically seasoned with plenty of Spanish paprika, cumin, garlic, onion powder, and sometimes hot sauce. Chef Jorge Alvarez recommends using a 50-50 mix of ground chorizo and ground beef, saying, "The chorizo gives the burger a unique tang! Best to always use Spanish chorizo for the authentic taste." 

The traditional sauce is typically made from ketchup (or tomato paste), mixed with apple cider vinegar, beef stock, smoked paprika, oregano, and salt. Combining the beef seasoning with the sauce creates a taste bud explosion. Add on a heap of crispy papas fritas for added texture, and you're biting into a burger that may just ruin future run-of-the-mill burger outings for you.

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and Mashed.