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Loading...This hearty Sonoran-style beef tripe stew simmers honeycomb tripe and beef foot for hours until silky, then finishes in a brick-red broth of guajillo and ancho chiles with hominy. It is traditionally served as a Saturday morning or late-night meal with a tray of lime wedges, chopped onion, oregano, and chile piquin so each diner seasons their own bowl.
Prep Time25 mins
Cook Time180 mins
Total Time205 mins
Servings6
Yield6 generous bowls
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 410 kcalCalories
- 22 gFat
- 8 gSaturated Fat
- 28 gCarbs
- 6 gFiber
- 4 gSugar
- 28 gProtein
- 720 mgSodium
- 620 mgPotassium
- 110 mgCalcium
- 4.5 mgIron
- 18 mgVitamin C
- 85 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the tripe and broth
- 2 lbs beef honeycomb tripe, pre-cleaned, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 beef foot, split lengthwise (about 1 lb)
- 1 large white onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 10 cups cold water
For the red chile sauce
- 4 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 1/2 cups hot water for soaking
For finishing
- 2 (29 oz) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
For serving (set out on the table)
- 1 cup finely chopped white onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 limes, cut into wedges
- 1/4 cup Mexican oregano
- Ground chile piquin or chile powder, to taste
Directions
- Rinse the tripe and beef foot under cold water. Combine them in a large stockpot with the quartered onion, smashed garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and salt, then pour in the cold water.
- Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, skimming any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer gently for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until the tripe is fork-tender and the broth turns milky from the collagen in the foot.
- While the tripe cooks, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant; do not let them scorch. Transfer to a bowl, cover with the hot water, and soak for 20 minutes.
- Drain the soaked chiles (reserving the liquid) and blend them with the chipotle, garlic, cumin, oregano, and 1 cup of the soaking liquid until completely smooth. Press through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.
- Stir the strained chile sauce and the drained hominy into the pot with the tripe. Simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes so the hominy absorbs the chile flavor and the broth reduces slightly.
- Season with the additional teaspoon of salt, taste, and adjust. Remove the bay leaves and lift out the beef foot; pick the meat and gelatin from the foot and return the pieces to the pot. Skim excess fat from the surface.
- Ladle the hot stew into warm bowls, making sure each serving gets a good share of tripe, hominy, and red broth.
- Set the chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges, oregano, and chile piquin on the table so each person squeezes lime over their bowl and sprinkles onion, oregano, and chile to taste.
Cook’s Notes
- Buy pre-cleaned honeycomb tripe at a Latin market to skip the long bleach-and-vinegar prep; honeycomb gives the silkiest texture of the four stomach chambers.
- The beef foot is traditional in Sonora and adds body and richness from its collagen, but you can omit it and increase the tripe to 2 1/2 lbs for a lighter bowl.
- Menudo tastes even better the next day: cool, refrigerate overnight, and scrape off the solidified fat before reheating gently on the stove.
- Keep the simmer very gentle during the long cook; a hard boil will toughen the tripe and make the broth cloudy in a grainy way.
- Serve with warm corn tortillas or crusty bolillo rolls for an authentic Sonoran weekend breakfast.
