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    My Colombian Recipes » Recipes » Main Dishes » Beef » Carne Desmechada O Ropa Vieja (shredded Beef)

    Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)

    Sep 15, 2022 by Erica Dinho · 37 Comments

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    Carne Desmechada is also known as Ropa Vieja in Colombia. This shredded beef dish is popular in Latin America and every country has its own way to make it and a different name for this dish in Venezuela is known as Carne Mechada, but it's basically shredded flank steak cook in a rich sauce with spices and vegetables. Every cook and family has it own variation and ways to serve it. This is my Colombian version and I like to serve it over white rice with ripe plantain on the side.

    Ropa Vieja RecipePin

    Cooking flank Steak this way is ideal when you want to prepare a dish ahead of time. Carne Desmechada or Ropa Vieja is another popular recipe in Colombia and Latin America. This classic beef dish is very easy, and is great over rice, patacones and arepas. It can also be used as a filling for tacos or empanadas.

    Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef) |mycolombianrecipes.comPin

    Carne Desmechada o Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)

    Erica Dinho
    5 from 37 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins
    Total Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Colombian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 316 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 pounds flank steak
    • 9 cups water
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
    • ½ cups hogao
    • 1 teaspoon tomato paste

    Instructions
     

    • In a pot, place the flank steak, water, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked.
    • Measure 1 cup of the liquid used to cook the meat. Set aside.
    • Remove the beef from the pot, let it cool and shred with a fork or your hands.
    • In a saucepan, place the shredded beef, hogao, tomato paste and 1 cup of beef liquid. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Serve hot over white rice or arepa.

    Notes

    *Carne Desmechada can be make ahead and keep in the fridge up to 3 days.
    *I use flank steak, but you can also use skirt steak.
    *You can also make a double batch and place it in the freezer in zip locks up to a month and thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.
     
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 316kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 49gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 741mgPotassium: 836mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 179IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword beef recipes, how to make ropa vieja, ropa vieja recipe, traditional ropa vieja
    Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @mycolombianrecipes and tag #mycolombianrecipes!
    Cane Desmechada or Ropa viejaPin
    Ropa Vieja RecipePin

    This traditional dish is made with flank steak, onions, garlic, cumin, tomato and tomato paste.

    Serve it with patacones,  white rice or arepa. Buen provecho

    Patacones con Carne DesmechadaPin
    Receta de Carne DesmechadaPin
    Arepa-con-Carne-DesmechadaPin

    More Colombian recipes that may like:

    Pan de Queso Colombiano (Colombian Cheese Bread)

    Arroz con Leche Colombiano (Rice Pudding)

    Arroz con Pollo (Colombian Style Rice with Chicken)

    How to make Ropa ViejaPin

    More Latin-Style shredded beef recipes:

    Carne Ripiada Dominicana from Aunt Clara's Kitchen

    More Main Dishes Recipes

    Pasta With Grape Tomatoes And BasilCazuela De Camarones Con Champiñones (Shrimp And Mushroom Casserole)Pulled Pork & Tropical Slaw With Plantain SalsaShrimp With Cilantro-Parsley SauceHuevos Revueltos Con Cilantro (Scrambled Eggs With Cilantro)
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    About Erica Dinho

    My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    Author Page →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. 5 Star Foodie

      May 01, 2009 at 10:06 am

      5 stars
      Shredded flank steak sounds excellent - this is a meal that everyone in a family would enjoy!

      Reply
    2. ericriveracooks

      May 01, 2009 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      Everytime I come to your blog it takes me back to being a little kid. I love it.

      Eric

      Reply
    3. Sapuche

      May 01, 2009 at 9:24 pm

      5 stars
      This looks great, especially with the flavorful red juices at the bottom of the pot. It reminds me of the pulled pork here in Hawaii, and I love how simple it is to make!

      Reply
    4. Allison Lemons

      May 02, 2009 at 1:51 am

      5 stars
      I'm so happy I found your blog - and my Colombian husband will be too once I start trying out your recipes! He'll be excited about this one especially - I don't cook red meat that often but when I do he always requests flank steak. Thanks for the recipe - I can't wait for future posts!

      Reply
    5. stephanie

      January 11, 2010 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      my husband can't wait for me to cook this dish for him tonight! thanks for the great recipe!

      Reply
    6. recipes ca

      January 31, 2010 at 12:43 pm

      5 stars
      Hi, I applaud your blog for informing people, very interesting article, keep up it coming 🙂

      Reply
    7. Kimberly

      March 16, 2010 at 8:47 pm

      5 stars
      I'm not big on beef, but the recipe looked so good and easy, I decided to go ahead with it. It was delicious! Thank you! Excellent with white rice AND arepa (I was really hungry)!

      Reply
    8. Anonymous

      June 08, 2010 at 9:24 pm

      5 stars
      I made this carne desmechada or ropa vieja and it was fantastic. I served over white rice.

      Reply
    9. Bajar Barriga

      June 13, 2010 at 5:33 am

      5 stars
      No sé bien cómo llegué a tu blog y todo el contenido me pareció genial. Ya llevo un rato navegando por aquí. Tu dirección ya está en mi Google Reader. Si estás aburrido, comenta en mi sitio. Abrazo!

      Reply
    10. Erycka

      July 28, 2010 at 3:41 pm

      5 stars
      Hola Erica,

      me encanta tu blog. Cada vez que vengo aca se antojo hacer todo a la vez. Quería pedir un favor, es posible poner el nombre de la carne en español. Ahorita estoy en Bogota , y bueno no se como traducir el nombre de las carnes.

      Keep up the good work! Think my next meal will be las lentejas. Por más que me gusta la arepa con queso, el calentao y el pan de bono...necesito variar o si no llego a casa (Nueva York) hecha una ballena.

      -Erycka

      Reply
      • Josie

        April 01, 2016 at 8:00 pm

        5 stars
        En Colombia lo llaman Sobre barriga

        Reply
    11. Paula

      June 01, 2011 at 10:50 pm

      5 stars
      Hola!! Me pregunto si en lugar de sobrebarriga se puede usar carne de falda o solomo abierto...si es asi, cual es el nombre de esos cortes en inglespara pedirlos en la carniceria?
      GRACIAS!!

      Reply
    12. Anna

      March 06, 2012 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this tonight, and my family loved it!!! thanks so much for sharing your recipes i am making a list to make more! My hubby is colombian and im italian, but i love colombian food!! Some of his family have taught me some stuff but i wanna try new things! i luv the flavors! You dont know how much i appreciate you sharing this, he loved dinner tonight! thanks again! tomorrow i will try the beans and beef stew. I love this website!!

      Reply
    13. Laura

      March 21, 2012 at 11:16 am

      5 stars
      Question, can you use Sofrito instead of making Hogao? What are other alternatives to the Hogao?

      Reply
      • Erica

        March 21, 2012 at 1:18 pm

        5 stars
        Laura, You can use sofrito.

        Reply
        • Laura

          April 15, 2012 at 9:34 pm

          5 stars
          Hi Erica, Another question, can the meat be cooked in a slow cooker instead of a regular pot? If so, how long do you think the meat should cook for? Love all of your recipes!!

          Reply
          • Erica

            April 16, 2012 at 8:28 am

            5 stars
            Laura- Using the slow cooker.....Cook it for about 4 to 5 hours.

            Reply
            • Nora

              November 15, 2015 at 4:13 pm

              5 stars
              4-5 hrs on high?

            • Erica Dinho

              November 23, 2015 at 3:58 pm

              5 stars
              No! Read the first step:Cook over medium heat for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked.

    14. Rocio

      April 02, 2012 at 3:07 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for your recipes. They take me back to my childhood, and now I can make them for my own family. I made the carne desmechada last night and it was a big hit. I can't wait to keep trying more. Im grateful for your website. And I just love how you add the pictures of each dish. AMAZING!!!

      Reply
    15. Christina

      January 04, 2013 at 4:13 pm

      5 stars
      Hi- I wanted to know if I should cut the steak prior to boiling it?

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Erica

        January 04, 2013 at 8:36 pm

        5 stars
        No.

        Reply
    16. Mayito Castillo

      November 28, 2013 at 8:37 pm

      5 stars
      Uuummm!!! Que delicia!! La conbinacion perfecta, patacon con carne mechada.

      Reply
    17. Maria Khan

      April 24, 2014 at 12:53 pm

      5 stars
      Estoy encantada con las recetas y toda la familia disfruta muchísimo cuando preparo comida Colombiana. llevo mucho tiempo viviendo aqui y había perdido un poco el sabor real de nuestra comida. Cada semana ensayo una nueva receta.

      Reply
    18. Michelle

      November 21, 2014 at 10:02 am

      5 stars
      Hi Erica,

      Can I use this recipe in a crock pot? If so, how long and do I just put everything in the pot and let it cook? Or do I have to do something else before it goes into the crock pot?

      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Erica Dinho

        November 22, 2014 at 10:10 am

        5 stars
        I am going to to make it in the slow cooker and I will publish the recipe.

        Reply
        • Jennifer

          August 23, 2016 at 10:02 am

          5 stars
          Did you ever publish the recipe in the crockpot ?

          Reply
          • Erica Dinho

            August 23, 2016 at 11:26 am

            5 stars
            No.... I will post it soon!

            Reply
            • Erika Yepes

              October 11, 2016 at 11:01 am

              5 stars
              Please - I have made a version in the slow cooker but would love to follow a recipe from the expert! Sending thanks from Bangkok!

    19. Natalia

      December 03, 2015 at 1:21 pm

      5 stars
      Esta carne quedo exquisita! La acabo de hacer para 15 invitados que tengo mañana y quedo buenísima de sabor. Lo único extra que hice fue ponerle caldo maggi y un poquito de cominos y quedo deliciosa! Gracias por esta website. También hice el relleno para las empanadas, seguro que quedaran deliciosas cuando las termine mañana.

      Reply
    20. Corina

      April 02, 2016 at 2:03 am

      5 stars
      This sounds like a delicious dish and so nice and easy too! You can't go wrong with shredded steak!

      Reply
    21. Super Kernel Basmati Rice

      April 15, 2016 at 7:37 am

      5 stars
      this is must be so delicious I gotta try it tonight ! thanks for the wonderful recipe xx

      Reply
    22. Aleksander Olsen

      May 02, 2016 at 2:37 pm

      5 stars
      I have so far only had good experiences with Latin food and this already sounds fantastic.
      I will try this tomorrow. 🙂

      Reply
    23. Juan Fernando

      February 20, 2017 at 4:27 pm

      5 stars
      My mother, and Abuela have made Carne desmechada so many times through the my life, that it has become a staple of my comfort food repertoire.

      Unfortunately, flank steak or sobré Bariga has actually become popular ie expensive and as such I only purchase it when I can find a deal. Luckily this is one of those weeks.

      We have always havled a small to medium white or yellow onion into the water and added garlic cloves, along with the ground pepper. (I sometimes add a bay leaf)

      At the end you are left with a a great beef broth to use as the base of soups and other dishes.

      Enjoy

      Reply
    24. Juan Fernando R

      October 22, 2018 at 6:04 pm

      5 stars
      Carne Desmechada is one of my personal favorites, I will eat it alone, I will eat it with rice, I will eat it on Arepas and Patacones.

      I would also suggest to the readers, that you can add sliced spanish or white onion, and a healthy dose of garlic to the water, when you add the sobre barriga, (flank steak).

      This will add flavours to the meat, and leave you with an amazing beef stock base to use in your other cooking.

      I regularly, make soup the day of or day after having made carne desmechada, take the stock leftover from preparing the meat, and add anything from your crisper, carrots, corne, beans, celery, kale or cabbage, whatever you like in your soup.

      Thanks for the amazing recipes. This is my go to keep my dose of Vitamin C(olombia)

      Reply
    25. Kinza

      December 03, 2019 at 2:56 am

      5 stars
      Wow yummy...!! It looks so delicious.. Thanks for sharing this recipe..

      Reply
    26. Leydi

      February 15, 2021 at 5:48 pm

      5 stars
      Hola, una pregunta la carne se puede hacer en la holla a precios? Cuanto tiempo más o menos? Tengo niños pequeños y me gusta que la carne quede blandita. Gracias

      Reply

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    Erica Dinho Author | My Colombian Recipes

    Hola and welcome to My Colombian Recipes. My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    More about me →

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