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Brazilian Vaca Atolada, plated and ready to serve

Brazilian Vaca Atolada, Minas-Style Beef Rib Stew

Vaca atolada, or stuck cow, is a rustic beef rib stew from the countryside of Minas Gerais. Beef ribs are braised until they fall from the bone, and the vegetables cook down into a thick sauce that the meat seems to sink into, like a cow stuck in the mud. Here tender chayote replaces the cassava for a hearty, low-carb version.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Brazilian
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 837kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs (about 2 1/2 pounds meat)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 medium tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 medium chayotes peeled and cut into large chunks
  • 1/3 cup chopped parsley and scallion

Instructions

  • Season the ribs with the lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika and let them sit for 20 minutes.
  • Heat the oil in a large heavy pot or pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Brown the ribs well on all sides in batches, about 8 minutes per batch, and set aside.
  • Add the onion to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits. Add the tomatoes and pepper and cook 5 minutes more, until softened.
  • Return the ribs to the pot, add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, until the meat is very tender. (In a pressure cooker, cook for 45 minutes.)
  • Add the chayote and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until it is very soft and the sauce has thickened. Mash a few pieces of chayote against the side of the pot to thicken the sauce further.
  • Skim off excess fat, taste for salt and stir in the parsley and scallion. Serve hot in deep bowls.

Notes

Short ribs are fatty, so skimming before serving makes a big difference. The stew is even better the next day; chill it overnight and lift off the solid fat before reheating. Chayote will not turn fluffy like cassava, but it becomes meltingly soft and soaks up the sauce.
Chef's Tip: Brown the ribs deeply and patiently. That dark crust is where most of the stew's flavor comes from.
Keto Swap: The stew traditionally contains a large amount of cassava, which is very high in starch. Chayote, a mild squash that Brazilians call chuchu, takes its place and soaks up the rich sauce for a fraction of the carbs.
Success Tip: Serve with cauliflower rice and sautéed collard greens for a complete Minas-style Sunday lunch.
Nutrition is calculated from the ingredients and is an estimate per serving. Net carbs exclude fiber and allulose.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 837kcal | Protein: 30g | Fat: 75g | Fiber: 2.8g
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