Tacos

[Chef Munky]

We eat a Lot of Tacos here.. but I'm in search of ..Something New!

We have many new people in this area from Southern Mexico and Central America.. so the Taco Fillings and Various Salsas are changing rapidly..many fillings are quite different and often the Salsas are Fruit based and very Good..

do Y'all have any New Taco Recipes?

I pretty sure they use Fish in Southern California! I've tried these before and liked.

Eric, Austin Tx.

If you've never had it before your going to love taco's, taquito, just about anything made using Mexican Chorizo. It's mostly made from ground pork that's seasoned with chili pepper, paprika, salt ,cumin, oregano, garlic powder. Depending on how you prefer it. It can be put into links, or kept ground without the casings.

The links that I've bought at the store were horrible. I swore I'd never try it again.
If you can get to a butcher that makes the Chorizo freshly ground I highly recommend it. Keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way in flavor. You won't even need to add spices. Just cook it until it's crumbly. It won't have the fat content that ground beef does. After having a taco made with it I can't go back to beef or chicken. It's just not the same.

Before you head out to get some. Chorizo is not cheap. I pay well over $9.00 a Lb for it. It's worth it to try.
Good luck.

Munky.

 

[texherp]

Hey giggler, sorry about going off topic...

In Texas and throughout the SW, most Hispanic families buy their tortillas from a tortilleria which is a shop that does nothing but make corn tortillas! They are made fresh daily so they're just as good as homemade. The better Mexican restaurants probably buy their tortillas from these same places too.

Tim, soft corn tortillas are probably used more often than wheat by most hispanic families, so yes they exist. I find the ones from the grocery stores are really stiff and crumbly, but fresh made ones are soft but strong. I just bought a pack of the corn flour called maseca from the grocery store in the hispanic foods section and followed the instructions on the back. Corn tortillas are literally made out of hominy corn, salt and water, that's it. When you roll them out, you will need to put them between sheets of plastic wrap and you will have to play around with the amount of moisture to get it to not stick. The rolling out part is the hard part, so a tortilla press is really worth it. Then you just flop it on a hot skillet (a comal if you want to go all the way), turn it, and it's done. On the bag, they also give a recipes for huaraches which I might try sometime.

Nowadays, at least down here, you can find raw flour tortillas in the refrigerated section that you cook on a skillet at home. They are soooo much better than the crud in the bag! They taste more like fresh baked bread. And you can slightly under cook them so their extra soft and doughy.

P.S. Giggler, when I was going to UT, we would go to the Fiesta supermarket downtown and buy pork carnitas tacos at their little stand inside the store. They were awesome with the pico de gallo. You should go there if you're in the area.

 

[DMerry]

Timothy: If you have a source for corn tortillas that have not been fried crisp, you can heat some oil in a smaller sized skillet, maybe to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch and when the oil is hot fry a tortilla for 3 seconds (1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand) then turn and fry on the other side for another 3 seconds. The tortillas will be limp when you lift them out of the oil and you can then fill them with whatever down the middle and fold both the sides over to form the taco. I use a non-stick skillet and it works really well for me.

 

[spork]

Thumbs up for Munky's chorizo cooked with diced onions in tortillas with scrambled eggs, leftover potato chips, and grog con leche.

 

[Timothy]

Tim, soft corn tortillas are probably used more often than wheat by most Hispanic families, so yes they exist. I find the ones from the grocery stores are really stiff and crumbly, but fresh made ones are soft but strong. I just bought a pack of the corn flour called maseca from the grocery store in the Hispanic foods section and followed the instructions on the back. Corn tortillas are literally made out of hominy corn, salt and water, that's it. When you roll them out, you will need to put them between sheets of plastic wrap and you will have to play around with the amount of moisture to get it to not stick. The rolling out part is the hard part, so a tortilla press is really worth it. Then you just flop it on a hot skillet (a comal if you want to go all the way), turn it, and it's done. On the bag, they also give a recipes for huaraches which I might try sometime.

Thanks for all of that information,TexHerp. I'll look in the store and see if I can find the Maseca. There is a Mexican food store near me that almost for sure would have it.

I'll try my hand at making my own tortillas. It'll be fun!

Timothy: If you have a source for corn tortillas that have not been fried crisp, you can heat some oil in a smaller sized skillet, maybe to cover the bottom by 1/4 inch and when the oil is hot fry a tortilla for 3 seconds (1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand) then turn and fry on the other side for another 3 seconds. The tortillas will be limp when you lift them out of the oil and you can then fill them with whatever down the middle and fold both the sides over to form the taco. I use a non-stick skillet and it works really well for me.

Thank you DMerry! I'll keep looking, but the only corn tortillas I've seen here are the crispy ones that are flat, but like a hard taco shell. If bent a little, they snap and break. I don't care for them. They're too crunchy for me.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Thanks for all of that information,TexHerp. I'll look in the store and see if I can find the Maseca. There is a Mexican food store near me that almost for sure would have it.

I'll try my hand at making my own tortillas. It'll be fun!



Thank you DMerry! I'll keep looking, but the only corn tortillas I've seen here are the crispy ones that are flat, but like a hard taco shell. If bent a little, they snap and break. I don't care for them. They're too crunchy for me.

The soft corn tortillas are found with the flour tortillas, usually on the bottom shelf.

 

[Timothy]

The soft corn tortillas are found with the flour tortillas, usually on the bottom shelf.

I've never looked for them, but I'll bet they've always been right in front of me and I just didn't see them.

I'll look tomorrow if I go in the store.

 

[4meandthem]

I go to the mexican market and get my tortillas when they are still warm and the bag is moist on the inside. I also get a hybrid tortilla that is corn and flour based from my supermarket.

As far as different tacos go some of more exotic ones here are

lengua=tongue
Al Pastor = beef in a chili sauce
sesos=brains...delicious if you can bring yourself to order them.
tripas=milk glands fried until crispy
birria=goat
cabeza= head and cheek meat (beef)

I have tried and loved them all.

 

[Timothy]

The soft corn tortillas are found with the flour tortillas, usually on the bottom shelf.

They were in two places. One batch in the cooler by the cheeses and also in the Ethnic area with all the other Mexican foods.

I got a 24 pack of "Mission" Extra Thin Yellow Corn Tortillas.

Soft tacos tonight!

Hamburger, Refried beans, Maters, Sweet onion, lettuce, 3 types of cheeses and some fresh jalapenos.

I got some adobo salsa to go on them also. Yum! Oink! Snort!

Thanks for the help!

 

[CWS4322]

If you don't have a tortilla press, you can use two flat plates. However, the tortilla press makes all the difference when making corn tortillas. I use the recipe on the bag and add some ground chilpolte to the recipe. You can make flour ones without a tortilla press. I like to cook mine on my lefse griddle--it heats to 500 and the tortillas cook in about 30 seconds each side. To make perfectly round, uniform ones, I use an 8-inch round cake pan to cut any excess off.

I made deep-fried walleye tacos on homemade whole wheat tortillas when I was in MN. They were awesome. The garnishes were the same as one would normally use, but for the sauce I made a salsa verde.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

They were in two places. One batch in the cooler by the cheeses and also in the Ethnic area with all the other Mexican foods.

I got a 24 pack of "Mission" Extra Thin Yellow Corn Tortillas.

Soft tacos tonight!

Hamburger, Refried beans, Maters, Sweet onion, lettuce, 3 types of cheeses and some fresh jalapenos.

I got some adobo salsa to go on them also. Yum! Oink! Snort!

Thanks for the help!

Must be a Montana thing, they are in every aisle except the ethnic aisle. Usually Dairy and Bread aisles.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Carne Asada Filling for Soft-fried Corn Tortillas;

1 lb. flank, round, or skirt steak.
1 green bell pepper, fine dice
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, fine dice
1 clove fresh garlic, diced
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
3 tbs. minced, fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. fresh lime juice.

Fire up the grill, salt the meat, and cook that steak until medium rare. Remove and let the steak cool. Dice the steak into small pieces (1/4 inch dice). Place the meat, and remaining ingredients, except the lime juice, into a very large, oiled, heavy frying pan and cook until the meat is just barely well done. Remove to a large bowl and drizzle the lime juice over the top. Stir. Serve in taco shells with guacamole and diced tomato.

For me, that's the best tacos ever.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Timothy]

Must be a Montana thing, they are in every aisle except the ethnic aisle. Usually Dairy and Bread aisles.

Grocery stores don't put anything in logical places. I'll never figure out their manner of thinking.

The Tacos turned out very well. I was starving and ate 8 of them! Ha!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Grocery stores don't put anything in logical places. I'll never figure out their manner of thinking.

The Tacos turned out very well. I was starving and ate 8 of them! Ha!

Oh, it's too bad you didn't like them

 

[Zereh]

My son used to eat these tacos until he was sick (if you've ever fed a hungry teenager you'll know what I'm talking about ). My beautiful Spanglish friend Olivia taught us how to make these. Brisket isn't the traditional cut of meat for tacos but it sure works perfectly.

Buy a beef brisket, rinse it off and put into a crockpot. If you have leftover coffee, throw a half a pot in and add enough water to cover the brisket; using all water works just fine if you don't have coffee. Add a tablespoon of liquid smoke. Put it on low and let it do it's magic. It's probably fine at eight hours, but up to 10 works fine as well.

Remove the meat from the crock pot and shred (discarding the fat).

Fry a thin corn tortilla for a couple seconds in a thin film of oil on each side over med-high heat. Sprinkle a quick, light dash of salt on one side while it's still piping hot.

Add a small amount of taco meat, top with a tiny handful of diced white onion, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a bit of cilantro. My son insisted on adding cheese but I preferred them without.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

My son used to eat these tacos until he was sick (if you've ever fed a hungry teenager you'll know what I'm talking about ). My beautiful Spanglish friend Olivia taught us how to make these. Brisket isn't the traditional cut of meat for tacos but it sure works perfectly.

Buy a beef brisket, rinse it off and put into a crockpot. If you have leftover coffee, throw a half a pot in and add enough water to cover the brisket; using all water works just fine if you don't have coffee. Add a tablespoon of liquid smoke. Put it on low and let it do it's magic. It's probably fine at eight hours, but up to 10 works fine as well.

Remove the meat from the crock pot and shred (discarding the fat).

Fry a thin corn tortilla for a couple seconds in a thin film of oil on each side over med-high heat. Sprinkle a quick, light dash of salt on one side while it's still piping hot.

Add a small amount of taco meat, top with a tiny handful of diced white onion, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a bit of cilantro. My son insisted on adding cheese but I preferred them without.

My wife adores shredded beef tacos. I make them the same way as you do, but season the meat a bit differently. I add onion, a little cilantro, and ground cumin to the meat while it's cooking. I only add a cup or so of water to the slow cooker. I cook on the low setting overnight, and shred the meat just before the lunch or evening meal. Top with diced cukes, diced tomato, and guacamole. Add some sharp cheddar cheese and you have one great taco. Of course we use fresh corn tortillas and soften them in a touch of hot oil.

Another way to soften them, if you want to cut down on the fat a little, is to brush them with oil, and heat in the microwave.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Hammster]

I wouldn't dream of paying $9/lb for chorizo when it's a breeze to make it at home with an inexpensive cut of beef or pork. And you know exactly what went into your sausage when you make it. No "mystery" ingredients when it is made at home.
However, I do second the use of chorizo in tacos. Look up machaca if you want a real tasty filling that has chorizo in it.

 

[CWS4322]

Now that you brought it up, are you going to share your chorizo recipe and technique? wink-wink.

 

[Hammster]

Now that you brought it up, are you going to share your chorizo recipe and technique? wink-wink.

I'm assuming you meant me. Here goes.

I have the sausage grinder attachment for my KitchenAid, but before I had that I used my food processor. Just be sure to put the cubes of meat into the freezer for a while, just until the meat is a little icy, before processing or the meat will warm up and a lot of the juice will come out of the meat and it can also partially cook during the grinding process if it warms up too much.
Have fun.

Chorizo:
1 pound ground pork butt (or inexpensive beef cut)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Ancho chile powder
4 Cloves Garlic -- minced
1/2 bunch fresh oregano -- chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons vinegar

 

[CWS4322]

You're right, I tagged you as "it." Thanks! I've been meaning to get into sausage making...just don't have enough TIME lately.