You mention the word menudo rojo and you either get a smile or a yuck face, lol! I have to say that menudo is not for everyone. I grew up eating menudo and currently have a pot on the stove top as I type this morning.
My first attempt at menudo!
The first time I had to prepare menudo on my own was not the best experience, to say the least. I was inexperienced with beef tripe , I had no idea. Survived the whole experience, but in the end had to throw out the whole pot because it was bad! Things have changed a lot since then.
Why is passing down your Hispanic heritage through food important to you?
My parents would prepare a big pot of menudo at least once a month when I lived at home. I remember the aroma of the menudo as it cooked low and slow overnight. It has a distinct aroma is all I can say. Not necessarily bad, just unique. More than anything, I challenge myself to learn these recipes because I refuse to accept that I can’t enjoy the dishes I grew up with because they are not available where I live.
Thanks to the availability and quality product of Rumba meats , I have been able to prepare menudo at home. The beef tripe is fresh and clean which makes for a pleasant cooking experience. Preparing traditional dishes, I feel, is a rite of passage. I love the definition of that term: Rites of passage usually involve ritual activities and teachings designed to strip individuals of their original roles and prepare them for new roles. That could not be more true when it comes to learning, developing, teaching these dishes. You evolve from being the student to becoming the teacher that passes down these recipes that have been part of your heritage forever. It’s a ritual that I have come to love and cannot imagine my life without these rituals. So, when you mention the word menudo and get a yuck face, you can understand why I would not agree, lol! But, I respect other peoples choices and it means more menudo for me! It’s my rite of passage. #HispanicHeritageMonth #familia #menudo
I cannot say enough about the quality meats available through Rumba. Thanks goodness they have been available at one of the local chain markets. I can enjoy barbacoa (beef cheek), lengua (beef tongue) and menudo (beef tripe) prepared in my own kitchen!
My Favorite Part Of Mexican Soup Recipes Are The Garnishes!
My family’s version of menudo typically was prepared with maiz blanco(hominy). In different regions, the maiz is not added at all and is referred to as pancita de res. Tasty!
The garnishes were always the same. Serrano, cilantro, onion, oregano, chile piquin and lemon(or lime)! Not everyone garnishes the same.
Menudo Rojo
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 pounds honeycomb tripe
- 2 pounds beef scalded tripe
- 1 large white onion sliced in half
- 1 whole head of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- Water enough to cover tripe generously
- Salt to taste
You Will Also Need
- 8-10 dried chile California Guajillo or New Mexico pods, stems and seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 cups cooking water
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 2 25 oz cans maiz pozolero drained (25 oz. each)
For Garnish
- Lemon wedges or lime
- 4 serrano peppers minced
- 1 white onion diced fine
- 1 bunch cilantro washed and chopped
- Mexican oregano to taste
- Crushed chile piquin or chile de arbol to taste
Instructions
Directions
- Place the chile guajillos in a pot of simmering water and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, add the chiles to the blender. Also add 2 cups of cooking water, garlic and salt to taste. Cover and blend on high until smooth. Strain chile sauce through a wire mesh strainer into a bowl, set aside.
- Slice the honeycomb and scalded tripe into bite size pieces. Place in colander and rinse well with cold water. Place in a large pot. Add 1/2 the onion, 1/2 the garlic, bay leaves and juice of 1 lemon. Cover generously with water and heat to medium. When it comes to a boil, add salt to taste and reduce to a simmer. Cook partially covered, skimming off the foam on top, for 1 hour.
- Add 1 tablespoon oregano, strained chile sauce and maiz pozolero. Stir well to combine. Bring back up to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook partially cover for 2 hours or until tripe cuts easily when you squeeze between your fingers and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Taste for salt. Garnish with your favorites. Serve with warm corn tortillas or toasted Mexican bolillo bread.
Notes
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I’ve had menudo both in s/w US and in Mexico and to be honest, I would prefer posole over menudo. I do truly appreciate your posting of an authentic menudo recipe! Thank you.
Diane, If I had to choose, I too would prefer pozole. I love it! I am perfectly fine with the tripe, but I have only ever had it prepared at home or by my family. I honestly amd afraid to try it at a restaurant, lol! I am sensitive to aromas and textures sometimes, ha, ha! I prepare pozole 4 times more than menudo. My husband, who is not Mexican, love it! Thanks for the feedback.
I can’t wait to make menudo this weekend. Thank you for sharing.
I am excited for you!!
Can menudo be made in an electric pressure cooker and still taste authentic? I’d like to make it for someone that loves authentic menudo but I’d prefer to use my electric pressure cooker if possible.
Susan, I will be honest with you, I have never prepared menudo in the pressure cooker. I am positive that it can be prepared in there. I would imagine if it takes about 3 or more hours on the stove top, that it would only take an hour in the pressure cooker. It foams up a bit while it’s cooking, so I don’t know if that would affect the pressure cooker. I will research it a little bit and let you know.
I just found this link on the Rumba Meats site for cooking menudo in the pressure cooker. http://www.rumbameats.com/recipe/beef/Pressure-Cooker-Menudo
Yes! I’ve made in electric pressure cooker! Only took about 75-85 minutes. I used 7 lbs. Of tripe meat, pork feet, Gebhardts chili powder, garlic powder, yellow onion, 1 lemon cut in half with skins, salt , and hominy, menudo mix ; 1 pkg. , Came out delicious!!!
I forgot to say, only used about 2 c. pressure cooker cups. It comes out about 1 1/4 cups of REGULAR measurement cup. No more!! Tripe meat has a lot of water in it. Hope this helps. Drained hominy!
Thank you so much for your help Cecilia!
I’m so excited to find a good menudo recipe. I live in the California Desert and we don’t get many cold days. But when we do a nice hot bowl of comfort food is always a favorite. I can’t wait to make this and see the smiles on my family’s face. ?
Hi Samantha! I am so happy you found my space too! Let me know how the menudo comes out ok?
I know what tripe is, but you refer to it as “scalded” tripe? Can you clarify what you mean by this? Do I have to do another step to the tripe before adding to the water with the other ingredients?
Hi Rita,
There are two types of tripe that I use for the menudo. One is the honeycomb tripe and the other is labeled as scalded tripe. I don’t do anything else other than what I have on my directions on the recipe. The brand I purchase is very clean and does not require alot of prep ahead.
I made menudo for New Year’s as I do every year! I absolutely love it! The funny thing is I don’t understand how anyone would rather have pozole! I can’t stand pozole! Not as flavorful! I make my Chile same as you the only difference is I add Cumin and oregano when I blend my Chile’s! I use 3 kinds guajillo, New Mexico and California!
I do love my menudo too!My husband won’t eat menudo though, so pozole is just easy for that reason. I perpare the menudo and freeze it in quart size bags, flat. It’s such a treat for me to be able to enjoy it for a few months when I get a craving. The last time I prepared it, I left out the maiz. Sometimes the maiz get funny after being frozen. Thought I could add some later, but so far never did, lol!
This recipe is the closest to my momma’s recipe that I have found. Hard to find authentic recipes. The scalded tripe is precooked. It still need to be cooked but it reduced the time/smells ect.
Thank you Monica! My mom’s recipe was so basic and she made it looks so easy. I am happy I never had to prepare huge quantities like she did, lol!
Whats a good way to tell if the tripe is good? This will be my first time “trying” to cook this. Any other advice would be welcomed! Tia!
Hi Leticia, good question. Tripe has a reputation of having a strong, unpleasant odor. My first experience with preparing menudo, I did not know this. It was horrible, lol! My mom always cooked the menudo, so I was inexperienced. When I found Rumba Meats brand, I discovered what good, clean tripe should be like. The odor was minimal! So that would be your first clue when you getting ready to slice the tripe.It should be mostly white and not slimy either.
muy buena y completa tu receta, la aplicare.
Gracias Fidel!
I asked my daughter what she would like me to cook for her birthday, her response was “I wouldn’t be mad if you made menudo ” 😃
I followed your recipe and she loved it! I have never fallowed a recipe before, I’ve made it by memory of watching my grandmother make it when I was growing up♥️ all the same ingredients in yours! I’m happy to have an authentic recipe to compliment my memory. it was the best I’d ever made, Muchas gracias.
Hi Debbie! This is so wonderful! Thank you for writing to me and letting me know. My mom would be so happy hearing I paid attention all those times she prepared menudo, lol! Thank you!
When do use the bay leaves? I missed it.
Hi Elvia, they go in when you cook the tripe. I added it to the instructions just now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Hi Sonia! Have you ever made menudo with fresh nixtamal? If so, does it go in before or after the tripe? It’s been a while since I’ve cooked it, & now having a “brain fart.”
I don’t like using canned; always seems to mushy for my own taste. Thanks in advance.
Yes! I buy the maiz in a bag called mote pelado. You don’t have to cook it in the cal because it’s already peeled. I soak it overnight. I drain the water the next day then fill with fresh water. I cook it at a steady simmer for a few hours until its tender. I have never tried cooking it with the tripe, but next time I might.
Can powder red hatch chili be substituted for the the chili pods and if it can…how is that done
Hi Erlinda, if I had to use powder, I would blend it with boiling water and some salt. Using the very hot water helps the chile powder bloom and release it’s flavors and aromas. Try 1/3 cup of powder with 2/3 cup of boiling water. Just be careful when you blend it. Secure the lid and hold down with kitchen towel. People typically add the chile to taste. So if you need more , just make more.
How did you cook pig feet? At same time as everything else.
There is no pig’s feet in my recipe because it’ not that easy to find in the small town where I live, But if I did have it, I would cook the pig’s feet first for an hour then add the tripe.
Hi Sonia, where I live it is very hard to find fresh or the right kind of ingredients for authentic menudo. 😔And not only that, this will be my first time making it myself. I bought store brand beef tripe honeycomb & could not find the other that you have on your list & all the store had is Juanita Mexican style hominy, as much as I would have loved to get the one you put in your recipe, sad to say I can’t get it here. And I bought the guajillo Chile pods. So what do I need to do with the honeycomb tripe that I have so that this menudo doesn’t taste bad? Please please help me if you can with what I have to work with. I’m CRAVING menudo & NOTHING taste better than what you make yourself at home. ☺️
Hi Lupe,
If yo have a good quality tripe, cleaning it should not be a problem. I know some people rinse it for quite sometime before cooking it. Some people will cook it for a short time with white vinegar or lemon juice, then rinse it again. I have never had to do that with the rumba tripe. I do add lemon juice when I begin to cook it, but don’t rinse it anymore. If the menudo has a very strong odor when you open it, it probably is wise to use the cook and rinse method.
Never made homemade menudo till recently. Your recipe will be the 2nd time I make it. The first time I used a menudo mix and it was a little spicier than I would have liked. I’m super excited to try yours! My husband and daughter love menudo so I’m on a hunt to find a recipe that we like. Wish me luck!
Hi Zenaida! I am excited for you to try the recipe as well. A few months back I attempted the recipe in my pressure cooker. It was so tender and delicious. The tripe cooked in under 40 minutes. It was so fast. Let me know how it goes.
Hi Sonia!
My wife is Mexican and loved menudo until she gave birth to our 1st child (my stepson). Now 2 kids later she can”t even stand the smell of it cooking. I am as white as they come but have always loved any and all Mexican food! I have tried many different recipes, but your menudo recipe is phenomenal….
Thank you so much for sharing , it is my new go to menudo recipe! I can’t wait to check out your others. Take care!
This is awesome John! I truly appreciate you taking the time to write to me. It always inspires and encourages me to do the best job possible when sharing recipes. After all, I too, am a home cook and want recipes that are easy to follow and that taste good. Thanks again!!