Vaca Frita Cubana (Cuban Beef Recipe)
Description
Vaca Frita, aka Cuban Crispy Shredded Beef, is a traditional marinated, boiled, shredded and fried flank steak recipe served with rice and beans.
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Ingredients
Vaca Frita
- 1½ pounds flank steak
- 12–14 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 3 green peppers,* divided
- 2 small onions, divided
- 1 cup dry white wine*
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
To Serve
- 1 cup dry jasmine rice
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- Lime wedges
- 1 avocado, pitted, peel and cut into chunks
- 1 large tomato, cut into chunks
Instructions
- Place steak on a quarter sheet pan. Mince 4–6 cloves of garlic to get 1 tablespoon minced garlic. Spread 1 ½ teaspoons garlic onto top side of steak; season with 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- Flip steak and rub remaining 1 ½ teaspoons garlic, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper on second side. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
- When ready to cook, cut 1 pepper and 1 onion into large chunks. Smash 5 cloves of garlic.
- Remove steak from refrigerator and cut in half cross wise, then cut halves into 1 ½-inch-thick strips along the grain.
- Add pepper and onion chunks, smashed garlic, wine and 3 cups water to a large sauté pan over high heat. Nestle steak into vegetable mixture; bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over medium heat and cook, partially covered, until beef is tender and can be pulled apart with forks, about 1 ½ hours. (Or 40 minutes in a pressure cooker on high.)
- Using tongs, transfer steak to a bowl or sheet pan; allow to cool.
- Pour vegetable mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup; reserve solids and liquid. Wipe out sauté pan.
- Thinly slice remaining onion and peppers and chop 3 garlic cloves.
- Heat 3 tablespoons avocado oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add sliced peppers and sliced onion; season with salt and cook, stirring frequently, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Using your hands, or two forks, shred cooled meat.
- Add shredded beef and chopped garlic and fry, over medium-high heat, until browned and charred but still tender, 15–20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so. After first 10 minutes, you may need to occasionally deglaze pan with reserved simmering liquid.
- Meanwhile, bring 1¼ cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add rice, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low until rice is tender and water has been absorbed, 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork, cover and let steam until ready to serve.
- Chop reserved simmered pepper and onion mixture and add to a bowl with black beans; stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.
To Serve
- Serve vaca frita in shallow bowls with rice, black bean mixture and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Optional, serve with chunks of avocado and tomato.
Notes
Peppers: any mild green peppers will work. I use a combination of green bell peppers and Cubanelle peppers.
Pressure Cooker: instead of simmering the beef on the stovetop for 1 ½ hours, you can cook it in an Instant Pot on high for 40 minutes. Naturally release the pressure then follow the instructions as written.
Wine substitute: Instead of white wine, you can use additional water and a tablespoon of white vinegar.
Cooking Rice: For the fluffiest rice, soak dry rice in water before straining and cooking according to package directions.
Make Ahead: to prep this ahead of time, simmer the beef as directed then store the beef and vegetables, separately, in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Storage: leftovers can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, place in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before reheating and serving. Leftovers can be used to make burritos, hashes and more.
Black beans: if you don’t plan on serving the vaca frita with black beans, you can discard the simmered pepper and onion mixture.
Deglazing the pan: only deglaze the pan with the reserved simmering liquid if you have to! Moisture is the antithesis of browning and charring. However, in my large sauté pan, I find I need to deglaze a bit to avoid scorching the fond on the bottom of the pan. Plus, but pulling that up with some liquid, you're coating the meat in delicious, savory flavor!
Pan size: if you have a small sauté pan (less than 12-inches), I recommend browning the meat in batches. You want to avoid steaming the meat and a crowded pan will lead to steaming.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of recipeCalories: 448kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 28gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 845mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4g
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