Before Vicente Fernández was the King of Rancheras, he was a proud Jaliscience. If you know anyone born and raised anywhere around Guadalajara and its surrounding agave-full rural communities, you will know that there is one regional dish that is so delicious that it makes any Tapatío instantly swoon and declare their love for it: Carne en Su Jugo.
Chente’s adoration for Jalisco’s number one regional dish was not a secret, proclaiming his love for it several times in Spanish-language publications. It is a delicious dish made from shaved beef and beans cooked in a refreshingly tart tomatillo beef broth that is often overshadowed by Jalisco’s other braised powerhouse, birria.
Carne en su jugo translates to “beef in its own juices,” and it’s the kind of dish you crave when it’s cold out and you need the nourishment that only a steamy, juicy bowl of beef can bring. The filling, comforting dish is the lifeblood of Guadalajara, Mexico’s old capital city in the sunny west-coast state of Jalisco. If you’re ever there, there’s a 99 percent chance you will go to Karne Garibaldi for it, the restaurant that made this dish, known around the world for breaking the Guinness World Record for serving it in 13.5 seconds after ordering.
The dish is somewhere between pho and a plate of carne asada tacos. It’s a brothy stew of chopped steak and tender beans in an intensely savory beef stock traditionally fortified with Worcestershire and soy sauces, onions, garlic, and tomatillos. (And there is true magic in those tomatillos—they add a layer of delicious tartness that’s dangerously good against the richness of the beef.)
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