Ingredients:
Tripe Preparation:
- 8 pounds honeycomb tripe, rinsed and cut into 1-inch squares
- 5 pounds beef tripe, rinsed and fat trimmed
- 5 tablespoons kosher salt (or to taste)
Broth Ingredients:
- 2 pounds beef feet (patas), quartered
- 3 large yellow onions, diced
- 3 small heads of garlic, unpeeled
- 16 peppercorns
- 5 teaspoons Mexican oregano, dried
- 2 bay leaves
- 15 quarts water
Red Chile Sauce:
- 4 dried Arbol chiles
- 10 dried Guajillo chiles
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons ground cumin
Additional Ingredients:
- 2 cans (6 pounds 9 oz each) white hominy, drained
Instructions:
1. Cleaning and Preparing the Tripe:
- Trim any excess fat from the tripe to prevent the broth from becoming greasy.
- Cut the tripe into one-inch squares and soak in a large pot of water for two hours, replacing the water halfway through to reduce unwanted odors and impurities.
2. Making the Red Chile Sauce:
- De-stem and de-seed the Arbol and Guajillo chiles.
- Toast the chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Cover the toasted chiles with water and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, adding a halved onion and 3 peeled garlic cloves to infuse additional flavors.
- Remove the chiles, onion, and garlic from the water and blend with ground cumin and a cup of hot broth from your menudo pot until smooth. Add more broth if necessary to achieve a pourable consistency.
- Strain the chile sauce through a sieve to remove seeds and skins, discarding the solids. Refrigerate the sauce until needed.
3. Cooking the Menudo:
- In a large stockpot, combine the prepared tripe, beef feet, diced onion, unpeeled garlic heads, peppercorns, kosher salt, Mexican oregano, bay leaves, and water.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the tripe and beef feet are tender but still hold their shape.
- Remove and discard the garlic heads.
- Stir in the hominy and red chile sauce, then continue to simmer the menudo for another 3 hours on low heat to allow the flavors to meld beautifully.
- Adjust seasoning with additional salt as needed.
4. Serving:
- Serve the menudo hot, garnished with chopped onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime if desired.
- Accompany with warm corn tortillas or crusty bread for a hearty meal.
Notes:
- Menudo is traditionally served as a weekend or festive dish due to its lengthy preparation, making it a special treat.
- Enjoy this rich, flavorful soup as a celebration of traditional Mexican cuisine!