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.
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 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) recipe 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.
Ingredients to Make this Dish
You'll find the printable recipe card below with ingredients and directions.
Vegetables: You can use yellow or white onions, red bell pepper, garlic cloves, corn, scallions, green plantains, yuca and potatoes.
Spices: Cumin, achiote or color, salt and pepper.
Water: You can replace it with chicken broth.
Meat: You need three kinds of meats to make this sancocho recipe. I like to use chicken legs, pork meat or pork ribs and beef (chuck roast).
Herbs: fresh cilantro or parsley.
What to Serve with Sancocho
In Colombia this soup is always served with avocado or light salad, white rice and ají picante (Colombian hot sauce) on the side.
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.
More Soup Recipes to Try
Sopa de Plátano (Plantain Soup)
Frijoles (Colombian Style Beans)
Ajiaco (Chicken and Potato Soup)
Sancocho Trifásico Recipe (Three Meats Sancocho)
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped yellow or white onions
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground achiote or color
- 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
- 3 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, scallions, 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.
Lawrence Haviland
I plan on making this over the fire pit for a smoky touch for about 20 ppl. This weekend
Also, I will be adding carrots.
In your description you noted adding corn and Yuca later in the cook but in the instructions its written as meat vegetables all go in the pot at the same time.
At what stage would you add the different ingredients...meat...,vegetables,...ect..also I didn't see mention of hogao..? Is that saved for soups only? Thanks in advance
ToniMarie
There is no instruction for the annatto.. when do you add that... with the cumin onion mixture?
vicente perez
yes
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
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!
Ellen
Thanks!
When do I put in the achieve?
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!!!
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
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
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