The Broken Scale · Good food. Plenty of personality.
Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup)
Mexican beef soup with bone-in shank, tomatoes, corn, carrots, cabbage, and fresh garnishes. Optional chayote and potato make it even heartier.
- Prep
- 30 minutes
- Cook
- 2 hours
- Total
- 2 hours 30 minutes
- Serves
- 8 servings
Let the beef become tender first
Give the shank time to soften before adding the vegetables. Add cabbage near the end, and taste the broth before the final salt adjustment.
Adapted from LKONIS’s Caldo de Res at Allrecipes.
The full recipe
Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup)
Bone-in beef shank simmers with tomatoes, carrots, corn, cabbage, and optional chayote and potato. Serve with cilantro, onion, pickled jalapeños, lime, and radishes.
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs. Beef Shank with bone
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil- 2 tsp. Salt divided, or to taste
- 2 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Large Yellow Onion chopped
- 3 Cups Beef Broth preferably low-sodium
- 1 14.5 Oz. can Diced Tomatoes with juices
- 4 Cups Water plus more as needed
- 2 Medium Carrots coarsely chopped
- ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
- 2 Chayotes quartered (optional)
- 2 Ears Corn husked and cut into thirds
- 1 Large Potato quartered (optional)
- 1 Med. Head Cabbage cored and cut into wedges
Garnishes
- 1 Cup Fresh Cilantro fresh, chopped
- ¼ Cup Pickled Jalapenos sliced
- ¼ Cup Yellow Onion finely chopped
- 2 Large Limes cut into wedges
- 4 Radishes quartered
Equipment
Instructions
- With a sharp knife, cut accessible meat from the shank bones into roughly ½-inch pieces, leaving some attached. Keep the bones for the soup; do not try to cut through them. Prepare the vegetables and garnishes.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef and bones in batches, seasoning with the pepper and some of the salt. Add the chopped onion and cook until lightly browned. Stir in the broth and tomatoes with their juices, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add enough extra water to cover the bones by about ½ inch.
- Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Partially cover and cook until the beef is fork-tender, checking from about 1 hour and allowing longer if needed. Skim foam and add water as needed to keep the beef covered.
- Add the measured 4 cups water, carrots, and ¼ cup cilantro. Return to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Add corn and, if using, chayote and potato. Simmer until those vegetables are almost tender, about 15–25 minutes depending on size.
- Add the cabbage wedges, pressing them into the broth. Simmer about 10–15 minutes more, until the cabbage and other vegetables are tender. Taste and add the remaining salt as needed. Remove bones and any loose bone fragments, returning edible meat to the pot.
- Ladle meat, vegetables, and broth into bowls. Offer the garnish cilantro, pickled jalapeños, finely chopped onion, lime wedges, and radishes at the table.
Notes
Makes about eight servings. Beef shank tenderness varies, so allow extra simmering time if needed before adding vegetables. The listed 2½ hours is an estimate. Chayote and potato are optional, as in the original formula. Use a roomy pot and add cabbage in stages if necessary.
