Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Asado Negro (Black Roast)
A lean beef roast seared in caramelised panela and braised for hours in wine and aromatics into a glossy, near-black gravy.
Venezuelan · advanced · serves 6
prep 20 min · cook 180 min
~982 cal · 63g protein · 83g carbs · 41g fat · 6g fiber · 46g sugars · 15g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Asado negro, black roast, is one of the signature dishes of Caracas and a centrepiece of Venezuelan Sunday lunches and holiday tables. Its name comes from the deep, almost black colour the beef takes on as it is seared in caramelised papelon, the country's unrefined cane sugar.
A lean, tough cut, traditionally eye of round known locally as muchacho redondo, is browned in the dark caramel and then for hours with wine and aromatics until it slices tender and the sauce to a glossy, near-black gravy. The darkness comes from caramelisation, not scorching, and it carries a gentle sweetness balanced against the savoury beef.
It is served in slices napped with its sauce, alongside white rice and fried sweet that soak up the gravy.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
3 lb eye of round beef roast (muchacho redondo)
1/2 cup panela (papelon), grated, or dark brown sugar
1 cup red wine
2 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 leek, sliced
4 aji dulce (sweet Venezuelan chilies), chopped
Hard to find? cubanelle or sweet mini peppers - aji dulce looks like a habanero but has no heat; do not reach for a hot chili in its place
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups beef or vegetable
3 tbsp oil
to taste salt and black pepper
for 6 cooked white rice and fried , to serve
Instructions
1
Season the beef with salt and pepper and, if you have time, marinate it with the garlic for an hour or overnight.
2
Heat the oil in a heavy pot, add the grated panela to the centre and let it melt and darken to a deep caramel without stirring.
✎ Chef’s note
The near-black colour of the finished dish comes from caramelising the sugar here, not from burning the meat; take the caramel dark but not acrid.
3
Sear the roast in the dark caramel on all sides until it takes on a deep, dark crust.
4
Add the onion, garlic, pepper, carrot, leek, aji dulce, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, wine and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise low 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning the meat now and then, until fork-tender.
5
Lift out the meat and rest it, then blend the cooking liquid and vegetables into a smooth sauce and reduce it until it is dark and gravy-thick.
6
Slice the beef thin, return it to the sauce to soak briefly, and serve with white rice and fried plantains.
Caracas Sunday and holiday tables.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Caracas. Caracas eats corn in every form: arepas split and stuffed at all hours, cachapas griddled from fresh sweet corn and folded around soft cheese, and hallacas wrapped in plantain leaves at Christmas. Black beans, shredded beef, ripe plantain, and salty white cheese are the constants.
🗺️
Venezuela. Venezuela runs on the arepa, a griddled corn cake split and stuffed a hundred ways, and the Christmas hallaca. Corn, black beans, plantain, and fresh white cheese anchor a warm, comforting table.
🌍
South America. Migration reworked the plate within living memory. Japanese arrivals in Peru and Brazil produced Nikkei cooking, Italians made pasta and pizza entirely ordinary in Argentina, Uruguay and Sao Paulo, and West African cooking carried into Bahia by the slave trade gave Brazil dende palm oil, okra and a whole ritual repertoire.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Venezuela
Cachapas con QuesoSweet fresh-corn pancakes griddled golden and folded over melting salty cheese, roadside Venezuela at its best.
Arepas con PericoGriddled corn arepas split and filled with perico, soft scrambled eggs cooked down with tomato, onion, and pepper.
Pabellón CriolloShredded beef, black beans, white rice, and fried sweet plantain on one plate, Venezuela's national dish.
Browse all Venezuela recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan, Oven, Blender.
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Venezuela meal
Papelón con LimónDrink
QuesilloDessert
Pabellón CriolloLunch
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Frequently asked questions
What is Asado Negro (Black Roast)?
A lean beef roast seared in caramelised panela and braised for hours in wine and aromatics into a glossy, near-black gravy.
Where does Asado Negro (Black Roast) come from?
Asado Negro (Black Roast) is a Venezuelan dish from Caracas, Venezuela.
Can Asado Negro (Black Roast) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Asado Negro (Black Roast) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Asado Negro (Black Roast) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Asado Negro (Black Roast) take to make?
About 200 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 180 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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