A soy-calamansi marinade gives this beef mechado its classic savory, citrusy flavor profile.
Mechado stands out from other Filipino tomato-based stews like kaldereta, afritada, and menudo with its tangy, savory flavor profile. This comes from the use of soy sauce and calamansi juice (which can be subbed with vinegar or lemon juice). In fact, these two ingredients are more crucial to mechado than tomato sauce, which started out in the dish’s history as optional.
Another thing that sets mechado apart is the beef. Mechado gets its name from the culinary technique of larding—threading a strip of pork fat, resembling a candle wick (mecha in Spanish), into a lean cut of meat. The extra fat balances out the beef with added moisture, richness, and flavor.
Not everyone has time for larding. And why thread fat into beef when you could just use beef cuts with the fat attached?
While few meat suppliers sell pre-larded beef rounds as mechado cuts, it’s much simpler to use cuts of beef with nice amounts of fat. Beef chuck comes from the shoulder area and has a good amount of marbling, keeping the meat juicy and tender when cooked low and slow. Brisket and fatty short ribs are good choices, too.
We also recommend with the marrow attached. It’s tougher than chuck, so it needs to be cooked longer to fork-tenderness, but pays off with a deeper, beefier flavor.
Marinate beef: Combine light soy sauce and calamansi juice in a large mixing bowl. Add beef to the mixture. Cover and let marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove beef from marinade and pat dry.
Cook potatoes and carrots: Heat 2 tbsp neutral oil in a deep skillet, sauté pan, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until browned on all sides. Remove potatoes from the pan and set aside. Repeat step with carrots; remove and set aside with the potatoes.
Sear beef: If pan looks dry, add and heat up another 1 tbsp of neutral oil. Working in batches, add beef in batches and sear until browned on two sides, about 2–3 minutes per side. Set aside.
Cook aromatics: Reduce heat to medium. Add onions and garlic (add more oil if the pan looks dry) and cook until the aromatics are fragrant, 3–4 minutes.
Cook beef: Add seared beef, tomato sauce, and water to the pan. (You can also add some of the leftover marinade for extra flavor!) Bring liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Dissolve and stir in beef broth cube to incorporate.
Cover pan and cook until the beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours, stirring from time to time to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. If your mechado looks too dry at any point, add ¼ to ½ cup of water at a time.
Finish vegetables: Once beef is tender and sauce has thickened, add fried potatoes and carrots to the pan. Continue cooking until vegetables are tender, another 10 minutes. Season to taste with patis. If mechado tastes too salty, you can balance it out with 1–2 tbsp sugar. Serve with hot rice.
