Ropa Vieja Slow Cooker- A Cuban favorite shredded beef that you can easily make right at home – and the homemade version tastes even better!
Today, my friends, I like to share with you a super flavorful, tender beef recipe from Cuba. A recipe, I have enjoyed countless times, but have never taken the time to make at home, until now.
Ropa Vieja is so called that because it is made from shredded beef ,resembling shredded old clothes. These may not look like old clothes but I guarantee they taste better than old clothes- LoL.
You see, I live a walking distance to this super popular Cuban Restaurant in Los Angeles. This place has been serving fairly good food. But lately, it has taken a down ward turn- a hit or miss these days .The other day I ordered garlic pork and for the life of me could not enjoy it.
I don’t know about you but I don’t like to waste my calories (I have a limited amount of calories to consume) so it ended up in the trash can. After wasting my hard earned money, I figured it’s about time I start making some of these recipes at home, it might not be truly authentic but it’s something I can savor and nothing is going to go to waste .
Here, the crockpot does most of the work for you BUT hold on… You have to prep if first to make it even more fabulous. prep, sear the roast first, before adding it to the pot to add flavor to the overall dish, then you add to the crockpot with half of the ingredients, and a few hours later, magic happens and dinner is ready.
Flank meat low and slow is the way to go- it produces tender beef and excellent flavor. If you do not have a slow cooker and want to cook this beef. You sure can braise in a Dutch oven until tender.
Serve it with rice and tostones.
But why stop there. Take 15 minutes to make the sauce and you would be glad you did Enjoy!!!
Ropa Vieja Slow Cooker
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or more
- 2- 2 1/2 pounds beef flank steak , skirt or roast
- salt , pepper, cumin and Sazon (adjust to taste)
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 Large Onion , sliced
- 4-5 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 bell peppers (red, green), seeded and sliced into strips
- 2 tomatoes sliced into strips
- 1 can (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 thyme spring
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-2 cup beef broth
- 1-2 packet Sazon (sub beef or chicken bouillon)
- 2-3 Tablespoon parsley/cilantro
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim beef of any excess fat , then season salt , pepper cumin and sazon Adjust to taste .
- Heat about 2 tablespoon oil in skillet on medium, place beef in a single layer and sear meat on both sides until brown. About 3-4 minutes each side. Throw in bay leaves after browning on one side
- Add remaining oil to the skillet over medium high heat. Then add onions, , garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes , tomato sauce ,thyme, paprika, cumin, and sazon. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add broth. Turn off heat and add 3/4 of the sauce to the slow cooker.
- slow cook, until beef is tender, about 3 1/2--4 hours on High or 7 -8 hours on low, and can be easily shredded using two forks. Remove beef and set aside.
- Add 1-2 cups of the sauce from the crockpot to the the remaining sauce . Cook for about 2 minutes or more . Add more seasoning (sazon ) if need. Throw in parsley. Adjust seasoning
- Finally, add shredded beef and stir for a minute. Serve with rice , beans, and tostones.
Nutrition Information:
Jenna says
Never worked with sazon before, I see there a few different blends- which one works best for this recipe? Is this seasoning where the heat comes from? We are family of tender mouths.. if it’s spicier than milk, we have a hard time with it. How do we lessen the heat in the recipe? The ropa I had as child wasn’t spicy and was one of my absolute favorite meals!! <3
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jenna.
Sazón is a popular Latin seasoning blend that can vary in ingredients depending on the brand or regional recipe. It often contains a mix of spices like garlic powder, onion powder, and sometimes cumin, along with achiote (annatto) for color. Generally, sazón is not particularly spicy, but it’s always a good idea to check the ingredient list for any hot spices if you’re concerned about heat.
If you’re concerned about spiciness, you can make your own sazón blend at home to control the heat level. Simply mix garlic powder, onion powder, and a bit of cumin and coriander to taste. You can also add a pinch of turmeric or paprika for color, if you like.
Hope this helps.
Kimberly Ann says
Ok I am pumped for this meal, I have cooked in the past but struggle with any type of beef in the crock pot as sometimes I find it just so tough and not at all soft or fork ready to pull apart any suggestions I don’t want to mess this recipe up!
Imma says
I’m so glad you’re going to try it. Normally, when a beef cut that does well cooked low and slow is still tough, it just needs more time (and maybe more liquid because dry meat is tough). Everyone’s slow cooker, climate, altitude, etc. is different so adjust accordingly. Please let me know how it goes:heart_eyes:
Trish says
Do you have a recipe for the rice and tostones?
Imma says
Of course! Here’s the link for the tostones- https://www.africanbites.com/how-to-make-tostones/
I love it with coconut rice- https://www.africanbites.com/savory-coconut-rice/
Hope you enjoy them!
Brandi says
It was amazing omg wow sooo good thx
Bill Murray says
WOW the flavor of the beef is amazing. It’s spicy but not hot. I also made the tostones. Interesting but good. But the Ropa Vieja is now going to be my slow cooker chuck roast recipe. It’s great as is but will workout great in taquitos, quesadillas, tacos, burritos. Yes it that good. Thanks for the recipe.
Debbie says
Have you ever made this in an instant pot? Just wonder if anyone has had success with that and if it required any adjustments.
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Debbie! I haven’t tried it but yes, you can cook it in the instant pot (just maybe give 45 minutes per pound of meat) with the pressure cooker setting. You can also cut the beef into smaller pieces to easily soften the meat, then just follow the rest of the recipe instructions. Let me know how it goes!
Deanna says
Could I make this with bone in chicken?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you can.
Tammi says
Can not wait to try and make this…looks awesome! I would like to know what sazon flavor packet you used since there is a few to chose from and I have never used it before and want to get this recipe right. Thanks for your great recipes and the info!!
ImmaculateBites says
For this recipe, I used Coriander & Annatto. Any variety would do just fine. No need to sweat it
Henry says
Its “Tostones”. Not “tontones”. Means dumb people
Beth says
Can you put all the sauce from the pan into the crockpot and also why are you using only 2 cups from the crockpot and not all of it? Going to make tomorrow. Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Beth. I leave some of the sauce in the pan to use in making the final “sauce” for this dish. Also, I use only 2 cups of sauce from the crockpot so that I have a thicker sauce for the shredded beef. Feel free to adjust the consistency to your liking. Do let me know how it turns out for you :).
Beth says
Thanks for the fast replay. It turned out amazing, everyone loves it. Thanks again.
Shar says
What is salon? What are tontiles? Thank you.
My friend used to cook this and it was delicious. Will try it soon.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Shar! I am not quite sure what you mean by salon and tontiles?
Looking forward to you trying out this recipe. Do let me know how it works out for you!
Devin says
I made this for my family .. It tasted better than my favorite Cuban restaurant in Philly does it! Thumbs up
ImmaculateBites says
Fantastic!! Home-cooked is always better :)! So glad you loved it, Devin.
Msnfre says
Took too long to get to the recipe. Had no patience to continue reading Need to write less
ImmaculateBites says
Hi there! Thanks for the feedback.
Joyce says
This is the new meal for a cold winter night ! Does this recipe freeze well? There’s nobody but me and I really want to make it.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes it does .
Jill says
You list tomato sauce as an ingredient but it does list in the instructions where to add it. I’m assuming you do this when you add the tomatoes and seasoning. Can you clarify?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes you do. Recipe updated . Thanks
Nicole San Jose says
Hi,
I want to make this but steps 3-5 aren’t clear. When you say sauce are you referring to the tomato sauce or all the veggies and broth in the pan. Does everything go in the crockpot or just the beef?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi,
I am referring to all the veggies and broth in the pan. And everything goes in the crockpot