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“Sancocho is the kind of food that tells stories through flavor,” says chef Jhonny Reyes of Lenox in Seattle, one of our Best New Restaurants for 2025. “For us, it’s a Sunday afternoon at abuela’s, the smell of garlic and culantro in the air, kids running around, and someone always going back for seconds.”
Sancocho recipes vary based on who’s cooking it and whether you’re tasting it in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, or elsewhere. At Lenox, Reyes traces his family’s path from San Juan to New York City to Seattle, always staying rooted in the Afro-Caribbean and Latin American food traditions of his ancestors. And, while the flavorful beef stew can be made with any kind of stew meat, Reyes builds his version on a base of short ribs marinated in homemade sofrito.
Root vegetables are a common addition: You’ll find versions with sweet potatoes, taro, yam, yuca, and more, alongside hearty vegetables like kabocha squash, calabaza (pumpkin), or corn on the cob. This Puerto Rican sancocho recipe features a hearty combination, but feel free to mix and match as you please. Once everything hits the pot, let it lazily bubble away on the stovetop. Short ribs need a long cooking time to break down their connective tissue—don’t rush it! To check if they’re done, remove one from the pot to test if it’s fork-tender. If the meat falls off the bone easily, it’s ready. The finished stew is delicious served with white rice, but it’s just as good with nothing more than a showering of cilantro. To reheat leftovers, warm gently over low heat.
Chef’s note: A good hard sear on the short ribs will add invaluable flavor to your final stew, but make sure to brush off any excess sofrito that might be clinging to them first. Forgoing this step will result in unwanted burnt bits speckled throughout the dish.
Recipe information
Total Time
4 hours
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
1
1
2
5
11
3
2
2
7
1
1
1
¼
8
1
3
¼
2
4
1
1
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Blend 1 medium green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into large pieces, 1 Cubanelle pepper or medium green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into large pieces, 1 small onion, finely chopped, 5 culantro leaves or 2 cups (loosely packed) cilantro leaves with tender stems, and 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped, in a blender on medium-high, adding a splash of water if needed to get things moving, until mostly smooth and no large pieces of vegetable remain, about 30 seconds. Transfer 5 Tbsp. sofrito to a small bowl, cover, and chill.
Step 2
Transfer remaining sofrito to a large bowl and add 3 lb. 3"-long English-style bone-in beef short ribs, 2 tsp. sazón con culantro y achiote, 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar, 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 1 Tbsp. adobo seasoning, 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper and toss until ribs are evenly coated. Cover and chill at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
Step 3
Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over high. Brushing off marinade and working in batches as needed, cook ribs, turning occasionally, until deeply browned all over, 7–9 minutes per batch. Transfer to a large plate.
Step 4
Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 small onion, finely chopped, and 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add reserved 5 Tbsp. sofrito and remaining 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Return ribs to pot; add 8 cups low-sodium beef broth, 1 cup tomato sauce, and remaining 1½ tsp. dried oregano and 1 tsp. adobo seasoning. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is just about tender (it should still be clinging to the bone), 2½–3 hours.
Step 5
Uncover and skim fat from surface; add 3 ears of corn, husked, cut into 4"-long pieces, ¼ large acorn squash, peeled, cut into 2" pieces, 2 large carrots, peeled, halved, cut into 1"-thick half-moons, 4 small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 2" pieces, 1 large green plantain, peeled, cut into 1½" pieces, and 1 small yuca, peeled, cut into 2" pieces. Cook until vegetables are tender, 40–60 minutes. Skim as much fat from surface as possible; add a splash or so of water if liquid has reduced too much. Taste stew and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Top with chopped culantro if desired.