Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Cook Time:

6 hrs 20 mins

Total Time:

6 hrs 35 mins

Servings:

10

Our recipe for carne guisada, the rich and flavorful Mexican stew, uses the slow cooker for ease. It starts by browning a tough cut of meat like chuck roast or bottom round, which becomes wonderfully tender when cooked low and slow. Onions, green bell pepper, and jalapeño lend plenty of flavor while spices like cumin, chili powder, and oregano bring delicious depth. After six hours in the slow cooker, the stew is ready to be spooned over rice or tucked into warm flour tortillas. Hearty, comforting, and big on flavor, this stew is worth adding to your weeknight rotation.

A bowl of carne guisada served with a accompanying bowl of rice — Grant Webster

What Is Carne Guisada?

Spanish for stewed meat, carne guisada is a braised dish eaten in several Latin American and Caribbean countries. It's a beloved dish from Puerto Rico to Colombia to the Dominican Republic. Our recipe is based on the Mexican version, which features meltingly tender chunks of beef cooked in a rich, fragrant sauce. A Tex-Mex favorite, it's typically eaten with warm flour tortillas or spooned over rice.

Key Equipment Needs

Skillet: To brown the beef and build the sauce, you'll start this recipe in a skillet. Getting a good sear on the meat is crucial to form fond, or the browned bits of food on the bottom of a skillet, so use a heavy pan made of stainless steel or cast iron rather than a nonstick pan.

Slow-Cooker: Making carne guisada in a crock pot may not be the most traditional method, but we love the convenience it provides. Use one that holds at least 5 quarts to ensure you can fit all the meat and sauce.

Making This Recipe Without a Slow Cooker

If you don't have a slow cooker, you can make our carne guisada using a large, heavy-bottomed pot like a Dutch oven. Follow the recipe as written, transferring the meat to a bowl after it's browned. Return it to the pot after adding the tomatoes and bay leaves, then cover and cook in a 325-degree Fahrenheit oven until the meat is completely tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Directions

Ingredients for cooking carne guisada on a surface including beef vegetables and seasonings — Grant Webster

Brown beef:

Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high. In 2 batches, cook beef until browned on all sides, 5 minutes per batch (add 2 teaspoons more oil for second batch). Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

Grant Webster
Cook onion, garlic, and peppers; add seasonings:

In same skillet, cook 2 teaspoons oil, onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes.

Grant Webster
Transfer to slow cooker:

Transfer mixture to slow cooker, along with tomatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 6 hours. Serve over rice or in tortillas with cheese and cilantro.

The sauce will look quite thick when you first transfer it to the slow cooker but will thin out as the beef releases moisture as it cooks.

Grant Webster

Grant Webster

Warming Flour Tortillas

If you are serving carne guisada as a taco filling, warm flour tortillas are a non-negotiable.

Heat them individually in a dry skillet for 15 seconds per side, then wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
Alternatively, wrap stacks of five tortillas in aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

How to Store (and Use Up) Leftovers

Carne guisada can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator (if frozen); reheat on the stovetop, covered, until the meat is hot throughout, adding a splash of water or broth to reach the desired consistency.

Serve leftovers alongside scrambled eggs or shred and use as a topping for nachos. It would also be delicious spooned over baked potatoes, finished with a dollop of sour cream.