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A rustic wooden bowl filled with Menudo Rojo — tender honeycomb tripe in a rich red chile broth — surrounded by lime wedges, chopped onions, cilantro, warm tortillas, and an orange soda on a wooden table bathed in warm light.

Menudo Rojo Recipe: The Deep-Red Mexican Stew That Revives Souls and Sundays

A bold, traditional Menudo Rojo recipe made with tender beef tripe, smoky guajillo and ancho chiles, and slow-simmered broth. This deep-red Mexican stew is equal parts comfort, cure, and Sunday ritual.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours
Course Mexican (Northern)
Cuisine Soup / Stew
Servings 8
Calories 320 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • For the Broth:
  • 2 lbs beef tripe cleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 lb beef feet or marrow bones
  • 12 cups water
  • 1 medium white onion quartered
  • 6 garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp salt
  • For the Chile Sauce:
  • 6 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 3 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ medium white onion
  • 1 tsp Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 cups broth reserved from the pot
  • For Serving:
  • 1 cup hominy optional
  • Dried oregano and crushed chile flakes
  • Chopped onion and cilantro
  • Lime wedges
  • Corn tortillas

Instructions
 

  • Clean the tripe:
  • Rinse thoroughly under cold water. Place in a pot, cover with water, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse again.
  • Simmer the broth:
  • Add cleaned tripe, beef feet, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt to 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 2½ to 3 hours until tender.
  • Prepare the chile sauce:
  • Toast guajillo and ancho chiles on a dry skillet until fragrant (30 seconds per side). Soak in hot water for 10 minutes. Blend with onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and 2 cups of broth until smooth. Strain the sauce.
  • Combine:
  • Pour the strained chile sauce into the simmering broth. Stir to blend. Simmer another 45–60 minutes to deepen flavor and color.
  • Add hominy (optional):
  • Stir in and cook until heated through.
  • Serve:
  • Ladle into bowls. Garnish with cilantro, onion, oregano, and lime wedges. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Notes

Tips from the Comal
  • Don’t skip the parboil. It’s key for a clean-tasting broth.
  • Hominy or no hominy? Up to you. Northern cooks keep it simple; Central Mexico often adds it in.
  • Chile blend matters. Guajillo gives color, ancho gives depth. Some add pasilla for extra smokiness.
  • Slow and steady. The magic happens after the two-hour mark — when the broth thickens slightly and the aroma fills the kitchen.
Keyword menudo rojo, menudo rojo recipe, mexican stew, tripe soup, mexican hangover soup