Pabellon Criollo
Pabellón Criollo is Venezuela’s national dish, featuring tender shredded beef or venison cooked in a rich sauce of garlic, cumin, and tomato. It’s perfect served with rice, black beans, and sweet plantains, or stuffed into arepas.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the meat
- 2 pounds beef flank steak, (or boneless venison)
- 1 onion, cut in half
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeded
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt, as needed
- 2 quarts water, (more if needed)
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup corn oil or olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup onion, chopped or sliced
- 1 bell pepper, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups reserved cooking liquid
- Salt, as needed
Instructions
Cook the meat until Tender
- Cut the meat into 3 inch pieces
- Place the meat in a large pot and cover with the 2 quarts of water. Add the onion, bell pepper, cumin, black pepper, oregano, red wine vinegar, and salt to the pot.
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the meat is fork tender.
- Remove the meat from the pot and set aside in a large bowl.
- Strain and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Using two forks, shred the meat into the thinnest shreds possible. Alternatively, you can pound the meat with a mallet for finer shreds.
Saute the Meat and Make Sauce
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the cooking oil. Once the oil starts to lightly smoke add the meat into an even layer. Season the meat lightly with salt. Cook the meat until it is very crisp and golden brown.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- Add the onions and bell pepper to the pan. Cook while stirring until they are tender, around 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and cumin. Stir until the tomato paste is smooth. Add the meat to the pan along with 2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid. Stir until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened—around 10 minutes. Add more of the reserved cooking liquid if needed.
NOTES
Traditional sides: Typically served with rice, black beans, plantains, and sometimes topped with a fried egg.
Venison tip: Neck, top round, or bottom round cuts work best for shredding. The cooking times will increase because venison takes longer to become tender than beef.
Leftovers: Great in arepas, empanadas, tacos, or rice bowls.
Make-ahead: Keeps well for 4 days refrigerated and freezes well.
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