Traditional Argentine Locro Criollo Stew
Mise en Place / Ingredients[14]
- 2 cups Dried white hominy corn (maíz blanco pisado), soaked
- 1 cup Dried white alubia or cannellini beans (porotos alubia), soaked
- 2 lbs Kabocha or buttercup squash (zapallo plomo), peeled and cubed
- 1 lb Beef brisket or chuck (falda / pecho de res), cubed
- 1.5 lbs Pork spareribs (pechito de cerdo), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 oz Smoked pork belly or slab bacon (panceta), diced
- 2 links Dry-cured Spanish chorizo (chorizo colorado), sliced into rounds (Palacios)
- 10 cups Water or beef broth
- 4 stalks Scallions (cebolla de verdeo), finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Neutral oil or rendered pork lard (for quiquirimichi sauce)
- 1.5 tbsp Sweet paprika (pimentón dulce)
- 1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes (ají molido)
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 tbsp Kosher salt
🛒 US Supermarket Brand Guide
All-natural cured pork with vibrant pimentón. • 📍 Specialty cheese/deli section.
Cooking Sequence & Checkpoints
Soak the 2 cups white hominy corn and 1 cup white alubia beans in cold water for 12 hours (720 minutes), then drain.
✓ Checkpoint: Plump rehydrated grains and beans.
Combine the drained corn, white beans, 1 lb cubed beef brisket, 1.5 lbs pork spareribs, 6 oz diced pork belly, and 2 sliced chorizo colorado links with 10 cups water (or broth) and 1 tbsp kosher salt in a heavy pot. Boil briskly for 10 minutes, then simmer gently for 1.5 hours.
✓ Checkpoint: Tenderizing beef, pork, and rich broth.
Stir in 2 lbs cubed kabocha squash and 0.5 tsp ground cumin; simmer 1 hour more, stirring frequently until the squash dissolves into a creamy golden broth and meats reach 195°F–205°F (90°C–96°C).
✓ Checkpoint: Velvety thick golden-orange stew.
Sauté 4 chopped scallions in 3 tbsp oil (or rendered pork fat) with 1.5 tbsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining 0.5 tsp ground cumin for 2 minutes. Ladle over steaming bowls of locro.
✓ Checkpoint: Red fragrant chili-scallion oil crowning the stew.
🔬 Why It Works:
Dissolved Squash Emulsion: Simmering squash until it completely melts acts as a natural thickening agent that suspends the meats and beans.
⚠️ Troubleshooting:
Sticks to pot base: Stir bottom with flat wooden spoon every 10 minutes over low simmer.