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Sunday mornings in Mexico always started the same way – with a big pot of Menudo. In Durango, the entire city would practically shut down.
Even the kids would go inside to spend time with their families and less time outside playing fútbol.
Church was a must. Maybe a walk later around the Plaza de Armas for a paleta or a visit to a relative who might or might not know that we were coming over (“Surprise!”).
More Authentic Mexican stews: Pozole Rojo, Birria de Res, Chile Verde
What is Menudo?
Menudo is a Mexican stew made of tripe (or beef stomach). It is cooked in a red chile broth with hominy and topped with lime, onion, cilantro, and oregano.
The Menudo meat is Beef Honeycomb Tripe, or Pancita de Res. I got it at ALDI, but you can find it already chopped up at most Mexican grocery stores.
- Trim any fatty areas before cooking.
- Then chop it up into 2-inch cubes.
There really wasn’t much excess fat to remove from the online package. Love that! It also comes in a vacuum-sealed package which allows the meat to stay fresher, longer.
Word to the Wise: You use a spoon to eat this Mexican stew. Use your best judgement when chopping so the pieces will fit the spoon.
Menudo, or Pancita, has a distinct smell, and there are several ways to minimize the smell.
Tips to Reduce the Smell of the Honeycomb Tripe:
- Put the tripe in a large stockpot.
- Cover with water.
- Add juice of 2 limes.
- Let sit in the fridge for at least 1 to 1 1/2 hour. Discard water. Continue with recipe.
Instead of lime, you can also use 2 tablespoons vinegar.
OR
- Put the tripe in a large stockpot.
- Cover with water.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat off.
- Add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar and 2 garlic cloves.
- Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Discard water. Continue with recipe.
If you are using the same pot as when you were trying to take the smell away, you will need to wash the pot. The odor lingers.
- Then place the honeycomb tripe inside the pot
- Add onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
- Cover with a lot of water and let simmer for 2 ½ hours.
Later on, remove the onion, garlic, and bay leaves.
For an instant pot: High Pressure 45 minutes with full natural release.
For a slow cooker: Set on low for 6 hours.
The name game:
“Menudo” is the most common name for this dish. Depending on where you come from in Mexico, some people call it “Pancita.” In other countries, people also call it “Mondongo.”
In some parts of Mexico, the recipe for Menudo, or Pancita, would stop right here. This is an authentic Menudo recipe from Northern Mexico.
In Durango and several northern states, we also add hominy and a red chile sauce.
Tips for Easy Cooking:
- Make this menudo recipe in an instant pot. The Mexican tripe soup will be ready in no time.
- Make the chile sauce ahead of time. You can make it days before, or use frozen sauce from months ago.
- Cook the tripe a day, two days, even three days before.
- Ask the butcher to chop the tripe for you.
It is not hard to make this dish. It just takes a long time. Look for ways to cut your time, that’s what makes for an easy Menudo recipe.
- Take out the whole onion, garlic, bay leaves from the pot.
- Add the red sauce to the pot and cook for another ½ hour.
To make the red chile sauce, we needs lots of guajillo chile and chile de árbol.
Don’t worry. The sauce is not spicy. Remember that there is a lot of water in the big pot.
- Rehydrate the chiles.
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
The chiles will add a robust and deep flavor to our Mexican tripe soup.
Is it healthy to eat?
Yes! Menudo is good for you. 1-cup of serving has 210 calories and 13 grams of lean protein.
This recipe feeds a lot of people. You will most likely have leftovers.
How Long does it last?
In the fridge, Mexican Menudo will last 3-4 days. It actually tastes better when it’s reheated.
In the freezer, menudo will last 3-4 months. It will have lost some of its freshness and texture, but the taste will still be there.
Ideas for Toppings:
- Raw, diced white onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Dried oregano
- Crushed Chile de Arbol or New Mexico Chile
Some people will serve dried chile de árbol, crush it open slightly, and put it in their soup bowls for some extra heat.
What does it taste like?
Menudo tastes like a robust, red chile stew with rich flavors. The tripe itself is mild in taste but has a texture of clams or calamari. There are yummy bites of corn hominy and an earthiness from the broth.
This is truly the best Menudo recipe, if I say so myself. It is pure Mexican comfort food. Perfect for special occasions and large family gatherings. Hope you enjoy!
Menudo (or Pancita)
Ingredients
- 6 lbs Beef Honeycomb Tripe chopped into 2-inch pieces
- Water
- 1 onion + ¼ onion divided
- 7 garlic cloves divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups Hominy
- 8 chile guajillo stem removed, deveined, and seeded
- 3 chile de árbol stem removed, deveined, and seeded
- Pinch whole cumin
- Salt
- Toppings:
- Diced raw onion
- Chopped Cilantro
- Lime
- chile de árbol
Instructions
- Rinse the beef honeycomb tripe well.
- Add honeycomb, 1 whole onion, 5 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves to a large stockpot.
- Add water. About 6 inches above the honeycomb.
- Cover and bring to a boil for 2 ½ hours.
- In the meantime, make the red chile sauce.
- In a smaller stockpot add the chile guajillo and the chile de árbol.
- Add water. Enough to cover all the chiles.
- Bring to a boil.
- Turn heat off and let sit for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add all the chiles, ¼ onion, 2 garlic cloves, pinch of cumin, and salt to the blender.
- Using the water from which the chiles cooked in, add it to the blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Before adding the chile sauce, remove and discard the onion and bay leaves from the pot.
- Add the red sauce and 2 tablespoons salt to the honeycomb tripe pot.
- Add 1 cup of water to the blender to get any remaining red sauce and pour into the pot.
- Rinse the hominy.
- Add the hominy to the pot.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
- Serve with toppings and enjoy!
Video
Notes
For a slow cooker: Set on low for 6 hours. If you are using the same pot as when you were trying to take the smell away, you will need to wash the pot. The odor lingers. HOW LONG WILL MENUDO LAST? In the fridge, menudo will last 3-4 days. It actually tastes better when it’s reheated. In the freezer, menudo will last 3-4 months. It will have lost some of its freshness and texture, but the taste will still be there.
Nutrition
This is so cool! I’ve never even heard of honeycomb tripe. Thanks for the peek into Sundays in Mexico. That was so great to read.
This is so cool! I’ve never even heard of honeycomb tripe. Thanks for the peek into Sundays in Mexico. That was so great to read.
Thank you! Love Sundays..
I love the flavors in Mexican food, common with Indian cuisine. This sounds interesting.
I was shocked at how many people from India follow me on Facebook. Then one of them contacted me and told me that our foods were similar. So cool!
I love the traditions that are connected with food! Some are cultural, like the ones you described and others are just familial. I wish sometimes that we could go back to the “walk around the plaza” era. sigh. At least we still have menudo!
Exactly! Me too.. I love my memories of the plaza.
Wow I’d never heard of menudo! This recipe sounds really good!
It’s a Mexican classic. Hope you try! It’s a favorite.
I’ve never cooked tripe before but it looks really good!
Oh yeah. Tripe is delicious!
Amazing …! i love mexican food and i love its flavor and looks sooooo yummy & delicious. i can’t wait make this. Thanks for sharing…….!
Thank you! Hope you enjoy!
Question: Why remove the whole onion, garlic, and bay leaves? I understand removing the bay leaves, but why the garlic and onion? What is gained by removing the onion and garlic?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your wonderful recepies I love authentic Mexican food like this, I will be trying your great recepies thanks again!!! also, what do you think about a combo recepie with menudo and pozole together as a mixed combo!!????
I’ve never thought of mixing menudo and pozole. I might just try that. lol. Thank you for the idea!
Can this be made the same with frozen tripe?
Can’t wait to try it this way. Alittle different from the way we make it, but, almost the same. Love to try different ideas. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed this!
I am an Irish guy with a wife from Spain who also has Mexican friends!
Talk about being well rounded when it comes to food right?
One of the many exciting dishes we’ve had with our friends is her Menudo.
I cannot wait to try this out on my own!
Thank you so much for sharing this!
So glad you liked this recipe! It’s delicious.
Got all the ingredients, going to do it today ! Thank you for the recipe!
You’re going to love it! Let me know how it tuned out
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try this one.
So glad you enjoyed this Katie!
I have never heard of this before, but the flavours sound amazing. I can’t wait to try it.
It’s a really yummy dish, hope you try it