Carne Mechada is flavorful, tender shredded beef perfect for tacos, arepas or on a plate of Pabellon Criollo. This amazing beef is slow-cooked and finished on the stove top to sear in the flavor.
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Carne Mechada is the perfect shredded beef. It is tender, falling apart easily to melt in your mouth. It is flavorful, adding a delicious burst of flavor to every dish it is added to.
It is also easier to make than you think.
This recipe calls for slow cooking your meat until tender (either on the stove top or in a pressure cooker) and then searing on the stovetop in a vegetable sauce of tomatoes, onions, and peppers for even more flavor.
What’s great about this recipe is that this amazing beef can be used in so many different ways. As the national dish of Venezuela, it is the star of a dish called Pabellón Criollo–a plate full of black beans, ripe plantains. and rice. But it can also be used as a filling for arepas, empanadas, or in any other recipe that calls for shredded beef.
If you are looking for an incredibly flavorful, filling shredded beef, this Venezuelan Carne Mechada recipe is a must try!
Recipe Origins
Shredded Beef holds a special place in many Latin American dishes, though it most likely originated in Europe. It goes by different names in different regions including Ropa Vieja in Cuba or Carne Desmechada in Mexico.
It’s a little bit unclear if the name Mechada comes from the Spanish word “desmechar” which means to separate hair into strands–in the same way the meat is shredded into pieces, or “mechar” which means “to lard” referring to the way the meat is stewed in its own fat, keeping it juicy and tender.
Either way, this flavorful meat is a staple in many Venezuelan recipes. It is served as one of the main components in Pabellón Criollo, alongside rice, beans, plantains and sometimes a fried egg. It is also used in empanadas or arepas or simply served on top of white rice.
Why Make This Recipe
- So Versatile: Whether you want shredded beef for empanadas, pabellón criollo, tacos or even enchiladas, this is a great recipe to use! You could even make a big batch and use it for multiple dishes.
- Delicious Flavor: I love the amazing flavor that comes from not only slow cooking the meat but then searing it in the vegetables. It is savory, complex and delicious!
- Taste of Venezuela: Carne Mechada is the national dish of Venezuela and once you give it a try you’re sure to see why! This flavorful Venezuelan Shredded Beef can be used in so many ways!
What Do You Need to Make This Recipe
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Flank Steak: This is the traditional choice, though it can be very expensive. See notes in the “Can I Use a Different Cut of Beef for Carne Mechada?” section about other types of beef you can use for this recipe.
- Yellow Onion, Carrots, Garlic, Celery: These are called “throwaway vegetables” because they are used to make the broth. Feel free to remove them from the broth and use them in other recipes instead of discarding if you so choose!
- Sazon: Sazon seasoning is a popular Latin American seasoning. If you cannot find any at your local grocery store you can mix up your own
- Sofrito Vegetables: Yellow Onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, garlic
- Tomato Sauce: Use canned tomato sauce for an easy addition.
- Fresh Cilantro: For topping
Tools
- Instant Pot, large pot, or Dutch oven
- Large skillet
How to Make This Recipe
Step One: Cook the Beef
Add the beef into an Instant Pot along with the onion, carrots, garlic, celery, salt, pepper, and Sazon. Pour enough water into the Instant Pot (see alternative in step 2) until everything is covered by about 1 inch of water.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the timer for 50 minutes. Alternatively, you can put it in a large pot on the stove, cover it, and simmer on lower heat for 2 ½ hours or until the meat cooks to your preference.
When the timer is up, allow for a natural release then remove the meat from the Instant Pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Reserve the beef broth you just created!
Step Two: Prepare the Sauce
Add a large sauté pan to the stove over medium heat and add the olive oil until warm.
Next, add the diced onion and saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent. Then add the green peppers and sweet red bell peppers as well as the salt, sazon, and black pepper. Saute for a few more minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Form a hole in the middle of the vegetables and add the garlic. Saute until fragrant, then mix with the rest of the vegetables in the pan.
Step Three: Saute the meat
Add the shredded meat into the pan along with about 1 ½ cups of the reserved beef broth (more if you have more than 2 lb of meat) and the flavorful tomato sauce. Make sure that the beef is almost completely covered in liquid.
Cook uncovered for another 10 or so minutes until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and a rich sauce forms, stirring occasionally. Top with cilantro.
Serve in arepas or with rice. Enjoy!
The recipe researched using Gabe Concas, Tre A Tavola, & El Mundo en Recetas
Cooking Your Venezuelan Shredded Beef on the Stove (No Instant Pot!)
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also boil your Skirt Steak until it is tender and ready for your Carne Mechada. To do this, add all of the “Steak Ingredients” from the recipe card to a large pot on the stove.
Cover and simmer for 2 and a half hours until the meat is fall-apart tender and a tasty broth is formed.
Follow the recipe card starting at number 4.
Choosing Meat for Venezuelan Carne Mechada – Can I Use a Different Cut of Beef?
Flank or skirt steak can be expensive.
While these cuts may give you a more authentic dish, it is possible to make this recipe with a more affordable cut of meat.
Chuck roast works just fine. You may need to adjust your cooking time a bit longer (by an hour or two if boiling on the stove) to ensure it reaches the tenderness you desire.
Expert Tips
- You don’t have to have an Instant Pot to make this recipe but it does make your cooking time much shorter. You could also cook your meat in a slow cooker or on the stove!
- If you want to make this meat ahead of time I recommend cooking the meat the day before, shredding and refrigerating, and saving the searing in the sauce for just before you serve. Be sure and reserve some of your cooking liquid for your sauce.
FAQs
Yes, you can cook Carne Mechada Venezolana ahead of time! To do so, you can boil the meat and make the broth ahead of time and simply reserve these ingredients in the fridge before the final saute the next day.
Alternatively, you can cook the entire dish ahead of time and reheat when you are ready to serve!
This is a great recipe to prepare a big batch of and use throughout the week. There are so many dishes that can benefit from the burst of flavor this meat delivers!
If you have carne mechada leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or you can freeze the meat for 2-3 months. I like to separate 2-4 cups of the shredded beef into airtight freezer-friendly containers for easy access later.
Use the tender beef in tacos, arepas, tostadas, empanadas, sandwiches, and quesadillas or serve in warm tortillas. You can also simply serve it with white rice and avocado as pictured here. It was delicious!
Did you enjoy this recipe for Venezuelan Shredded Beef (Carne Mechada)? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Beef Rendang from Indonesia
- Beef Bibimbap from South Korea
- Beef Bourguignon from France
- Beef Rouladen from Germany
Carne Mechada (Venezuelan Shredded Beef)
Equipment
- Instant Pot, large pot or dutch oven
- Large skillet
Ingredients
Steak Ingredients
- 2 lb Flank Steak
- 1 Yellow Onion, peeled and halved
- 3 Carrots, peeled
- 2 cloves Garlic, peeled
- 2 stalks Celery
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 packet Sazon
Sofrito Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 small yellow Onion, finely diced
- 1 Red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 Green bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Sazon
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 8 oz tomato sauce, 1 can, (about ¾ cup)
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, minced
Instructions
- Add 2 lb beef into an Instant Pot along with the onion, 3 carrots, 2 cloves garlic, 2 stalks celery, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1 packet Sazon. Pour water into the Instant Pot (see alternative in step 2) until everything is covered by about 1 inch of water.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set the timer for 50 minutes. Alternatively, you can put it in a large pot on the stove, cover, and simmer for 2 ½ hours.
- When the timer is up, allow for a natural release then remove the meat from the Instant Pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Reserve the beef broth you just created! You can discard the broth vegetables or save them for use in other recipes!
- Add a large pan to the stove over medium heat and add the olive oil until warm.
- Next add the diced onion and saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent. Then add a diced green and red bell pepper as well as the ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sazon, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Saute for a few more minutes until the vegetables are soft.
- Form a hole in the middle of the vegetables and add 2 cloves minced garlic. Saute until fragrant, then mix with the rest of the vegetables in the pan.
- Add the beef into the pan along with about 1 ½ cups of the reserved beef broth (more if you have more than 2 lb of meat) and 8 oz tomato sauce. Make sure that the beef is almost completely covered in liquid.
- Cook uncovered for another 10 or so minutes until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Top with cilantro.
- Serve in arepas or with rice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Flank Steak: This is the traditional choice, though it can be very expensive. See notes in the “Can I Use a Different Cut of Beef for Carne Mechada?” section about other types of beef you can use for this recipe.
- Yellow Onion, Carrots, Garlic, Celery: These are called “throwaway vegetables” because they are used to make the broth. Feel free to remove them from the broth and use them in other recipes instead of discarding if you so choose!
- Sazon: Sazon seasoning is a popular Latin American seasoning. If you cannot find any at your local grocery store you can mix up your own
- Sofrito Vegetables: Yellow Onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, garlic
- Tomato Sauce: Use canned tomato sauce for an easy addition.
- Fresh Cilantro: For topping
- You don’t have to have an Instant Pot to make this recipe but it does make your cooking time much shorter. You could also cook your meat in a slow cooker or on the stove!
- If you want to make this meat ahead of time I recommend cooking the meat the day before, shredding and refrigerating, and saving the searing in the sauce for just before you serve. Be sure and reserve some of your cooking liquid for your sauce.
Ruben says
What do we do with the carrots and the celery?
Alexandria Drzazgowski says
You can discard the broth vegetables or save them for use in other recipes!