This Sancocho de Tres Carnes or Trifásico is hearty, comforting and filling. The perfect one pot meal.
What is Sancocho?
It is basically a very thick soup made with root vegetables and different kinds of meats, in a broth, usually flavored with herbs (cilantro or parsley), combined with achiote, garlic, onion, scallions and bell peppers. It is almost a stew, but still considered a soup. Every recipe you try may be different from the last and unique in its own right.
Sancocho is one of the most well known Colombian and Latin American soups of which there are many different varieties. The flavor and content of this dish not only differs from country to country, but also from cook to cook.
What to Serve with Sancocho
Sancochos in Colombia are always served with avocado or light salad, white rice and ají picante (Colombian hot sauce) on the side.
Sancocho Trifásico Recipe (Three Meats Sancocho)
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground achiote
- 3 ears fresh corn cut into 3 pieces
- 12 cups of water or more if necesary
- 8 pieces of chicken
- 1 pound of pork meat or pork ribs
- 1 pound of beef cut into pieces
- 2 green plantains peeled and cut crosswise into 2 inch pieces
- 4 medium white potatoes peeled and cut in half
- 1 pound frozen or fresh yuca cut into big pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place the onions, pepper, garlic and cumin in the blender with ¼ cup of water.
- In a large pot, place the beef, pork, chicken, corn, onion mixture, salt and green plantain. Add the water and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium and cook for about 45 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and yuca. Continue cooking for 30 more minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Stir in the cilantro.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in large soup bowls, dividing the meat and chicken and vegetables evenly.
Nutrition
Colombian cuisine has such a large repertoire of incredible and hearty sancochos, that the variety seems never ending, from traditional seafood sancochos on the coast, to meat and poultry sancochos in the Andean regions. You will find Colombian sancochos made with a huge variety of ingredients, such as pigeon peas, beans, oxtail, pork feet, and even fish.
This Sancocho Trifásico (Three Meats Sancocho) is an all-time favorite of mine. This popular Colombian dish is often found in Colombian restaurants around the world but nothing compares to the way my grandmother made it.
This is no Monday night, throw-together dinner, Sancocho is an event in a bowl! This is the typical Sunday meal in some Colombian homes, perfect for enjoying with your family. This dish warms the soul, heart and body, and is exactly what I expect to taste when I am craving a tasty, comforting, hot soup.
Sue
Would this work in a crock pot? Can you use frozen corn?
Erica Dinho
Yes!
Anonymous
I would not use frozen corn. Fresh is so much better even out of season. Also, I add the corn and plantains later in the process so they are quite as limp or mushy.
Augustus G. Roberson
This stew is just heaven and reminds me so much of home. Obed was very excited to come home to a huge pot of sancocho. It is very filling and bursting with flavor. If you have any left, refrigerate it and save it for later. This stew is even better the next day after it has been marinating overnight. I think Obed and I ate from this pot for three days. You can also freeze it and have it on hand for a cold rainy day.
alvaron
Que maravilla Erica, con solo ver las fotos y leer la receta reviví! Saludos
Alan Bowman
My preference is for something similar - Ajiaco Bogotano with pollo, papas criollas y guascas. The big problem here in Spain and possibly in other countries is getting the papas criollas and the guascas, although Maggi do a packet that one can add to other ingredients that makes a reasonable (but not great) job of it.
Erica Dinho
Hi Alan,
Here is the recipe for Ajiaco:https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/ajiaco-bogotano-colombian-chicken-and/
Alan Bowman
Yes, that's the same recipe that we use but those two key ingredients are very difficult to get. The packet mix which includes guascas and a flour from papa criolla used to be made by La Sopera which has, I believe been taken over by Maggi.
Alba
Hola! Para cuántas personas es esta receta?
Gracias
Erica Dinho
4 to 6 servings
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Looks so delicious! The corn must be very good after absorbing the broth.
Belinda @zomppa
As the weather is definitely during chillier, this is the perfect soup!
Diane M.
Hi Erica! I absolutely love your blog! I have a question: is there a specific cut of beef and pork that you use? We are having friends over and I would love to make your Sancocho (my mother made one too but I never got the recipe 🙁 )
I'm planning on making your Sancocho and Mexican tamales de Piña for them, I think it'll be perfect for this cold weekend that we'll be having in New Jersey. Thank you soo much 🙂
Dee
Hi what is achiote?
GC
Dee not sure if you noticed the post below which has a link to Achiote, if you're in the US most places sell Sazon Goya which has the achiote already in the spice.
Anonymous
in US is called BIJOL
viviana
solo ver esa foto se me hace agua la boca, y para esas que quieren ponerle algo extra , de carne de res le colocan cola de vaca y enves de solo carne y le pican cebolla larga y le aseguro que no se arrepentiran , la cola de vaca le da a el sancocho ese savor cienporciento Colombiano
Joyce
I'm going to make this today but only have achiote seeds and not ground achiote. Can I just grind up the seeds to make achiote powder?
Thanks!
Erica Dinho
Make some achiote oil:https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/achiote-oil-aceite-de-achiote/ or use powdered seasoning with color: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/homemade-powdered-seasoning/
Diana
This is a great tasting and filling soup. Perfect for the winter months when all you want is something hot to eat. My mother usually makes the Sancocho at home so I miss out on seeing it put together, but now I know and will try to do it myself. Love your blog and recipes 🙂
I have made a few of your recipes and everything is delicious.
WE all love to eat tasty Colombian meals at home.
Lpaola
The directions ask for achiote- when do you add that ? Also- does it matter is the chicken is skin on?
Erica Dinho
1st step With the cumin in the blender.
You can use chicken with skin.
Loader
Great article!
Your photo/article has been uploaded to the World Food Guide website.
Sami
Hi, I was wondering how the recipe would be different if I uesd a crock pot?
Anonymous
Turned out well. Thank you!!
Jan Bea
I made this twice in a matter of 24 hours. The first one was a fail only because I wanted the meats to be really tender so I boiled it for more than 2hrs and all the meats fell off the bones and I couldn't see chunks anymore but just shredded meats. So I did it again, wiser this time and it was perfect! My friends enjoyed it thoroughly and got huge compliments which I give to you and to your grandma. Love old school recipes where you don't have to put made up spices containing MSG like the GOYA magic spices. Folks the magic is in the MSG..don't fall for it. I just have one question, when do you put the achiote? It's not on the instruction but I included it in the onion mixture and some at the end when I had to taste it because I watered it down to get a soupy consistency.
Pierluigi Mancini
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, it turned out fantastic and it took me back to my childhood.
Do you by chance have calories information for this dish?
Gracias.
Teresa Barry
Hi, I am looking forward to making this dish. I travelled in Colombia and ate it a lot. Can you tell me what cut of beef you use ?
Thanks
Luisa
Hi Teresa,
My mother used ox tails or beef short ribs. I think those are the standard cuts.
Anonymous
Agreed. Either works great
Krystal Medina
I recently made Sancocho for my stepfather. He said it was very good but it was missing something he calls 'Cimarron'. Would you know what he might be talking about? Every where I looked doesn't seem to have an answer for me though.
Erica Dinho
It's an herb. You can find it in Colombia.
Vicente perez
cilantro cimarron
Sam Hutchinson
Thank you very much for this and other recipes. My fiance is Colombian and says my cooking is almost as good as her mom's. I like to cook and it's interesting to try new ingredients. When's the cookbook coming out? Thanks again sincerely Sam Hutchinson
Anonymous
I’ve made Sancocho previously but this is the only time that it has come out so delicious!! Thinks for this recipe, I think what made the difference on the flavor was the blending the ingredients at the beginning and adding them to the broth. Amazing!!!
Ellen
Thanks!
When do I put in the achieve?
Anni
For people outside South/Central American of the United States (I live between Germany and Ireland) Achiote is impossible to get here so I make my own Sazon Goya and substitute Turmeric for the achiote, it's not a perfect substitute so I usually add a bit more pepper, salt and other ingredients to the dish (like Cumin) and it works great!
Shannon Burnikell
I whated to make this but was wondering is the pork sliced or can I used diced pork as well if I what
Erica Dinho
Diced pork is fine