Put a pot of sancocho on the stove and watch how fast the house fills up. The smell of oregano and thyme reaches every corner, and somebody always sneaks into the kitchen to taste the broth before it’s ready. Dominican sancocho is a thick meat and root vegetable stew, our ultimate comfort food, and the dish we make whenever family and friends get together, rain or shine, even in the middle of July.
In my home, we don’t wait for a special occasion; we just call the vecinos, set extra bowls on the table, and let the sancocho do the welcoming. Serve it the classic way with White Rice (Arroz Blanco) and slices of buttery avocado.
Feel free to explore similar cozy bowls like Asopao de Camarones and Sopa de Mondongo for your next dominguito.
What Is Sancocho?
Sancocho is a hearty stew of meat, root vegetables, and plantains that you’ll find all over Latin America, from Colombia and Panama to Puerto Rico. The Dominican version is thicker than most: we simmer víveres (starchy roots like yuca, yautía, and green plantain) until they’re tender, and blend in a little auyama (kabocha squash) to give the broth body.
Every family has its own sancocho. This one is all pork, the version I make most and my favorite. For big celebrations, many Dominicans go all out with sancocho de siete carnes, made with up to seven meats like chicken, beef, pork, goat, and longaniza. Either way, it comes to the table with white rice and avocado.
How to Make Dominican Sancocho
Start by trimming excess fat from the pork and rinsing the meat with a splash of citrus (lemon or vinegar) and cold water. Season it right in the bowl with adobo, black pepper, dried oregano, and sofrito. Mix well so all the meat is seasoned.
Heat oil in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium-high, then sear the pork until browned on all sides; the fond (those caramelized bits) will deepen the stew’s flavor. Lower the heat, cover, and let the meat gently cook until tender, 30–40 minutes, adding small splashes of water as needed so nothing scorches.
While the meat softens, peel and cut the roots and plantains into even pieces (about 1-inch/2.5-cm so they cook at the same pace). Keep the squash in larger chunks so it doesn’t dissolve too fast.
Remove the meat to a pot, then add all the vegetables to the pot and cover with water to about three-quarters full. Bring to a boil, then season the broth with bouillon and whole allspice (malagueta). Simmer 15–20 minutes, until the squash is tender.
Blend the cooked squash with a ladle of hot broth and a splash of cool water until smooth; pour it back into the pot to naturally thicken the sancocho. Tie cilantro, culantro, and thyme into a little bundle (a kitchen twine bouquet) and drop it in.
Simmer on medium so the herbs perfume the pot, then adjust seasoning with the remaining adobo, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.
Return the pork and simmer until the roots are creamy-tender, 10–20 minutes more. Fish out the herb bundle and spices, finish with fresh lime juice, and serve steaming hot with rice and avocado.
Pro Tip: Start your White Rice (Arroz Blanco) as soon as the sancocho comes to a boil to time everything just right.
What to Serve With It
Serve sancocho with white rice and sliced avocado, ¡y ya! That’s the classic combo and all you need. If you’re feeding a crowd, add an ensalada de aguacate on the side.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate: Cool completely, then store in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Reheat: Warm on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen the stew, until heated through to 165°F (74°C).
Tips
- Protein options: This version uses all pork, but sancocho also welcomes mixed meats (pork, beef, chicken). Cook each until tender and pull them out as they’re ready, returning near the end.
- Texture control: Some roots cook faster; if needed, lift out any pieces that are tender early so they don’t break down, and add them back before serving.
- Natural thickener: Blending a bit of the cooked squash is the Dominican trick for body without flour or roux.
- Timing tip: Start your White Rice (Arroz Blanco) once the stew hits a boil so everything lands on the table at the same time.
Dominican Sancocho Recipe (Sancocho Dominicano)
Author:Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork loin end chops
- 1½ lbs pork stew cubes
- ½ lb smoked pork neck bones
- 1½ teaspoons adobo seasoning, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons dried oregano, divided
- 2 tablespoons homemade sofrito
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 ears corn cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) rounds
- 1 lb kabocha squash, peeled and seeded
- 2 green plantains peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
- 1 lb white yautía, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
- 1 lb yuca (cassava), peeled, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces, and halved lengthwise
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice malagueta
- 4 culantro recao leaves
- 2 tablespoons cilantro with stems tied into a bundle
- 5 fresh thyme sprigs
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and more black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
- Trim excess fat and rinse with lemon juice or vinegar and cold water. Pat dry. In a bowl, mix pork with 1 teaspoon adobo, black pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, and sofrito until coated.
- Heat oil in a 6-qt (5.7-L) pot over medium-high. Sear pork on all sides. Cover, reduce to medium, and cook until tender, 30–40 minutes, adding splashes of water so it doesn’t scorch. Remove pork and reserve.
- Add all cut vegetables to the pot and pour in water to fill about ¾ of the pot. Bring to a boil; add bouillon and whole allspice. Cook 15–20 minutes, until squash is tender.
- Blend the cooked squash with ½ cup (120 ml) hot broth and ½ cup (120 ml) cool water until smooth. Stir purée back into the pot.
- Tie cilantro, culantro, and thyme with twine; add the bundle to the pot. Simmer on medium 20 minutes.
- Stir in remaining ½ teaspoon adobo, remaining ½ teaspoon oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Return pork to the pot and simmer 10–20 minutes more, until roots are tender.
- Discard the herb bundle and allspice. Stir in lime juice.
- Serve hot with arroz blanco and avocado.
Video
Notes
- Mixed meats: For mixed-meat sancocho (pork, beef, chicken), cook each protein until tender and hold aside; return all meats to the pot for the final simmer.
- Even cuts: Keep root veggies in even sizes so they cook uniformly; pull any pieces that soften early and add back before serving.
- Timing: Start the White Rice (Arroz Blanco) when your pot first comes to a boil to sync the timing.
Nutrition
The nutritional information of this recipe and all recipes on mydominicankitchen.com is only an estimate. The accuracy of any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Dilenia says
Thanks so much for this article! Wish me luck trying my first sancocho tomorrow!
Loretta Donaldson says
This sounds so delicious will be trying this recipe out. I love Soups and every Saturday is soup day for our family.