Hilachas – Guatemalan Shredded Beef Stew

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Hilachas is a traditional Guatemalan stew featuring shredded beef simmered in a lightly-spiced, tomato sauce with tender potatoes.

This delicious dish is famous throughout Guatemala and, like most comfort foods, it takes time to prepare. But it’s totally worth the effort!   

Origin and History of Hilachas Guatemalan Shredded Beef Stew

The name of this famous Guatemalan dish literally translates to “threads” in English. The threads describes the appearance of the beef shredded into thin strips.

Having roots in colonial Spain, hilachas de res is very similar to ropa vieja (which translates to old clothes in English), another  traditional beef dish popular in both Cuba and the Canary Islands.

Much like other traditional Guatemalan recipes such as pepian de pollo and jocón, every cook has their own favourite recipe for hilachas but almost all of them include sliced potato. Popular variations also include tomatillos, fresh green beans, cloves, cinnamon, carrot and/or chayote squash (huisquil). 

This variation of the flavourful Guatemalan stew is a family favourite. My husband is from the cattle-ranching valley around Zacapa, Guatemala where beef is often on the menu, but hilachas is also very popular in Guatemala City and Antigua.

Why This Recipe Works 

• The secret really is in the sauce when it comes to this Guatemalan recipe. It’s velvety, lightly spiced and full of flavour. No boring old stew here – it packs just the right amount of punch! 
• Easy to make! Making Hilachas Chapinas doesn’t involve frying, steaming, charring or other sometimes laborious cooking methods ( chile rellenos I love you but you’re a TON of work)
• Although making hilachas does involve a few steps, none of them are difficult or tricky. 
• It doesn’t contain cheese, lard or added fat so is one of the healthiest Guatemalan beef recipes you can make. 
• You can make this dish in advance. It actually tastes just as good or even better the next day!

Ingredients for Guatemalan Hilachas Spicy Beef Stew

One of the most important ingredients in hilachas is the type of meat used. In Guatemala, I usually go to the butcher and simply ask for “carne para hilachas” but at the supermarket it’s not quite so easy.

The type of meat you need to make hilachas is flank or skirt steak.  It’s a lean, flat cut that’s very flavourful and once cooked produces the characteristic “threads” when shredded.

According to this butcher’s chart of various cuts of beef, you should be able to substitute hanger or tri tip steak. If you can’t find a suitable cut of beef, your best bet is to order a piece of steak in advance from your butcher or grocer’s meat counter. 

It should be skinned, with the surface membrane and fat removed. 

The other ingredient you may need to plan ahead for is the chile guaque [pronounced GWA-kay] and known as chile guajillo in Mexico. This slightly fruity chile is the dried form of the mirasol chili.  

Popular throughout Latin America, chile guaque adds a bit of heat, deep red colour and a rich flavour to salsas, moles and sauces. Dried guaque peppers should be dry but still pliable. If the guaque pepper you have is very dry and brittle, you may need to rehydrate it in hot water for 30 minutes before using. 

If you can’t find whole dried peppers, substitute a teaspoon of the dried chili powder.      

Step by Step Instructions on How to Make Guatemalan Hilachas 

Scroll down to the recipe card for the exact quantities and method. 

1. Combine the beef in water with the salt, bay leaves and two cloves of garlic. Bring to a quick boil, cover and then simmer for 1.5 hours or until tender. You may need to add more water to cover the beef fully by water while cooking.

2. Remove meat from the water, reserving the broth and garlic, allowing the meat to cool slightly on a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves.

3. Cut the steak in half lengthwise and then using two forks or your fingers shred each half into small “threads” about three inches long.

4. Combine the sliced tomatoes, onion, reserved garlic, red bell pepper, chile guaque and broth in a saucepan

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Transfer tomato mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until a smooth consistency is reached.

7. Add vegetable oil to a Dutch oven (or large saucepan) and heat to medium high.

8. Strain the tomato puree into the vegetable oil, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes with two sprigs of thyme until slightly thickened.

If sauce is too thick, add more broth or if too thin, add a puree of toasted tortilla (or French bread) and broth.

9. While the sauce is simmering, peel and slice the potatoes into pieces two inches long and ½ inch thick. Parboil separately in water until soft but still firm.

10. When the sauce has thickened, remove the sprigs of thyme, add the parboiled potatoes and shredded beef.

11. Simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are tender and the sauce is thickened.  Add fresh ground pepper and adjust salt to taste.

12. Garnish with sprigs of thyme and serve immediately in bowls or on a plate with a mound of white rice, slice of avocado and fresh corn tortillas.

Tips and Serving Suggestions for this Guatemalan Stew 

• Although usually served with white rice, slices of avocado and fresh handmade corn tortillas, hilachas can also be enjoyed tucked inside a soft tortilla.
• It’s also delicious served with arroz verde (a spinach, rice and cilantro pilaf) or Guatemalan black beans and rice instead of plain white rice. 
• This stew is not very spicy, so if you’d like more heat, serve it with a hot sauce like Marie Sharpe’s Habanero Sauce or  Guatemalan Picamas. Another option is to serve it with homemade salsa such as Guatemalan chirmol or a salsa verde. 
• If you’d like to add fresh green beans or chayote, cook them separately and add to the stew along with the potatoes.  
• Freeze hilachas for up to 3 months. It will thicken so you’ll need to add more water when reheating. I recommend cooking and adding the potatoes at the time you reheat it. Potatoes get soggy and grainy when frozen. 

Can You Make Hilachas in a Slow Cooker? 

Yes! You can also make this recipe for hilachas de Guatemala in a slow cooker. Just immerse the beef, garlic and bay leafs in enough water to cover, set it on low and allow to simmer for 4 to six hours until tender. 

Then, follow the remainder of the steps in the recipe card. You’ll need to simmer the tomatoes and vegetables separately in a saucepan, puree them, strain and return to the slow cooker with the shredded meat for another 30 minutes to one hour on high.

Add the cooked potatoes, spices and seasoning, continue to simmer on high until heated through. 

Other Beef Recipes to Try 

• Salpicon de Res – Beef and Mint Salad from Guatemala and Mexico.
• Grilled Steak in Beer Marinade with Salsa Fresca
• Healthy Meatball Soup – Sopa de Albondigas 

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4.92 from 24 votes

Hilachas

Hilachas is a traditional Guatemalan stew featuring shredded beef simmered in a lightly-spiced tomato sauce with tender potatoes. This delicious dish is famous throughout Guatemala and, like most comfort foods, takes time to prepare. But it's totally worth the effort!   

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Guatemalan

Servings: 6

Calories: 284kcal

Author: Michele Peterson

Cost: $25

Equipment

• ▢
  blender
• ▢
  Dutch Oven
• ▢
  Stock pot
• ▢
  Sieve

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds flank or skirt steak in one piece hangar or flat iron steak will also work
• ▢ 6 cups water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/2 onion sliced
• ▢ 5 Roma tomatoes - very ripe and sliced
• ▢ 1/2 red bell pepper stem removed, seeded and sliced
• ▢ 1 dried chile guaque or guajillo - seeds and stem removed
• ▢ 1 cup potato cut into two-inch pieces - cooked separately but still firm
• ▢ 5 fresh thyme divided reserve some for garnish
• ▢ 1 corn tortilla or piece of French Bread toasted optional
• ▢ Freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ Salt to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Combine the beef in water with the salt, bay leaves and two cloves of garlic. Bring to a quick boil, cover and then simmer for 1.5 hours or until tender. Be sure the beef is covered by water while cooking.
• Remove meat from the water, reserving the broth and garlic, allowing the meat to cool slightly on a cutting board. Discard the bay leaves.
• Cut the steak in half lengthwise and then using two forks (or your fingers) shred each half into small “threads” about three inches long.
• Combine the sliced tomatoes, onion, reserved garlic, red bell pepper, chile guaque and three cups of broth in a saucepan
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Transfer tomato mixture to a food processor or blender. Blend until a smooth consistency is reached. You may need to do this in batches.
• Add vegetable oil to a Dutch oven (or large saucepan) and heat to medium high.
• Strain the tomato puree into the vegetable oil, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes with two sprigs of thyme until slightly thickened. If sauce is too thick, add more broth or if too thin, add a puree of toasted tortilla (or French bread) and broth.
• While the sauce is simmering, peel and slice the potatoes into pieces two inches long and ½ inch thick. Parboil separately in water until soft but still firm.
• When the sauce has thickened, remove the sprigs of thyme, add the parboiled potatoes and shredded beef.
• Simmer for 10 minutes until potatoes are tender and sauce is thickened. Add fresh ground pepper and adjust salt to taste.
• Garnish with sprigs of thyme and serve immediately in bowls or on a plate with a mound of white rice, slice of avocado and fresh corn tortilla.

Notes

• Although usually served with white rice, slices of avocado and fresh handmade corn tortillas, hilachas can also be enjoyed tucked inside a soft tortilla.
• Dried guaque peppers should be dry but still pliable. If the guaque pepper you have is very dry and brittle, you may need to rehydrate it in hot water for 30 minutes before using.  
• This stew is mildly spicy, so if you'd like more heat, serve it with a hot sauce like Marie Sharpe's Habanero Sauce, Guatemalan Picamas or a homemade salsa. 
• If you'd like to add fresh green beans or chayote, cook them separately and add to the stew along with the potatoes.  
• Freeze hilachas for up to 3 months. It will thicken so you'll need to add more water when reheating. I recommend cooking and adding the potatoes at the time you reheat it. Potatoes get soggy and grainy when frozen. 

Nutritional information is created by online calculators and figures are only estimates.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 488mg | Potassium: 848mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 938IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 3mg

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Michele Peterson

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.

Read more about Michele Peterson.