El Asado
Asado de Res Oaxaqueño·(ah-SAH-doh deh res wah-hah-KEH-nyoh)
La Comida de Domingo: The Weekly Family Gathering
If you look for "Asado" in a generic Mexican cookbook, you’ll find a Northern desert dish of pork and red chiles, but step into an Oaxacan home on a Sunday afternoon and the word means something entirely different. It means a rich, house-warming beef stew simmering in a thick, fire-roasted tomato sauce heavily perfumed with marjoram. This is pure abuela food—the kind of deep, unapologetic comfort that smells exactly like a hug from the homeland. We’ve adapted the traditional three-hour simmer for a modern Midwestern kitchen and a tight weeknight schedule, relying on cheap, collagen-rich chuck roast and ordinary supermarket herbs to deliver an uncompromisingly authentic bowl of Sunday magic.
Before you start
Cut the potatoes large.
Cutting the potatoes into large chunks is vital. If they are diced too small, they will turn into a gritty sludge during the braise and ruin the glossy texture of the tomato gravy.
Ingredients
- beef chuck roast2 lb
- Roma tomatoes6 med
- white onion1/2 med
- garlic3 small clove
- dried marjoram1 tsp
- dried thyme1/2 tsp
- bay leaves3 med
- Yukon Gold potatoes3 large
- apple cider vinegar1 tbsp
- lard2 tbsp
- beef broth1 cup
- salt1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
Method
- 01
Sear the seasoned beef in a heavy pot or pressure cooker to build a deep, foundational crust.
Heat the lard over medium-high heat until shimmering, generously season the beef cubes with salt and pepper, and brown them on all sides without crowding the pan. Do not rush this step; the deep brown crust is where the soul of the stew begins.
- 02
Dry-roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a dry skillet until blackened and blistered.
Place a cast-iron skillet over high heat and let the vegetables char, turning occasionally. The tomatoes should look bruised and blackened—this isn't a mistake, it's the rustic, smoky backbone of the caldillo.
- 03
Blend the charred vegetables with a splash of broth into a coarse, unrefined puree.
Toss the blistered tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender with the beef broth and pulse until smooth. Crucially, do not strain this mixture; the thick, rustic pulp is exactly what you want to texturize the stew.
- 04
Combine the rustic puree, beef, herbs, and vinegar, then simmer gently to braise the meat.
Pour the tomato puree directly over the seared beef, and add the marjoram, thyme, bay leaves, and apple cider vinegar. If cooking traditionally, cover and simmer on low for an hour and a half; if using a pressure cooker, seal and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes before performing a quick release.
- 05
Add the large potato chunks at the end of the cooking process to prevent them from disintegrating into mush.
Stir the potatoes into the stew, then continue to simmer on the stove for 25 minutes, or under pressure for an additional 5 minutes, until the meat melts and the gravy fiercely coats the back of a spoon. Serve immediately with hot corn tortillas.
Notes
Marjoram is non-negotiable.
Do not skip the dried marjoram or try to substitute it entirely with standard oregano. It is the defining floral note that separates this authentic Oaxacan staple from a generic American pot roast.
Embrace the Instant Pot.
Using a pressure cooker is widely accepted by modern Mexican home cooks. It breaks down the tough collagen in cheap chuck roast in a fraction of the time, making this deeply traditional Sunday meal a totally viable weeknight option.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.