Josef Centeno’s Carne Guisada

We love chef Josef Centeno’s headnote on this recipe, adapted from Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen. In it, he explains that carne guisada is his “bowl of red” (Texas chili). But he never eats it in a bowl — “always a flour tortilla.” And unlike chili con carne, “it isn’t served with a bunch of other ingredients and garnishes. Tucked into a flour tortilla, it needs nothing else — just straight up carne guisada.”

We followed his lead, and made his Tía Carmen’s flour tortillas to serve it with. Absolute heaven. We reviewed the book in September, 2020.

Serves 6 to 8.

Ingredients

2 ancho chiles

4 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

2 1/2 to 3 pounds boneless short rib, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 large onion, finely diced

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 fresh bay leaf, or 2 dried

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups beef broth

1 cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes

Instructions

1. Using tongs, toast the ancho chiles over the open flame of a gas burner until slightly softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stem and seed the chiles and tear them into pieces. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven or another large heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the beef and brown it on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes.

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. When the oil is hot, add the onion and salt and cook over medium heat, scraping up the browned bits of meat at the bottom of the pot, until the onions are soft, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the garlic, serrano, oregano, cumin seeds, chile powder, bay leaf and several grinds of black pepper and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

4. Add the toasted chile pieces to the pot along with the flour and stir until incorporated. Add the beef broth and tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil.

5. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partly covered, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Taste and adjust the salt. Serve with flour tortillas, or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe notes

• We tested the recipe using olive oil and fresh bay lea