Description
Chile Colorado is a rich and flavorful Mexican stew featuring tender beef chuck simmered in a vibrant red chile sauce made from guajillo and ancho chiles, tomatoes, and aromatic spices. This traditional dish offers deep smoky and savory notes, perfect when served with warm tortillas, Mexican rice, refried beans, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges.
Ingredients
For the Chile Colorado Sauce:
- 6-8 dried guajillo chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 2-3 dried ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 small onion, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth (or water)
- Salt to taste
For the Beef:
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast or stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 bay leaf
To Serve:
- Flour tortillas or corn tortillas
- Mexican rice
- Refried beans
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Toast the Chiles: In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for about 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally until fragrant. Take care not to burn them as this will cause bitterness.
- Soften the Chiles: Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover them with hot water. Allow them to soak for 15-20 minutes until they become soft and pliable.
- Blend the Sauce: Drain the softened chiles and add them to a blender along with chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and beef broth. Blend everything until smooth. Taste the chile sauce and season with salt as needed.
- Heat the Oil and Prepare Beef: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat for searing.
- Season the Beef: In a bowl, season the beef cubes with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to enhance their flavor.
- Sear the Beef: Add the beef cubes to the hot oil in batches, avoiding overcrowding. Sear each batch until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes per batch. Remove and set the browned beef aside.
- Combine Beef and Bay Leaf: Return all the browned beef to the pot and add the bay leaf for aromatic flavor infusion.
- Simmer in Sauce: Pour the blended chile sauce over the beef in the pot and stir to combine evenly.
- Cook Low and Slow: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Let it cook gently for 1.5 to 2 hours until the beef is tender and the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Add additional beef broth or water if the sauce thickens too much.
- Finish and Remove Bay Leaf: Once cooked tender, remove and discard the bay leaf from the stew.
- Serve: Ladle the Chile Colorado into serving bowls and accompany with warm flour or corn tortillas, Mexican rice, refried beans, a garnish of fresh chopped cilantro, and lime wedges to squeeze over for added brightness.
Notes
- Use dried guajillo and ancho chiles for authentic flavor; substitute with other dried red chiles if unavailable.
- Chiles should be toasted carefully to avoid burning, which imparts bitterness.
- Beef chuck is best for stews due to its marbling and tenderness after slow cooking.
- If the sauce thickens too much during cooking, add more beef broth or water to reach desired consistency.
- Serve with warm tortillas and traditional Mexican sides for a complete meal.
- Leftovers store well and often taste better the next day after flavors meld.
