Carne En Su Jugo (Meat in its Juices)
Carne en su jugo is a cozy Jalisco-style stew with tender beef, bacon, pinto beans, and salsa verde simmered in their juices.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 2 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb beef (flap meat or flank steak, cubed)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup dried pinto beans (or one 15 oz can pinto beans)
- 10 oz bacon (chopped)
- 1 bunch cebollitas (Mexican green onion bulbs, cut in half)
- 4 tomatillos
- 2 serrano peppers (or jalapeno)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ small onion
- 1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp mexican oregano
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 to 3 cups water
- cilantro
- onion
- red radish
- crispy bacon
Instructions
- 1
Soak ½ cup dried pinto beans 4+ hours.
- 2
Simmer in 2 cups fresh water with ½ tsp salt until tender, about 1 hour covered. Reserve ½–1 cup cooking liquid.
- 3
Char the tomatillos, jalapeños, onion, and garlic in a skillet for 5 minutes.
- 4
Sprinkle over 1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon, ½ tsp cumin, and ¼ tsp Mexican oregano. Mix to toast the seasonings briefly, then add 2 cups of water and simmer for 5 minutes, covered.
- 5
Add everything to a blender along with ¼ cup cilantro. Blend until smooth and set aside.
- 6
In a separate pot, brown the bacon over medium-low heat until crispy. Set it aside on paper towels.
- 7
Saute the cebollitas (Mexican green onions) in the bacon fat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Set aside with the bacon.
- 8
Remove some of the bacon fat if there is a lot. Add the cubed beef and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- 9
Continue cooking the beef in its juices for about 5 minutes.
- 10
Pour salsa verde into the pot, scraping browned bits.
- 11
Cover and let it simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- 12
Stir in beans, ½–1 cup reserved bean liquid, half of the bacon, and cebollitas. *If using canned beans, rinse and drain before adding.
- 13
Taste the soup and adjust seasoning/consistency to your liking. I usually add a little salt and water if it's too thick. Simmer 5 more minutes covered.
- 14
Ladle into bowls. Top with raw onion, radish, cilantro, crispy bacon. Serve with warm corn tortillas and enjoy :)