Regarding "smoky flavor," if you want a chili that's fairly smoky flavored, try arbols. They're allegedly "not" as spicy as cayennes (though my fiance begs to differ), but they add a smoky flavor to whatever you put them in. You usually find them dried in the store, rather than powdered, but a couple hours with a blender or a coffee mill usually solves that just fine (they're incredibly cheap and come in huge bags, so it'll take a while to grind the whole bag down)
Denise Woods try chicken it won’t have the same taste but using chicken thighs you can get a great pull apart stringy Texture like ropa vieja it’s delicious
@@وصفاتسهلهأميرهداود It doesn't work like that. You have to do the English translation first. Also, if you post this identical comment all over this video's comments, you'll make people mad and they will avoid your channel. Good luck.
Me too. When I was a kid my Mom would buy flank steak and marinate it overnight is Italian dressing and then the next day my Dad would grill it to a beautiful medium rare. Mom would use an electric knife to slice it thinly against the grain. I could eat the heck out of it. It was yummy.
OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS! My whole family is Cuban and we are so happy that people are learning about our foods and culture! My abuela makes the best ropa vieja! honestly my favorite dish.
Chef John, if you add a splash of balsamic vinegar into this beef, it gets to a whole new level. Here in Brazil we make a very similar recipe to this and keep it in the fridge to make the most amazing beef sandwiches. And we also have a cool name for it: we call it "carne louca" (portuguese for "crazy beef").
Vinegar does punch up a lot of fatty or bland dishes. I use a sprinkle or two in lentil soup and some other dishes. Fresh lemon juice, too, and of course Mexicans tend to really love a squeeze of lime.
Chef John, thank you for posting the recipe and the details in the video. I just made this for my best friend who is Cuban/Argentinean/Panamanian and grew up eating Ropa Vieja. I added a 7oz can of Chipotle chilis in adobo sauce during the braising period, then removed the chilis. Put everything in the fridge for 2 days and completed it as described in the video. It was mind blowing. My friend had never had a "spicy" Ropa Vieja. He loved it and, didn't expect the stacked slow burn of the heat. Again, thank you for the work you do in providing these recipes and videos for a lot of great food.
The first time I ever had black beans was the first time I went to a Cuban restaurant. I never knew beans could be that good! And that meal was the first time I ever had or ordered or even heard of ropas viejas. Loved it! Wow what a meal! Thanks for the recipe -- I will be making this for sure.
Your videos put the spark of cooking into me every time. Maybe it isn't about the dish looking like old clothes, but the comfy feeling you get from old clothes/shoes. It certainly looks like comfort food to me!
Chef John you have never failed me. Even recipes I’m suspicious of are always incredible! Thank you so much for teaching me better culinary techniques and always testing the boundaries of my food preferences. I truly feel not only more technically sophisticated in cooking, but more cultured overall. I’ll be attempting this on the weekend, and I can just barely contain myself. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and personality!
Eddie G we made it! We did let it sit overnight as advised. Did not add capers - and we used parsley. The flavor is absolutely amazing and goes great with rice and black beans. We will definitely be making it again! I strongly advise an attempt.
Dear and Ingenious Chef John, Please teach us half Italian and a quarter Mexican and a quarter Costa Ricans, your version of the super famous Mexican "Sopa Azteca" pleeeeeaaaase....☺️☺️☺️☺️
I'm from Panama and we call it "carne mechada" here, it is my absolute favorite dish and I would eat it every day if I could! So happy to see it on the show!
@@samanthafox3124 En realidad le dicen de ambas maneras. En mi casa a veces le dicen Ropa Vieja y a veces Carne mechada. En los restaurantes lo he visto de ambas maneras también.
Great recipe! I cooked it 3 times, all were well received at the dinner table. I added a few drops of fresh squeezed lemon at the end. I think it adds another dimension to the dish. Thank you for the recipe. I shall cherish it.
Wow! I have to say, I was a bit skeptical initially because of the lengthy procedure, where you chill the stew overnight and finish it the next day. Having said that, it was totally worth it. One the best dishes I have not only made, but eaten in general, in a very long time. Instant favorite!
I lived, worked and went to school in Tampa for about 5 1/2 years. I love the Cuban sandwich. There used to be a place called (I believe) Keiths. I don't even remember where it was. They were delicious. This was in the mid-70s. That's why I can't remember. It was so long ago. haha
I made a very loose version of this with what I had vs the list but the foundation was there and oh man this was one of the most flavorful things I ever made - I think this might become a staple for me - I just loved how deep and rich the flavor was.
My husband and I made this 4 days ago. We used a pressure cooker to render down and tenderize the meat and it still came out amazing. I'd like to see you make arroz con pollo, my favorite Cuban dish
Ropa Vieja (The Inns) is celebrated on 12/16 and 12/24 is a religious celebration. I’ve never made Ropa Vieja but now I am. Wow, that looks amazing. The overnight refrigeration is the best marinating works so dang good.
I have a recipe for Cuban beef stew, which uses many, if not all of your ingredients. Being a stew the beef is cubed,and potatoes and other ingredients are used. I'm 62 and the stew is one of my top 10 dishes ever. Your recipie sounds like a good one also.
Hello, Chef John.. I bought my first house in the Little Havana section of Miami....I was the only Anglo on my street. All the abuelas in my neighborhood taught me how to make this, arroz con pollo, picadillo a la Cubana, and a mean sofrito.... those were good days. You nailed this.... and yes! Flank steak is the only way to go. It won’t have the right texture or presentation otherwise. BTW... your fans would really enjoy Picadillo....I thought of it as “Cuban Chili”.... it was great for feeding a crowd. And because all of these dishes are MUCH better the next day, they’re perfect make ahead dishes for parties. All the abuelas were emphatic about this. Love ❤️ your channel and share it with everyone.
My sister married a cuban and this is by far my favorite cuban dish of all time. If you're on the fence about making it stop thinking about it and do it. It's beyond delicious.
ooh ropa vieja. A couple of years ago I cobbled together several internet recipes for Cuban dishes and made a way-too-much-food Cuban meal for a dinner party. The ropa vieja was far and away the star of the show. Definitely going to try this version.
The reason it's best to finish it the next day is because it's actually a recipe for leftover meat - hence the veija (old) reference. It also needs a good amount of spices, etc . . . because it's actually a very old recipe for horse meat - very long braising time in order to tenderize the meat. And yes, I am Cuban . . . born in La Habana. Chef John, I'm a huge fan of yours. Thanks for sharing this recipe for so many folks on RU-vid. This dish was one of my mother's specialties. I miss her.
this is my favorite dish. My father was Cuban and have made this for years. I use wine when cooking it. but I use Brisket but you did a nice job and I'm sure it's as good as my father's. I love that you make so many different foods. Thank you...
I'm really interested to try this version seeing as how there's a couple of things that were missing that I usually use like vinegar and sofrito add tomato paste instead of tomato sauce but you have well earned my vote of confidence
This recipe is the bomb!!! Incredibly delicious 😋!! I used chuck roast though. 7 dollars for a 2 pound roast vs 16 dollars for the flank steak. Highly recommend!!!!! Well done Chef John. 👍
As a Cuban whose mother cooks this very often, I'm fairly impressed. Not the Cuban way but close. I think one of the main differences between Americans cooking and Hispanic cooking is measurements are eyeballed in Hispanic dishes where Americans like everything to be precise.
John coming from a restaurant background is probably much more focused on making everything completely reproducible the exact same way every night. Customers might want to introduce a friend to precisely the same taste they enjoyed last time they came, or have that same experience they did last time they came, but family and friends are probably just happy to sit down to the table and eat.
There is a deli/meat market downtown Tampa and it has the absolute BEST ropa vieja ! I literally drive about 30 mins just to go and get it! Such a delicious meal! I came to look for recipes on it and you popped up (I am a sub but I have not ever seen this particular video) and I came to you first! Never disappoint! I am making this, this week!
I was watching an America’s Test Kitchen video, and people in the comments were like, don’t even mess with this, Chef John is the way to go!! So here I am at Food Wishes, and they were right. This is far superior. Great channel!! 👍
So hungry...I made this dish today (overnight holding excluded) and this is the best tasting shredded beef I've had in my life. I already had the black beans and yellow rice (sorry, Turmeric and not saffron for color) in the fridge from earlier on so this was a slam dunk. I modified the ingredient list slightly, but not the seasonings. I used skirt instead of flank so the trimming was a bit of a pain but the result was a glorious meal that resulted in me carrying a bellyful of one of the most glorious meals I've eaten. Old clothes aside, I'd make this dish on a regular basis, but not often. Skirt in my town runs about $11 a pound so chuck might be a better option if your budget is squeezed. Also, the Poblano adds a little bit of heat to the dish, so if you're averse to heat, consider omitting the Cayenne or the Poblano, or both. Not for me, though, since I like savory and spicy. Try this recipe and you will not be disappointed. As always, 'Mise en place' and use sharp knives!
Hi chef John, looks like another recipe I have to try... The only thing is my husband gets heartburn with bell peppers.. I heard that if you add the sugar it cuts some of the acidity.. I see you did that here.. another good alternative is shredded carrots since they have natural sugar in it.Thank you for sharing all of your recipes and your sense of humor..😊💖
I used a skirt steak and shredded it. What I did different was to use beef broth and leave and leave the olives, cilantro, and capers to be added at the table and served it with flour tortillas. Fantastic!
Thanks for recognizing us cilantro challenged individuals Chef, LOL. I think I shall make a variation of this. I have some leftover pot roast I cooked in the crockpot and froze . So it is already tender. Won't be completely from scratch naturally and won't be flank steak but I think I can make this work with what I have.
You have totally inspired me, I was going to make chicken tacos this weekend, then I saw this. I'm trying to cut back on beef for s while, so I'm going to try this method with chicken on taco shells. Thanks again and I will do the flank steak in the future.
I will definitely try this, it looks delicious! Chef John can you try cooking Filipino food like Lechon Belly, Fish or Pork Sisig, Beef Kare Kare, your version?
Whoo weee! Served this for dinner last night. Funky flavors! Mine came out quite spicy so served with buttered brown rice and sour cream to mellow it out. Yum!
My favorite dish! My hubby prefers vaca frita, which is made with the same meat, fried with olive oil and garlic. I think flank steak is absolutely necessary for the unique chew authentic ropa vieja is known for. Buen provecho! 😉
Saw the name & I thought it translated to “Old Clothes” & hey.. guess what! It does! I’m thrilled. I really didn’t lose all my high school Spanish. Now I’ve got to make these “old clothes” for dinner. After all, “Old Clothes” is what my cooking usually DOES taste like…Unless of course, I’m not using a Chef John recipe. 😉
ohh chef john you never cease to amaze :),,, but some chefs would argue this is stewing not braising , but even eating this at room temp after several hours is even better
With the "mater sauce and tannins, I wondered when you would add sugar. Sugar differently takes the odd "pukey" taste away. Well done, very well done! Take Care from Oklahoma, Mike and Vee
My mom used to make Braciole with Flank steak. It was delicious. I miss mom RIP and I miss Christmas Eve Braciole I use Flank steak cut into chunks with Italian sausage when making spaghetti. I cook it for nearly two hours and its so tender and delicious. Its expensive so only once in a while.
Cooking this tonight for tomorrow dinner! Second time doing this recipe this time no olives only because my kids don’t like olives. Tastes great and it great recipe just for braised beef that you can modify! Like chef John always says its called cooking you can try different things
