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This seco de carne was the Sunday stew in my household growing up. Tender chuck roast slowly cooked with a cilantro-based marinade, beer and potatoes. Serve this alongside Papa a la Huancaina and cold glasses of Chicha Morada for the most delicious Peruvian dinner.
This stew was designed for a cold Sunday. I recommend putting on a pair of big, warm socks and prepping this thing in the late morning, sticking it in the oven and forgetting about it for a few hours. When you return, the flavors will be all combined, rich and delicious, and the meat will be so soft you won’t even need a knife. Just a fork will do.
I grew up with Peruvian food being the go-to cuisine. My mom taught me everything and this dish was one of the first I learned, alongside Lomo Saltado and Pollo a la Brasa.
What is Peruvian Seco de Carne exactly?
Seco is the spanish word for “dry,” which is funny because this dish isn’t dry at all. I honestly don’t know how the dish got its name.
How to Make Seco de Carne
- Sear the meat. I like to use ground chuck. This is a humble piece of meat that braises up deliciously.
- Make the marinade. To a blender, add the cilantro, peppers and broth.
- Cook up the onions and garlic.
- Deglaze the pan. This recipe includes a good-quality lager beer. This is very traditional and gives the seco de carne its signature flavor.
- Pour the marinade over the meat and braise for 2-3 hours.
- Add in the potatoes and squash. And braise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve over a bed or rice.
Recipe Tip for Seco de Carne
Other cuts of meat. Many Peruvians also make this using lamb. If you’d like to, feel free to use lamb and cube it up. You’ll most likely need less time (I’d say 1 hour and 30 minutes) until the lamb is braised tender.
Ajà Amarillo. I love using ajà amarillo paste in this dish. I call for serrano peppers for ease but feel free to substitute the Peruvian paste in this. Two tablespoons will give it good flavor.
More Peruvian Recipes
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Seco de Carne
Equipment
- 1 large Dutch oven or oven-proof pot with a lid
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds stew meat (such as ground chuck) , cut into 1-inch cubes
- kosher salt
- Olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 large bunch cilantro, leaves picked and stems discarded
- 3 serrano peppers, deseeded and chopped
- 1 1/2 cup beef or chicken stock, (homemade chicken stock or store-bought), divided
- 1 cup lager beer , (like Heineken or Beck's)
- 4 small potatoes, cubed
- 4 small winter squash, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Sprinkle the cubes of meat liberally with salt.
- In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the meat in one layer, being sure to not overcrowd the pot (you may have to brown the meat in 2 batches – I did!). Cook meat on both sides for about 30 seconds or so. Remove the meat from the pan and transfer it to a bowl. Set aside.
- To the jar of a blender, add the cilantro leaves, 3 chopped serrano peppers and 1/4 cup of chicken stock. Blend until smooth – the mixture will resemble a pesto. Set aside.
- In the same pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the onions; cook until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, an additional minute. Stir in the cumin, pepper, paprika and 1 teaspoon of salt. (Note: If you’re not using low-sodium chicken broth, I’d recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt.)
- Pour in the beer and deglaze the bottom of the pot, scraping the brown bits as the beer foams up and steams. Add the meat and its juice back to the pot (it will release some juice as it sits), along with the cilantro mixture and remaining 1 1/4 cup of chicken stock.
- Cover the pot with its lid and transfer it to the oven. Allow to gently simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the meat is tender. Check on it at the 1 hour mark and add any additional chicken stock if liquid is running low (I added about 1/2 cup over 2 hours). At the 1 1/2 hour mark, check the meat – depending on the quality of meat, it might still be tough. If needed, cook for an additional hour, adding any liquid if necessary. Fold in the potatoes and squash. Cook for an additional 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.
- Before serving, adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve over a bed of warm rice, couscous or quinoa. Garnish with a sprinkling of cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published on November 30th, 2012. It has been since updated with new information and formatting.
mmmm…..seco!!! My mom makes it with a side of frejoles canarios.
thats how its originally served over rice and white beans. My mother also makes it with frijoles canarios
This looks delicious! I have to say, I have no problem with starch on starch (especially when its potato on rice–like in a curry or something). It’s always very comforting. And this recipe definitely seems like a special one, thanks for sharing such a family heirloom!
Have you made locro before? I think that’s Peruvian as well. I make it with butternut squash, corn, peas, feta, onion, and a tiny bit of tomato. It’s one of my FAVORITES! Definitely going to be bookmarking this recipe though…
Oh I haven’t. It sounds SO good! I need to look into that. Must try!
I love to get up early and cook in warm fuzzy socks.
This looks so good! Just curious, what kind of squash are those? I’ve never seen a squash that looks quite like that before!
They’re winter baby squash!
This looks so delicious! I am really excited about trying it sometime soon – especially as it’s gotten really cold here in Boston! (for an English girl, anyway…) My grandad used to give us beer when we were really young – just a sip from his nightly 6pm beer. He used to have it with peanuts – we were also allowed a few peanuts, with the instruction to ‘chew them carefully!’ He was much more worried about us choking on the peanuts than any ill-effects from the beer!
I am seriously dying right now. This is SSOOOOOO my type of meal and I’m losing my vision.
This looks fantastic! It will be a great dish to make back in the USA after I move from Lima, Peru! And how true on rice & potatoes… One or the other, and sometimes both, are served with EVERYTHING here!
this looks like an amazing sunday dinner! perfect comfort food.
italians do starch on starch too! (potatoes + rice, pasta + potatoes) this looks unbelievably good!
Ha! Loving that you had whiskey but no beer…
Never had seco in my life, this recipe is very tempting, I’m gonna try it next Sunday. But first I have to find some serrano peppers!
Oooh this looks delightful. I love cilantro and so much green is pleasing to the eye, I feel as though I can smell the fragrance. I must try this. I love a good stew for this season – thank you for sharing this 🙂