Homemade Traditional Menudo

This is a delicious and authentic Mexican recipe for homemade Menudo. There are many variations floating out in cyberspace, but this is as real as it gets. This one has been passed down for over four generations. Be sure to try this at your next family gathering!

Traditional Menudo

You will need:

5 lbs of Tripe
3 quarts of water
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons of cumin powder
1 teaspoon of oregano
2 teaspoons of salt

(these ingredients are needed also, but added later in the cooking stage)

8 dried red chili pods
2 lbs. beef knuckles
1 15 ounce can of hominy
3 tablespoons of flour, browned

the salt and garlic powder listed below are for cooking the beef knuckles.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder


Wash tripe and remove as much fat as possible. Cut into small 1 1/2" squares. Combine the tripe with only the next five(5) ingredients(water,garlic powder,cumin powder,oregano, and salt). Boil this until tender, about 4-5 hours. Add water as necessary.

In the meantime-

1. Remove the seeds from the chili pods, wash, and then boil them in 2 1/2 cups of water until they are very soft (about 10 minutes). Remove as much of the peeling as possible. Place pods and liquid in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth.

2. In another pot, place the beef knuckles in 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon each of the salt and garlic powder. Cook these until tender. Dispose of the broth.

3. Brown the flour in a heavy skillet over low heat, stirring constantly(You do not need to use oil or grease to brown the flour). Cool flour, and blend with 1 cup of water. Set aside.

You can do steps 1, 2, and 3 while the menudo is cooking.

When the menudo is tender, add the chili pods, beef knuckles, hominy, and the flour mixture. You can add more water to the menudo if necessary. Boil for 30 minutes more.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

For the best authentic menudo, serve steaming hot and be sure to have plenty of
chopped onion and lemon slices for those who want to add it to their menudo. Don't forget the hot buttered corn tortillas!

Sometimes spices will lose their flavor during a long cooking time, so you may add more garlic, cumin, and oregano during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Please be aware that menudo does have a strong odor when cooking, due mainly to the tripe.

One shortcut for the tripe is to buy the cleaned, diced tripe.

great shortcut is to buy diced tripe

Other Mexican recipes to browse:

Flour Tortillas

Arroz (Spanish Rice)

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