Puerto Rican Mondongo: Tripe Stew with Calabaza & Chickpeas
Puerto Rican mondongo is one of the island’s most traditional stews 🇵🇷. In this version, I give it a smoky twist using the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800, slowly cooking the tripe to build deep flavor before turning it into a hearty stew with sofrito, pumpkin, and chickpeas.
This is a classic Puerto Rican country-style dish 🇵🇷, perfect for rainy days, family gatherings, or anytime you want something comforting. Like any good stew, mondongo tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients (4–6 servings)
1.5–2 lb honeycomb beef tripe
1/2 cup sofrito
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 cloves smoked garlic
1/2 can tomato sauce (about 4 oz)
2 tablespoons oil
1 packet sazón with achiote
2 bay leaves
2 cups calabaza (Caribbean pumpkin), cubed
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
Juice of 1 lemon (for cleaning the tripe)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Black pepper to taste
Water as needed
Instructions
1. Clean the tripe
Rinse the tripe with cold water and rub it with lemon juice. Rinse thoroughly.
Optional but recommended: Place the tripe in a pot with water, boil for 10 minutes, discard the water, and rinse again.
2. Prepare the smoky broth (Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800)
Preheat the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 to 500°F to bring the water to a boil.
In a heat-safe pot, add:
2–3 pig’s feet
Enough water to cover
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
Place the pot inside the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 and bring the broth to a boil. Once boiling, cook the pig’s feet for about 1 hour to develop a collagen-rich, flavorful broth.
After 1 hour, add the cleaned tripe to the broth.
Continue cooking in the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 until the tripe is tender, about 1.5–2 additional hours.
Add more water during cooking as needed to maintain the liquid level.
The entire cooking process stays in the same pot inside the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800.
3. Add the stew base (same pot)
After adding the tripe, while it continues cooking inside the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800, add directly to the caldero:
Sofrito
Minced garlic
Smoked garlic
Tomato sauce
Sazón with achiote
Smoked paprika
Cumin
Stir well and continue cooking as the tripe becomes tender and the broth develops flavor.
4. Add the vegetables
Once the tripe begins to soften, add:
Calabaza (Caribbean pumpkin)
Chickpeas
Stir and continue cooking in the Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 until the calabaza is tender and the broth has a rich consistency.
5. Final seasoning
Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 more minutes to bring the flavors together.
Traditional Puerto Rican Tips 🇵🇷
Cooking in the Masterbuilt adds another layer of smoky flavor.
Mondongo tastes even better the next day.
Low and slow cooking improves the texture.
The slower it cooks, the better it gets.
The finished stew should be slightly thick.
Cooking Time
Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 2–3 hours Total: 2.5–3 hours
To Serve
White rice
Avocado
Bread
Tostones
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