MENUDO ROJO RECIPE

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A traditional Mexican dish, menudo rojo is a spicy soup made with beef tripe. I grew up loving the red menudo my mom would make.  Preparing homemade menudo in my family typically signifies a major celebration, whether it be a wedding, baptism, or ring in the New Year. To me, it also signified love. Did I mention it is also good medicine for the crudo (hangover)?

Menudo’s origins are firmly planted in peasant food heritage and poverty. According to research,  in pre-revolution Mexico, poverty among the campesinos was chronic and little if anything that might be prepared as food was left to waste. Usually, the best cuts of meat would go to the hacienda owners while the offal went to the poor workers. These leftovers consisted of organ meats, brains, head, tails, hooves, etc. Inventive peasant cooks created a soup that made good use of one of the major leftovers — the stomach. As cattle and sheep are ruminants that require lengthy intestinal tracts to digest their diet of grasses and raw seeds, the stomach is one of the largest pieces of offal available from these animals.

Menudo 1

Ingredients:

For the broth:

8 pounds honeycomb tripe, rinsed well and cut into 1-inch squares
5 pounds of beef tripe, rinsed well and fat trimmed
2 pounds of beef feet (patas), quartered
2 large yellow onion, quartered
3 small heads of garlic, unpeeled, for broth
3 cloves garlic, peeled for red sauce
16 peppercorns
5 tablespoons of kosher salt, or to taste
5 teaspoons of Mexican oregano, dried
2 bay leafs
15 quarts water

2 cans (6 pounds 9 oz) of white hominy, drained

For the Red Chile Sauce
4 dried Arbol chiles
10 dried guajillo chiles
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cans (6 pounds 9 oz) of white hominy, drained
3 tablespoons of ground cumin

To serve:

Dried oregano
Red chile powder flakes
Limes and lemons, quartered
Chopped onions
Chopped cilantro
Corn tortillas
Butter

DIRECTIONS:

Cleaning and Soaking the Tripe

Cleaning the tripe

Soaking the tripe
Whether you are buying honeycomb tripe or another type of beef tripe, you want to take the time to trim away the fat. No one likes a greasy or foul-smelling menudo. After you trim the fat, cut the tripe into one-inch pieces and place in a large stock pot of water to soak for two hours, changing the water out at the one hour mark.

Making the Red Chile

Pushing chile through sieve

Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and toast on a dry skillet for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Pour enough water to cover, and allow to simmer at a low heat, soaking the chiles. Add one onion, halved and 3 cloves of peeled garlic. Allow to simmer for a good half hour. Remove the soaking chiles, onion and garlic from the water and place in a blender along with the cumin. Ladle about a cup of the simmering broth from the pot into the blender, and puree until very smooth. Add additional broth if necessary. Push chile sauce through a sieve into a medium-sized bowl to remove seeds and any skin. Discard solids. Reserve chile sauce in the refrigerator until it is time to add to the menudo broth.

Cooking the Menudo
Menudo 2

Place the tripe, beef feet, onion, unpeeled garlic, peppercorns, salt, oregano, and water in a large stockpot or soup pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the tripe and beef feet are tender but not too soft. Remove the unpeeled garlic.

Add the hominy and chile puree, into the simmering pot and stir. Allow to cook for about 2 hours (or more) on a low simmer. Season with additional salt to taste.

Serving the Menudo

Serve in large bowls, with dried oregano, cut-up lime wedges, diced onions, chopped cilantro, and warm tortillas smothered with butter at the table for each guest to customize their own bowl.

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82 Comments

  1. I grew up eating menudo (along with a tripe Italian dish). I make a batch of tripe and freeze it in batches so I can make either dish as I want. Of course nobody else eats it but I can’t tell you the number of times the butcher has requested a sample since not many folks use tripe. It’s ironic that it no longer is a cheap cut of meat.

  2. Great recipe Stephen,!
    In my preparation I like to use a blend of dried chili’s for my Red Chili Sauce, (New Mexico, California, Guajillo) any combination of these from whatever is in my pantry,,, Lol 🙂 I love these flavors.
    And I’m one of those Eeeaking at the can of red sauce, Blasphemy! Lol.
    And you did mean to say BEEF Feet instead of Pigs Feet noted below the last picture under Cooking the Menudo, Correct?
    Buen Provecho!!! 😉

    • Stephen Chavez

      Armando — Thanks for the note! I also love to combine all of those chiles, including arbol for the heat. I use beef and pig feet, whichever happens to be available in the carniceria. More typical here in So Cal are the pigs’ feet. Buen Provecho, mi foodie amigo.

      – Stephen

    • Why does the mendoza trun dark when u put power Chile in the mendoza. Do u upt it when it’s cooking or put it after?

  3. That’s weird I don’t make menduo nothing like that I’m not trying to talk mess but my family loves when I sell it they love hmm that’s weird some ppl like others way this a new one I will try it some day

    • How do you make yours? thanks, happy new year.

      • Stephen Chavez

        Randy, please find our menudo recipe here on the blog. In the Search section, type in Menudo Rojo and it will come up. Good luck! I am going shopping today for our menudo ingredients to make for New Year’s Eve.

        • I am making menudo right now as we speak. hehe. I was born and raised in San Antonio TX and now live in Florida. My husband does not like the actual Tripe but loves the rest of the ingredients and broth. So, I now make something I call A Fusion of Menudo and Posole. I make the menudo (with less amount of tripe, mostly for flavor) and add pork chunks. My husband loves the broth, hominy, patas and pork. I also add some masa harina to thicken the soup a bit.

          Also, I prepare the chili ancho (or whatever chile you want to use) ahead of time and freeze so that it is ready when I need it for whatever dish I want to prepare (pork rogue and enchilada sauce.

          Also, I don’t like the smell of the menudo cooking/boiling, so I add some chile ancho and spices to quell the smell.

          Glad I fund your blog.

          • Stephen Chavez

            I love your idea for a fusion of Menudo and Posole. We have to give that a try one day soon. Glad you found our blog. Happy cooking!!
            Stephen & Art
            LatinoFoodie

        • Can someone please tell me the difference between menudo blancos and menudo moreno?

  4. Can you clarify the amount of hominy, is it 2 cans totaling 6.5 pounds or totaling 13 pounds?

    • Stephen Chavez

      Sorry for the confusion. Thank you for the question. It is a total of 13 pounds (two large cans of white hominy about 6 1/2 pounds each). Hope this helps.

      • Jen

        Do you change out the water during cooking process

        • Stephen Chavez

          No, not during the cooking process.

        • I made some menudo, it turned tasty however I noticed that tripe turned dark brown? It didn’t stay white or beige looking What did I do wrong?

          • Stephen Chavez

            Hmmmm…. that’s interesting Blanca. Not quite sure. Have you purchased the tripe from the same grocery store or carniceria before? What kind of tripe was it?

  5. So glad I found your post, your recipe is the closest that I can come to the way my family makes it. I am hoping to make this for them sometime soon. My mom & tia are both elderly and no one else makes menudo or tamales so I am hoping to learn and carry on family traditions. Am I able to cook/boil the patas in a separate pot to release any fat before adding to the soup with the other ingredients? If so, how long do I cook them before adding? Your post made me smile just remembering childhood memories. Thanks so much! Happy Easter 🙂

    • Stephen Chavez

      Hi Terri — Glad to hear you enjoyed the menudo post. I haven’t cooked the patas in a separate pot before, but I wouldn’t see why not. I would only caution that it is some of the fat that gives flavor to the broth. You can always skim any fat/oil from the top of the menudo if you feel there is too much. Otherwise, I would boil them in a separate pot for about 30 minutes to remove most of the fat. Good luck!!! Let us know how it comes out.

      • hey terri LOL i do the same thing with my pigs feet. depends on the size of the feet small to medium 30-40 min big ones 45 min. then add to menudo. my mom taught me that trick. menudo comes out cleaner & tastes great. hope that helps. E

      • My dad was a butcher. He would cook the patas 1 hour before adding the nixtamal, an order hour. Fin ally he would add the tripe and cook for an additional 2 hours.

  6. How many people will this feed

    • Stephen Chavez

      This menudo recipe will easily feed at least 12 people.

  7. My dad would add “Gephardts” Chile powder in addition to the red chile’s. It is not cheating….just something you add to enhance the soup flavor.

  8. I can not wait to try this. I have been searching for a menudo recipe. I think I have found it. I will let you know how this turns out. Soooooooo supper excited.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Hope you enjoy it!

  9. What do you do with the unpeeled garlic when or is it removed?

  10. When or do you use the unpeeled garlic. Do you discard it at some point if so when thank

  11. I loved your recipe! It is the closest to how I make menudo. Believe it or not, my mom and grandmother use only Las Palmas Red Chile sauce in their menudo (yes, I see heads spinning). I use LPRC 1-2 cans and dried chili powders. The problem I’m having is the last few years 2012-2013 something has changed and the tripe is cooking in about 2 hrs! I usually add the hominy and chile at hour 3 of cooking. The first time it happened I checked the tripe at hour 2 and it was done!! No chile, no hominy and 20 people coming for breakfast. AYY! Another trip to the store and another 15 lbs of tripe later, breakfast was served. Now it usually cooks in 2 hours and I check it after the first hour. Lesson learned

  12. […] has an influence as well? Champorado, avocado, azucena, cereza / aratilis, sayote, tsokolate, menudo and pipian are the main ones but there are many too mention in this post. This all happened during […]

  13. How do you know when the tripe is done? I’m concerned about Renee Gonzales’ post about the tripe cooking in 2 hours. I’m Nigerian, Mexican and Nigerian foods are 90% identical if you ask me. However, Nigerians like the tripe to be “al dente`” (if you will) as a finished product. Is this the texture I should try to acheive? Or should it be more tender?

    • I use a pressure cooker for my tripe, hocks and/or pigs feet. 50 minutes at pressure and the meat is done, tender but still with a slightly chewy texture. This is as close to the florentine “al dente” texture of tripe as I have been able to achieve.

  14. Zma

    What are the chile options we can use?

    • Stephen Chavez

      I would use a mix of dried California, Guajillo, Ancho chile peppers with some heat adding a bit of chile de arbol.

    • Stephen Chavez

      You can use a mixture of dried red chiles from Guajillo, New Mexico, California, Ancho, and others like chile de arbol. Buen provecho.

  15. how long can menudo stay out after cooking without refri.

    [email protected]

    • Stephen Chavez

      Keep your menudo on a very low heat until you have fed all of your guests. You definitely have to refrigerate it by cooling it down first. We break ours down into smaller batches to bring the temp down quicker. Remember, putting hot foods in the refrigerator will put your other food at risk. Hope this helps! Buen provecho.

  16. hi stephen, i’m wondering if you get send me some links about the history of menudo? there doesn’t seem to be too much information available online aside from wikipedia. i just learned how to make my abuela’s menudo and i’m writing an essay about it. i’d appreciate any resources you could provide, especially about its peasant food origins. thanks in advance!

    • Stephen Chavez

      Jene – Off hand, I don’t have any more information about the history of menudo, but can definitely do some research for you.

  17. Best I’ve tasted has a combination of guajillo, ancho, and pasilla, AND/or morita. (No red sauce…ever! LOL)
    I like it “espeso” as well! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve never added butter. I like mine with lots of lime and cilantro, but I’ll have to try the butter.

  18. Your recipe is close to what I use. I have leftover mole from our tamale-making and will be using the mole for our menudo. But I may add a can of LPRC to it!

    I’m a stickler for cleaning my menudo and removing all fat before cooking. Also, I do not like the smell of menudo wafting through my whole house. So…to prepare my menudo I rinse it and put it in the sink with lemon slices. While it is soaking in the sink with the lemon I get my soup pot filled with water and get the heat going on it. I also leave the menudo in the sink while I cut and remove any ‘foreign’ material and fat from the menudo. The lemon really cuts down on the smell and doesn’t make the menudo taste overly lemony. I too use pig feet and cook it separately. I don’t put the whole patas in it as they have little bones that can be mistaken for hominy and don’t want anyone to lose a tooth or crown! Thanks for your blog.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Helen – What an excellent idea for cleaning the menudo and removing any foul odors. Will definitely need to try this method soon. Happy cooking! Buen provecho.

    • I love Mole and I don’t know how to make it. Would someone share their amazing recipe with me. I don’t like the bottle ones at the store. Thank you so much.

      • Stephen Chavez

        Marie – we have an award-winning mole sauce on our blog as well. But there are lots of good mole recipes out there. Enjoy experimenting.

    • I always wrap the pig or beef feet in cheese cloth, and then pull the cheese cloth sack out when menudo is done, keeps the bones from floating around in the menudo

  19. DJ

    Stephen, I have to drive a long ways to get good fresh tripe. I was wondering if I could freeze a batch before preparing it? It would make my life easier to have some on hand like that. Thanks!

    • Stephen Chavez

      Yes, you can definitely freeze tripe.

      • We buy the dried Sandia chiles in Hatch. The “heat” is just about perfect for Menudo, enchiladas, tamales, etc.
        We use the rest of your recipe though. Good stuff. Thanks.

        • Stephen Chavez

          That’s great Gerald. I’ll need to look for the dried Sandia chiles. Happy New Year!

  20. I don’t like the pig beet. My mom taught me to use beet feet instead. I have had it both ways. Thanks for the recipe;)

    Agnes

    • Stephen Chavez

      You’re welcome. Yes, I’ve used beef feet as well in my menudo. Both give excellent flavor, you just need to remember to skim off the fat from the broth as it cooks down. Happy cooking!

  21. What’s the difference between beef tripe and honeycomb tripe?

  22. On cleaning tripe use as spoon full of baking soda, this really cleans it perfectly. (a secret frrom grt.Grn.parents) Also I cook the menudo with oregano,garlic,etc on condiments I believe it flavors the menudo especially when served to youngster.

  23. I followed the recipe to the T! And it was AMAZINGGGGGGG!! It was my first time ever making menudo, I never even handled tripe in my life and omg I impressed everyone! I was called by a friend at 8am who told everyone to come over and eat menudo at 2pm but the person who was supposed to make it was too hungover to make it lol omg! I looked up your recipe and you SAVED me! I can’t say it enough it was soooo delicious better than my tia’s made it when I was growing up!! Thank you sooo much!

    • Stephen Chavez

      Oh, you don’t know how happy this news makes us!! Buen Provecho and here’s to many more crudos being handled by homemade Menudo! 🙂

  24. I learned to make menudo from my compadre. Since so many object to the smell of the tripe cooking, he takes a big white onion and puts clove studs around it and places with the cooking tripe. It takes away the objectionable smell and your house smells good too. He also uses LPRC in his menudo as a final touch. He makes the best menudo around.

  25. last hour of cooking aside from the New Mexico chile I also use a little of the El Pato tomato sauce. I also use a small splash of Apple cider vinagre, Bay leaf and squeeze of lime during cooking for a more pleasant cooking odor.

  26. very good recipe indeed

  27. Thank you so much Stephen, I am a home cook and foodie, I have been making Menudo for decades and your recipe is the best I have ever found, Yeah my searching is over , I am looking forward to trying more of your recipe, thanks again, Richard

  28. Hi I was wondering how many servings will this make? Also is it okay to use all honeycomb tripe or just beef tripe if I can’t get both.

    Thank you!

    • Stephen Chavez

      Hi David – This makes at least 10 to 12 servings, depending on your bowl size. Yes, it’s okay to use all honeycomb tripe. Good luck an enjoy! Give us a call and we’ll be right over. 🙂

  29. after cleaning the menudo i rinse it in a capful of vinegar. then i triple rinse it and as it is cooking there is no foul smell, but you can still have mild smell of menudo cooking. i also put a small bouquet of tomillo to the pot while cooking.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Yes, I will put a few tablespoons of vinegar after cleaning the menudo and let it soak in cold water for a few hours and then rinse several times. Thanks for sharing.

  30. Last time I made this recipe it came out much more spicy than it should have. In order to safe it, I added a stick of butter to the mix and it toned it down to a more acceptable heat level and, I think, added a pleasant flavor and mouth feel to the finished product. I will continue to add butter from now on. Your recipe is very good.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Butter? Interesting. Glad you liked the recipe.

  31. I’ve made this recipe twice and I love it I’m actually making it right now for Christmas eve. I love this recipe because it doesnt have that fat flavor most people leave on it.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Thank you, Julissa. So glad you enjoy the recipe. We’re going to make it this weekend for New Year’s Eve.

  32. I smiled when I read that you use a can of Las Palmas, I too add it, no real reason why.
    Recently I’ve asked my butcher to slice the tripe in strips because it saves time when cutting it. It also allows me to check for and cut out any excess fat. When soaking, as someone previously mentioned, I add lemon and squeeze the juice, it brings out the fat and kills the smell.
    My butcher butcher always asks if I want the pata with or w/o skin, I opt for w/o, how about you? I cook it while cleaning the tripe, spoon off the foam then add it, along with the broth, to the tripe pot.
    Finally, because chile pods’ heat is inconsistent, I cheat, when necessary, by adding a little Sriracha, it has what is in the recipe so I don’t think it’s wrong, it just adds flavor!

    Thanks for the receta, it’s real! Now, do you have one for buñuelos? Happy New Year!!

  33. Hi,making this recipe right now. I did not see an answer to the question about the garlic. Do you squeeze the cooked garlic back into the broth? Thanks!

    • Stephen Chavez

      No, I don’t squeeze the garlic back into the broth. I just allow the whole garlic flavor the water.

  34. Although Menudo is typically what we call a hangover food, my mom used to make a big pot of this as an appetizer or on a cold Sunday, this was easily made into the main event. Paired with lime, cilatro and onions, this soup is one to try any day, and the Latino Foodie have a great recipe to try.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Yes, it’s good throughout the year hangover or not! That’s for sure. Buen provecho!

  35. When we make menudo we take off the fat and rinse it in the sink. on the second rinse we add a capful of vinegar to kill the smell while it’s cooking. We also add some tomillo (thyme) laurel (bay leaf)to the water while it is heating up and leave it there during the cooking process. This is the way my tias in Mexico make its it is the best. While the menudo is cooking we prepare the masa for the corn tortillas and start cooking them before the menudo is done.

    • Stephen Chavez

      What a great technique! Thank you for sharing.

  36. I prefreeze the honeycomb, this makes it easy to cut.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Smart idea!

  37. “Steps” just an afterthought. Somewhat confusing because much is assumed.
    Not a recipe for a newbie.

    • Stephen Chavez

      Our apologies. We tried to add all the steps into the recipe. Will definitely review and see how else to improve it. Thank you for the feedback. We appreciate it.

  38. […] #Mexican-American actor and comedian #GeorgeLopez loves #menudo soup. Check out this delicious recipe by #LatinoFoodie #CelebWeds http://www.latinofoodie…. […]

  39. Decent, but I love the taste of chili and would never mask their flavor and aroma with garlic. Six cloves, way, way too much, unless you are really interested in garlic soup. One clove goes a long way.

    • Stephen Chavez

      To each their own. We have found the flavor with six garlic cloves for the large amount of soup being prepared is perfect!

  40. Thank you for this recipe. I’ve been using it for a few years to stock the freezer. Always nice to have some on hand when the craving hits. I have to make it more often now because the Vietnamese student in my house loves it as much as me.

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