🍲 Menudo (Traditional Mexican Tripe Soup)
Menudo is a classic Mexican soup made with beef tripe simmered for hours in a rich red chile broth. It’s especially popular for family gatherings and is famously enjoyed as a weekend or holiday breakfast.
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 6–8)
- 2–3 lbs beef tripe (cleaned honeycomb tripe)
- 1–2 lbs beef feet or marrow bones (for richer broth)
- 1 whole onion
- 1 whole head garlic (cut in half)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- Salt to taste
- 1 large can hominy (drained & rinsed)
For the Red Chile Sauce
- 4–6 dried guajillo chiles (stemmed & seeded)
- 2–3 dried ancho chiles (optional, for deeper flavor)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
🥣 Instructions
1️⃣ Clean the Tripe
Rinse tripe thoroughly under cold water. Some people soak it in water with lime juice or vinegar for 20–30 minutes, then rinse again.
2️⃣ Start the Broth
In a large pot, add tripe, beef feet/bones, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and salt.
Cover with water and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 2–3 hours, until tripe is tender.
3️⃣ Make the Chile Sauce
Soak dried chiles in hot water 10–15 minutes until soft.
Blend with garlic, cumin, pepper, and a little soaking liquid until smooth.
Strain for a smoother broth (optional but traditional).
4️⃣ Combine
Add the red chile sauce and hominy to the pot.
Simmer another 30–45 minutes. Adjust salt.
🌶️ Serve With
Menudo is all about the toppings:
- Chopped white onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Dried oregano
- Crushed red chile flakes
- Lime wedges
- Warm tortillas or bolillos
📝 Types of Menudo
- Menudo Rojo – Made with red chile sauce (most common).
- Menudo Blanco – No red chile; clear broth version popular in northern Mexico.
💡 Tips
- Low and slow cooking makes the tripe tender—not rubbery.
- Flavor improves the next day.
- Skim foam and excess fat during cooking for a cleaner broth.
If you’d like, I can share a quicker pressure-cooker version or a family-style large batch recipe.
