Carne Guisada

Carne Guisada is one part of the Dominican staple known as the Dominican Flag. This is something that is eaten almost every day in some shape or form in Dominican households. I grew up with some form of this almost every day. The bean color might change, the meat might become chicken, or the rice might become a Moro (rice and beans cooked together), but the essence is the Dominican Flag.

The combination of this meat’s sauce with the rice and beans is just something divine.

Choose a meat that is going to be good for this. I usually try to go to the Latin store because they are more up to having the right cuts for this. I try to get beef chuck roast and cut it into the size I want. Beef round(top round or eye round) also works. In a lot of recipes they want you to cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. I like it a little bit thinner than that. Maybe 1 inch long and 1/2 inch thick.

Carne Guisada

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs beef
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Dominican)
  •  Lime or Sour Orange, juiced
  • 1 tbsp Salsa Inglesa (Worcestershire sauce)
  • 1/2 medium onion
  • 1/2 Cubanelle pepper
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • Around 2-3 tablespoons peanut oil
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)

Note: I grew up with peanut oil in the DR. I don’t use anything else. And, lately, I have been reading about the damage most of the others do to you. Peanut is still a good oil with a high smoke point.) Coconut oil is also good but it might affect the taste a little bit.

The smoke point of oil is the temperature at which it stops shimmering and starts smoking. The smoke point is also called the burning point of oil and can range from relatively low 325 F to very high (520 F).

When oils break down, they can release chemicals that give food an undesirable burnt or bitter flavor, as well as free radicals that can harm the body. Before using any oil, make sure that its smoke point can handle the cooking method you plan to use.

Note: You also notice that I don’t use the chicken bouillon. I stopped using that in the 1960s when I found out it contained Monosodium Glutamate. I may add organic, if I have it. But I have found it doesn’t really need it. It isn’t something that my mother or the maids used in the 1950s. People had just started using it in the 60s because there was a huge push from the company that imported it into the DR to get housewives to use it.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Wash the meat with lemon or orange juice. Don’t run water over it after you get the juice on it. This is just a Dominican habit to kill anything bad that might have come into your kitchen on the meat. My mother could smell a chicken that had not been washed a mile away and wouldn’t eat it. I just don’t eat it out of my kitchen, ever!

Step 2

Crush the garlic and mix with the dried oregano. Cut the onion, Cubanelle pepper, and the red bell pepper. Chop the cilantro.

Step 3


In a large bowl, add beef, season with the onion powder, black pepper, Salsa Inglesa (Worcestershire sauce), and garlic-oregano mixture. Mix together to make sure meat is completely covered. Marinate over night for better flavor, but it isn’t necessary.


In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil and allow to get hot. Add meat and allow to cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium, stir it and cover. Cook until the meat absorbs its own juices.

Step 6


When most of the juices in the pan are re-absorbed by the meat, add the water 1/2 cup at a time and continue cooking the meat until tender. If the meat dries, add more water and continue doing this until it is tender.

Step 7

Add all the vegetables. Add the coriander, the tomato paste, salt and pepper. Make sure you add enough water to cover most of the meat. Every once in a while, stir, and re-cover. If it starts getting too dry, add a little more water. You want to make a stew-like gravy consistency.

Step 7

Always taste. If you think it needs more salt and pepper or maybe a little bit more Salsa Inglesa, go for it. Make it yours.

Step 8

Remove from heat and serve with rice and beans. And for a special Dominican Flag treat, add fried plantains.