Slow Cooker Chile Rojo is a Mexican-inspired beef stew made with tender chunks of beef and a rich red sauce blended from dried Mexican guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, arbol chiles and warm spices.
Combined, these chiles make a sweet, spicy, and flavorful red chile sauce that slow cooks with a tender beef roast. You can control how mild or spicy you make your chile rojo. For a mild version, use less chile de arboles, leave them out entirely, or don't use their seeds. For a spicier version, use more arbol chiles and their seeds.
The crockpot does most of the work, leaving you with flavorful fork-tender beef that's perfect over rice and Mexican black beans or tucked into tacos, burritos and enchiladas.
And while you're here, make sure to check out these popular Mexican recipes too- creamy jalapeno cheddar chicken and breakfast chilaquiles!
Ingredients
- Dried guajillo chiles: these chile peppers are fruity and smoky and are a little milder than a jalapeno.
- Dried chiles de arbol: these tiny chile peppers are pretty spicy so you only need 1 or 2. Don't let their size fool you- they are hot!
- Ancho chile powder: this is one of my favorite seasonings for Mexican cooking. It's more sweet than spicy and adds a complexity in flavors to the simplest recipes. Substitute with dried ancho chiles.
- Cinnamon stick: adds a subtle nutty flavor and lots of aroma!
- Chuck roast or beef stew meat: these cuts become shreddable and tender when slow cooked.
- Beef broth: can also use beef stock or water and beef bouillon cubes.
- Bay leaves: these flavor the sauce but are inedible so make sure to discard them before serving.
- Onion and garlic: used to create and flavor the red sauce.
- Spices: cumin, oregano and salt.
Can I Use Frozen Beef?
Yes! Frozen beef can safely be used in your slow cooker. This makes it easy when you want to make chile rojo last minute and only have frozen meat.
Instructions
Slow cooker chile rojo is made in 2 parts: making the sauce and slow cooking the meat. The red chile sauce needs to be made first, and this can be done on the stove or using a cooking blender. I use my Instant Ace cooking blender to make it really simple- it eliminates the need for stovetop boiling and an extra pot!
- In a large pot bring the beef broth, guajillo chiles, chiles de árbol, cinnamon stick, sweet onion, and garlic cloves to a boil. There is no need to do more than roughly chop the onion, since everything is going to be blended anyway. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. If using a cooking blender, add ingredients and set to puree for 10 minutes.
- Put the beef into the slow cooker. Pour the blended red chile sauce over the meat and add ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, salt and bay leaves. Stir and cover. Set to LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours.
- When finished, remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve over Mexican rice and topped with fresh cilantro if desired.
Are Chile de Arboles Spicy?
Yes! Arbol chiles are very spicy, registering 15,000-30,000 Scoville heat units. They are a small pepper with a lot of potency! Using their seeds in your recipes will make it spicier, so for a milder version discard the seeds and only use the pepper. Arbol chiles have a nutty and smoky flavor, otherwise.
Are Guajillo Chiles Spicy?
Guajillo chiles are of medium spiciness. They have a fruity and smoky flavor, with a range of 2,500-5,000 Scoville heat units. They are a little milder than a jalapeno. To make recipes using guajillo chiles a little milder, don't use their seeds.
How To Make It Mild
Remove the seeds from the guajillo and arbol chiles before using. The seeds in chile peppers contain most the spice, so this is key if you want to make your chile recipes mild. If this is your first time making chile rojo, use only 1 chile de arbol peppers and see how you like it. If the meal still turns out too spicy, add a teaspoon or more of sugar to absorb some of the heat.
How To Make It Spicier
Use more chiles de arbol plus their seeds to make it extra spicy. Include the seeds from the guajillo peppers too, and maybe even top with jalapeno slices. Yum!
Variations
- Use chicken or pork instead of beef stew meat. Cut the meat into large chunks and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Use dried ancho chiles instead of ancho powder. One tablespoon of ancho powder is roughly equivalent to one dried ancho chile.
Recipe
Slow Cooker Chile Rojo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 dried guajillo chiles stems removed and seeded*
- 2 dried chiles de arbol stems removed and seeded*
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 medium sweet onion roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 cups beef broth
- 2 lbs beef stew meat or chuck roast
- 2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot bring the beef broth, guajillo chiles, chiles de árbol, cinnamon stick, sweet onion, and garlic cloves to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. If using a cooking blender, add ingredients and set to puree for 10 minutes.
- Put the beef into the slow cooker. Pour the blended red chile sauce over the meat and add ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, salt and bay leaves. Stir and cover. Set to LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours.
- When finished, remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve over Mexican rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Al says
This was excellent. The flavor was unlike anything I have made in the past. I’m sure it was due to combination of peppers and resulting slow cooked sauce. Great new way to make chuck roast. Thanks for the recipe.
Jenny says
The sweet onion, bay leaf and garlic are magical. We are huge fans of the spicy Chile Rojo. This dish is mouth watering, thanks for sharing!
Hayley Dhanecha says
This recipe looks so good, comforting and delicious. I've shared it with my friend who loves Mexican food!