Cuban Ropa Vieja
This Cuban Ropa Vieja features mouthwatering heaps of succulent and juicy shredded wild game meat served with black beans and rice the whole family will love.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 whole deer or elk shank (from one leg)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup Spanish green olive juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Sazon Goya seasoning packets
- ½ cup pitted Spanish green olives, sliced in half
- ½ cup roasted red bell peppers, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, diced (optional garnish)
- 2 fresh limes, quartered
- cooked white rice, for serving
- black beans, for serving
Instructions
- Season the shanks all over with salt and black pepper. Then heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a large skillet on a stovetop burner over medium-high heat. Add shanks and fry for about 5 minutes until golden brown on all sides.
- Transfer the browned deer shanks to a slow cooker.
- In the same skillet you used to brown the deer shanks, add the chopped onion and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and sauté another 1 minute. Transfer the onion and garlic to the slow cooker with the deer shanks.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the beef broth and crushed tomatoes with ¼ cup of the juice from the jar of the Spanish green olives and add this mixture to the slow cooker with the other seasonings. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat easily shreds with tongs or a fork. Discard the bones and any undesirable tendons or fat.
- Add the Spanish green olives and roasted red peppers to the meat mixture in the slow cooker and stir until well combined.
- Serve this Ropa Vieja with rice and black beans. Garnish with diced onion and cilantro and a quarter lime on each plate.
