Menudo
Published Feb. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 3½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cow’s foot (about 3 pounds), cut into pieces (see Tip)
- 1pound beef marrow bones, cut into pieces
- 4large garlic cloves
- 1medium white onion, cut into thick slices
- Salt
- 3pounds cleaned tripe, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
- 6guajillo chiles (about 1 ounce), sliced open, stems, seeds and veins removed (see Tip)
- 3large garlic cloves
- 1teaspoon freshly ground cumin (optional)
- Finely chopped white onion, crushed dried piquín chiles, lime wedges, dried Mexican oregano and warm corn tortillas, for serving
For the Broth
For the Guajillo Sauce
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Preparation
- Step 1
To prepare the broth: Combine 6 quarts water with the cow’s foot, marrow bones, garlic and onion in a very large stockpot (at least 12 quarts) and set over medium-high heat. Season with 1½ tablespoons salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes. While it cooks, use a spoon to skim off any foam that forms on the surface.
- Step 2
Add the tripe and oregano and cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours, until the tripe is tender but firm. (Do not overcook it.)
- Step 3
Remove the cow’s foot and marrow bones from the pot and skim off the fat from the surface. Once the cow’s foot cools a little, pick off the meaty parts, chop them and return them to the pot, along with the marrow from the bones. Discard all the bones.
- Step 4
While the broth is cooking, make the guajillo sauce: Heat a comal or large skillet over medium-high, then place the guajillo peppers open wide in the pan and lightly roast them for 30 to 40 seconds, until they darken slightly and become fragrant. Remove promptly. Place the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak for about 25 minutes, until soft. Drain the peppers and place them in a blender with the garlic, ½ cup of the cooking broth and cumin (if using). Blend until smooth. Strain the sauce through a strainer into the pot with the broth.
- Step 5
Simmer the broth for another 30 minutes, partially covered. Taste and season with more salt, if you like. Serve the soup in large bowls and place the chopped onion, crushed chiles, lime wedges, oregano and tortillas in serving dishes for everyone to add to their own bowls.
- Cow’s feet are usually sold already cut in pieces. Look for pieces without hooves that have been cut. If the foot is whole, ask the butcher to cut it for you.
- If you want your broth to have a darker color, add 2 ancho peppers (in addition to the guajillo peppers) to the sauce. Prepare them the same way as the guajillo peppers in step 4.
Private Notes
Comments
Where's the hominy? In forty-plus years of eating menudo, in family kitchens, Mexican bus stations, church kitchens and basements, restaurants, and in styrofoam containers from vendors outside schools and sporting events, there's always been hominy (maíz cacahuacintle), scooped up from the bottom of the pot. The texture's a great counterpoint to the falling-off-the-bone meat.
In El Paso TX area, menudo always is made with hominy. It can have beef or pork feet. It is served with "francesitos", French rolls. It is quite good!
Our Tejano family tradition always uses pigs feet and yellow hominy can’t beat adding Bolner’s menudo mix along with the chilies. Of course flour tortillas along with the corn. Never thought of it as a soup.
Followed recipe almost exactly & came out perfect. I added hominy at last 30 minutes. I let cool & put in fridge and next morning to skim off the fat. The result was a flavorful & collagen rich soup. It’s only my hubby and me so froze the rest to enjoy again.
Hominy in menudo is very regional and not required. While it may be common in Tex-Mex style menudo, it is actually not traditional to add hominy to menudo in West Central Mexico where my family is from. Mely's recipe is much like what I grew up eating. We have another soup, called simply posole in which hominy and tender cooked meat are the stars.
To make taditional menudo, skip the cumin and add drained pozole ( canned hominy) for the last five minutes of cooking. Perfect hangover cure
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