Venezuelan Asado Negro (Caramelized Roasted Beef)

This Asado Negro recipe, also known as Venezuelan caramelized roasted beef, is distinguished by its signature dark sauce and fork-tender texture and perfectly exemplifies Venezuelan home cooking! This recipe is by Jani Díaz, our contributor in Venezuela!

Receta en Español

What is Asado Negro?

Asado Negro, aka Venezuelan Roasted Beef, affectionately called “Asado” in Venezuela, is a slow-cooked beef roast characterized by its dark color achieved through a caramelization process. The dish originated from family recipes and was later popularized by renowned Venezuelan chef Armando Scannone, who documented it in his compilation of traditional Venezuelan family recipes.

Making a perfect Asado Negro is pretty straightforward and doesn’t require extensive labor, though it does involve important waiting periods. The first key period is the marination of the meat. Typically, the meat is marinated with vegetables and seasonings the night before preparation. The following morning, just after breakfast, the meat is seared and then slow-cooked for approximately four hours until lunchtime.

Ingredients Needed

• Eye of Round Roast: Also known as a muchacho redondo, this is a lean, tough cut from the cow’s hindquarters that becomes tender through slow cooking!
• Garlic: For aroma and a savory flavor.
• Salt & Black Pepper: To taste!
• Worcestershire Sauce: For a layer of umami flavor.
• Cumin: For an earthy, warm flavor.
• Rosemary: Rosemary adds an additional layer of cozy flavor. You can also use marjoram if you prefer.
• Onions: For a savory flavor and to help marinate the meat.
• Tomatoes: Provide natural acidity and sweetness.
• Bell Pepper & Sweet Chili Peppers: Use a red bell pepper if you have one as well as ají dulce.
• Tomato Paste: For a deeper tomato flavor.
• Oil: To sear the beef! Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or canola oil. Avoid oils that will burn easily like olive oil!
• Papelón: Also known as piloncillo or panela. You can also use brown sugar! This creates the characteristic dark caramelized crust and subtle sweetness.
• Water: To make the sauce!

How to Make Venezuelan Asado Negro

• Trim: Remove any skin or excess fat from the eye of round beef roast. Rinse the meat under running water, then pat dry.
• Combine Seasoning: Peel the garlic and crush it. In a small mixing bowl, mix together: crushed garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, black pepper and rosemary. Rub the piece of meat with the seasoning you just made, and set it aside to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

• Grate the Onions: Peel the onions, cut them in half, and grate them on the coarse side of the cheese grater.
• Grate the Tomatoes: Cut the tomatoes in half, without peeling them, remove the seeds, and grate them the same way as the onions.

• Prep the Peppers: Wash the small sweet chili peppers and the red bell pepper. Cut off the stems, and remove the veins and seeds. Then finely chop them with a knife. If you wish, and find it more convenient, you can grate them as well.
• Marinate the Roast: Place the roast in a long, narrow container, preferably glass or ceramic. Cover the roast with the grated vegetables: onion, tomato, bell pepper and sweet chili pepper. Add the tomato paste. Rub the roast with the grated vegetables, making sure they are well mixed. Cover the container, and let the beef marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

• Cook the Papelón: The next morning, place a large frying pan over high heat. When it is hot, spread the grated papelón or brown sugar over the surface of the pan. The sugar will melt, and eventually turn dark brown. There will be some smoke, so don’t worry. Add half of the oil.

• Add Roast to Cooked Sugar: Remove the roast from the bowl, and wipe off the excess marinade. Save all the marinade for later to prepare the sauce for the roast. Place the roast on the hot pan, making sure the burnt sugar sticks to the roast. Cook it for about five minutes on each side over high heat. The entire surface of the roast will turn very dark brown. Add the oil little by little as needed. Once fully seared, turn off the pan and transfer the roast to an instant pot or crockpot.

• Add Meat & Marinade to Pot: Pour the saved marinade mixture and three cups of water in a crockpot or instant pot, add the seared roast. Cook on low heat in the slow cooker for approximately four hours. If you notice that there is not enough liquid, you can add an additional cup of water.

• Rest and Prep Sauce: After four hours, remove the roast from the pot and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Then place it on a cutting board. Cut it into slices. Pour all the sauce/leftover cooking liquid from the pot into a blender and blend on until you have a creamy, smooth mixture.
• Serve: Serve the Asado Negro roast slices with mashed potatoes and with plenty of sauce.

Serving Suggestions

For traditional family gatherings and Sunday lunches, Asado Negro pairs exceptionally well creamy mashed potatoes, to soak up all that sauce! White rice is also a common accompaniment that can soak up the sauce well. It is almost always served with sweet tajadas, aka fried sweet plantains, too.

For more formal occasions, try serving your Venezuelan roasted beef with sweet potato purée for an elegant twist. You can also serve it with roasted vegetables or yuca. Regardless of the occasion, ensure abundant sauce is available, as it remains the crucial element that ties the entire dish together!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it called asado negro?

The name comes from the distinctive dark color achieved by searing the meat in burnt sugar, which creates a deep mahogany caramelized crust.

How long should I marinate the beef?

Overnight marination is recommended for best results, but a minimum of 8 hours will work.

What if I can’t find ají dulce peppers?

Cubanelle peppers make a good substitute, or you can use additional bell peppers!

Venezuelan Asado Negro (Caramelized Roasted Beef)

This traditional Venezuelan beef roast is braised over low heat and is made with a marinade of papelón (unrefined brown sugar), garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, rosemary, onion, tomato, bell pepper, sweet pepper, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Latin, South American, Venezuelan

Keyword: Asado Negro, Caramelized, Holidays, Papelón, Roast beef, Slow cooker

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Resting and marinating time: 16 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 kg. cut of beef use eye of round roast (muchacho redondo in Spanish)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 sprigs of rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary – you can also use marjoram
• 2 white or yellow onions grated, about 2 cups, 200 g.
• 4 large ripe tomatoes grated about 3 cups, 350 g.
• 1 red bell pepper seeds removed, grated or finely chopped
• 3 small mild and sweet chili peppers aji dulce or cubanelle peppers, seeds and veins removed, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• ½ cup of oil
• 4 tablespoons of grated papelón piloncillo or panela or brown sugar
• 3 cups of water – can replace 1 cup of water with 1 cup of Malta drink

Serve with:

• Fried ripe plantains (Tajadas)
• Mashed potatoes or
• White rice

Instructions

• Remove any skin or excess fat from the eye of round beef roast. Rinse the meat under running water, then pat dry.
• Peel the garlic and crush it. In a small mixing bowl, mix the crushed garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, black pepper and rosemary. Rub the piece of meat with the seasoning you just made and set it aside to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
  
• Peel the onions, cut them in half, and grate them on the coarse side of the cheese grater.
• Cut the tomatoes in half, without peeling them, remove the seeds, and grate them the same way as the onions.
  
• Wash the small, sweet chili peppers and the red bell pepper. Cut off the stems and remove the veins and seeds. Then finely chop them with a knife. If you wish, and find it more convenient, you can grate them as well.
• Place the roast in a long, narrow container, preferably glass or ceramic. Cover the roast with the grated vegetables: onion, tomato, bell pepper and sweet chili pepper. Add the tomato paste. Rub the roast with the grated vegetables, making sure they are well mixed. Cover the container and let the beef marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
  
• The next morning, place a large frying pan over high heat. When it is hot, spread the grated papelón or brown sugar over the surface of the pan. The sugar will melt and eventually turn dark brown. There will be some smoke, so don’t worry. Add half of the oil.
  
• Remove the roast from the bowl and wipe off the excess marinade. Save all the marinade for later to prepare the sauce for the roast. Place the roast on the hot pan, making sure the burnt sugar sticks to the roast. Cook it for about five minutes on each side over high heat. The entire surface of the roast will turn very dark brown. Add the oil little by little as needed. Once fully seared, turn off the pan and transfer the roast to an instant pot or crockpot.
  
• Pour the saved marinade mixture and three cups of water in crockpot or instant pot, add the seared roast. Cook on low heat in the crockpot for approximately four hours. If you notice that there is not enough liquid, you can add an additional cup of water.
  
• After four hours, remove the roast from the pot and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Then place it on a cutting board. Cut it into slices. Pour all the sauce/leftover cooking liquid from the pot into a blender and blend on until you have a creamy, smooth mixture.
  
• Serve the Asado Negro roast slices with mashed potatoes and with plenty of sauce.
  

Notes

• Sometimes when I’m short on time, I don’t grate the vegetables; I blend them with the water and marinate the roast in this sauce.
• A common variation of the roast is to substitute one cup of water with one cup of Malta drink.

Step by step preparation photos for Venezuelan Asado Negro Roasted Beef:

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