Posta Negra is a traditional Colombian main dish from the Caribbean coast of the country. This beef dish is full of flavor with a delicious sauce. I like to serve it with avocado, patacones and coconut rice.
Posta Negra is basically a beef roast, cooked in a dark, sweet and flavorful sauce made with coca-cola, onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, wine, beef broth and panela or brown sugar. This dish is traditionally served in Colombia with coconut rice and fried plantains, but you can also serve it on top of mashed potatoes or even cauliflower rice if you prefer.
Ingredients You'll Need
The printable recipe card with exact amounts and cooking directions is below. Before we get to the full recipe below, lets' talk a little bit about the ingredients you will need to make this posta negra colombiana recipe.
Beef: You can use beef bottom-round roast, top round, eye of round or chuck roast to make this recipe. All of those beef cuts will work and are great options.
Vegetables: You also need, garlic and onions.
Spices and Flavor: The traditional recipe is made panela (raw sugar cane), but if you don't find it in the USA, just use brown sugar, also you need salsa inglesa, but I used Worcestershire sauce. As you may know I don't live in Colombia and some ingredients are not the same in the United States, so I find the best options to make my recipes. You'll also need red wine, Coca Cola, vegetable or canola oil, butter, salt and pepper.
In Venezuela they have a similar dish called "Asado Negro". The ingredients and preparations are a little bit different than posta negra but it's also a delicious dish.
There are many different versions of this beef recipe, but this one is very popular on the Atlantic Coast. The must have side dishes for "Posta Negra" include boiled or fried yuca, fried green plantains and coconut rice.
How to Make Colombian Posta Negra
- Place the onions and garlic in a food processor and puree.
- Place the beef in a zip lock bag, add the onion mixture, salt and pepper.
- Be sure the beef is covered with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and brown the meat on all sides.
- Add beef broth and wine to cover the beef and cook for 2 hours over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar, Coca-Cola, butter and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook for about 45 minutes more. To serve slice the beef and pour the sauce on top.
More Beef Recipes
Posta Negra Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef eye round roast or chuck roast
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 large onion
- Salt and pepper to your taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or salsa negra
- ½ cup brown sugar or grated panela
- 1 cup of Coca-Cola
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup red wine
Instructions
- Place the onions and garlic in a food processor and puree.
- Place the beef in a zip lock bag, add the onion mixture, salt and pepper.
- Be sure the beef is covered with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and brown the meat on all sides.
- Add beef broth and wine to cover the beef and cook for 2 hours over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar, Coca-Cola, butter and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook for about 45 minutes more. To serve slice the beef and pour the sauce on top.
norma
I had this at a friends house and thought it was quite good and the meat was so tender.
Erica: My blog is live and at Wordpress platanosmangoes.com.. Come on back....
Cynthia
I’m sorry, where do the cloves go? Did I miss that somewhere in the recipe?
MV
Looks like it is step #1-"place onion and garlic (cloves) in food processor.
Anonymous
You did miss something Cynthia, it is GARLIC CLOVES, and they are processed with the onions. x
Jeannie
THat looks absolutely delicious! Love it the way you cook it, full of gravy!
Anna
Slow cooked meat are my favorite dishes, all the flavors get together beautifully. Yours looks fantastic, and the rice with corn....yummmmm. Have a great weekend Erica. 🙂
Anonymous
Definitely delicious i try in Colombia en Cartagena very good. I loved.
nammi
yumm, looks so tempting, nice big juicy piece of meat!!
Belinda @zomppa
My goodness - this plate looks like it was made just for me!! Drooling!
rosita vargas
La posta negra es una de las carnes más exquisitas,me encanta,me gustó el plato contundente y sabroso,gracias por el comentario,cariños y abrazos.
Liliana
I've seen this dish made in Venezuela. But I think is ruined by using coca cola. I prefear the Venezuelan version.
Anonymous
Good for you, go look at Venezuelan recepies
Margarita
You should make the recipe and rate it once you try it. Rating based on ingredients or looks are not acceptable.
rebecca
lovely beef recipe
Faith
The beef looks tender and juicy and I love the sound of that flavorful coca cola sauce! Great dish, Erica!
linda mitchell
I JUST BOUGHT ONE FO THE FRIST TIME IN ALREADY IT LOOK'S GOOD PLANING ON BUYING ANOTHER ONE DID'NT NO IT WAS THAT GOOD WHAT HAVE I BEEN MISSING. NEVER AGAIN .WHAT OTHER WAY CAN I COOK IT .THANKS FOR SHOWING ME THIS ADD.
Jonny
we're huge fans of Colombian food in general, but haven't seen this on any Colombian menus. It sounds amazingly delicious! Are the worcestershire sauce and coca-cola traditional or are there substitutes that are used in Colombia?
Erica
Jonny- They are traditional for this dish, but some people omit the salsa negra or worcestershire sauce. In Colombia we have a variation of dishes cook in Coca-Cola.
FERNANDO
Erica:
El corte de carne "beef eye round roast" corresponde a lo que en Colombia conocemos como "muchacho" ?
Cordial saludo,
Fernando
Anonymous
Will please my colombian friend when I make this for her! Thanks
Dianne
I live in Ecuador and seldom cook beef because it is usually tough. For this recipe, what would be an equivalent cut of carne?
Would it need more tenderizing?
Gracias!
Alan Bowman
Hi Dianne
Here in Spain, there is little difference between the tenderness of the meat and the hide when it comes to beef so we usually change the recipe to pork. I usually buy cinta de lomo de cerdo and then cut it to suit our requirements (roasting/boiling joint, steaks, cubed for stewing, etc.) Pork chops or steaks here are wafer-thin for flash-frying so a nice thickness (¾ inch thick) makes them great and then I cook stuff in a slow-cooker for something like 8-10 hours which tenderises even the "beef saddle!"
Anonymous
Brisket would be a good cut because it has some good fat to keep it tender
Christy
Do you drain the water before making the coca cola sauce?
Melanie M
Crosse and Blackwell's Salsa tipo Inglesa Ingredientes: Agua, vinagre, puré de manzana, piloncillo, azúcar, sal yodada, pulpa de tamarindo, colorante caramelo clase III, proteína hidrolizada de soya y maíz, condimentos, saborizantes artificiales, maltodextrina, color caramelo clase IV, glutamato monosódico. (Water, vinegar, applesauce, piloncillo, sugar, iodized salt, tamarind pulp, caramel coloring class III, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, condiments, artificial flavors, maltodextrin, caramel color class IV, monosodium glutamate.)
Which is a little different than Worcestershire sauce which has anchovies in it, but it's basically the same, Worcestershire (woost=a=sure) has tamarind too. love that
Ingredients. Distilled White Vinegar, Molasses, Sugar, Water, Salt, Onions, Anchovies, Garlic, Cloves, Tamarind Extract, Natural Flavorings, Chili Pepper Extract. that's in Lee and Perin's
Vilma
I made this today.! Meat was so tender, sauce was on point, not too think or too runny, perfect body. The only add on was a few cloves. It was amazing, I am so happy I came across this recipe, thanks for sharing!