Carne Guisada

Name: Carne Guisada
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 25 min
Yield: 12 servings (about 2 quarts).
Ingredients: 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped; 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 1 bay leaf; 2 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar; Dash liquid smoke, optional; 1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 pounds), cut into 2-inch pieces; 2 large unpeeled red potatoes, chopped; 1 medium onion, chopped; Whole wheat tortillas or hot cooked brown rice, lime wedges and chopped fresh cilantro, optional

While living away from Texas for awhile, my boyfriend and I grew homesick for the spicy flavors of home. We've made this recipe a few times now, and it goes really well with homemade flour tortillas. We love it over rice, too. —Kelly Evans, Denton, Texas

Ingredients

1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
2 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Dash liquid smoke, optional
1 boneless pork shoulder butt roast (3 pounds), cut into 2-inch pieces
2 large unpeeled red potatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Whole wheat tortillas or hot cooked brown rice, lime wedges and chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Directions

In a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker, mix first 13 ingredients and, if desired, liquid smoke. Stir in pork, potatoes and onion. Cook, covered, on low until pork is tender, 7-9 hours.
Discard bay leaf; skim fat from cooking juices. Shred pork slightly with two forks. Serve with remaining ingredients as desired.

Editor's Note

Wear disposable gloves when cutting hot peppers; the oils can burn skin. Avoid touching your face.

Nutrition Facts

2/3 cup: 261 calories, 12g fat (4g saturated fat), 67mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 16g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 21g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 medium-fat meat, 1 starch.

Originally published as Carne Guisada in Taste of Home December 2013

Reviews

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Average Rating:

Ruth

Jul 21, 2018

This is my favorite all-time pork shoulder recipe. The first time I made it EXACTLY according to the recipe . . . except I used my cast iron Dutch oven and put it in a 325 oven for about 90 minutes. I couldn't believe how yummy it was with that "gravy" that you get with the sauce and that bit of flour. VERY simple to make and just exactly the right amount of heat (I do remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeno). I've made it a bazillion times since then and my family and friends NEVER get tired of it. They beg for the recipe and their families love it as well. The one thing I do differently is use Yukon Gold potatoes (about 4-6 smallish medium one) because the result is so delicious and creamy. One of my friends leaves out the potatoes and uses the result to fill soft tacos. She reports her family BEGS for the dish. I have also made a very tasty variation with beef instead of pork - merely cutting the beef into a bit smaller cubes. The combination of a bottle of beer with a 1/4 cup of flour over a stew in the oven is GENIUS and I have used the idea with different spice combinations for all kinds of meat stews in my Dutch oven.
Beth

Apr 19, 2018

We love spicy food and this is very spicy! The people that comment that it was bland must be sucking ghostpepper popsicles or their spices are very old. I would cut the heat back a little next time and I agree it needs more salt, but easy to make. We had it over rice, but making tamales with the rest.
Julianne

Jan 6, 2018

I was so excited to see a carne guisada recipe I could prepare in a crockpot instead of babysitting it on the stove. Then I read the ingredients. This is in no way carne guisada, at least not the kind you’ll find in Texas like the original poster suggests. While this may taste fine, I was put off by the misleading recipe name.
Primla

Oct 15, 2017

With all these spices & ingredients I expected something phenomenal, sadly no. Bland and zero flavor, what a let down
coffeeandkarma

Aug 3, 2017

This was not as good as I had hoped. First I followed directions to the letter. It was bland and didn't have much spice. Second, I don't cook but heat in the crockpot.
angieact1

Apr 22, 2017

Made my house smell terrific and tasted even better! Leftovers were good in quesadillas!
Psalm127-3

Feb 7, 2017

this looks like a perfect crock pot dish.hearty and heart warming. I would serve it with refried beans and in soft&warm toasted flour tortillas.problem is I'm allergic to beer. can I substitute another fizzy beverage?
rinshin

Jun 23, 2014

I come to Taste of Home for simple and down home recipes like this. I halved the recipe and that worked out just fine. I love the taste of potatoes and pork like this. Very tasty. Thanks for sharing.
snogle81

Jan 2, 2014

My husband and I loved this recipe! It was a little spicy for us on its own, so we made burritos. We stuffed flour tortillas with a generous portion of the shredded pork and potatoes and included a layer of pinto beans, sour cream, and cheddar cheese to reduce the heat.
CatMurphy

Jan 1, 2014

This had good flavor. This reminds me of a carnitas recipe that my family actually prefers.