Tag: Mexican
Piquin Chili Salsa
Piquin Chili Salsa
This salsa is pretty damn hot, yet refreshing and full of flavor. Piquin chili salsa is best when sparingly drizzled on something and not as a chip and salsa dip. To make this salsa properly requires a mortar and pestle. A food processor is not the same and will change the texture. Try the salsa on top of empalmes or huevos rancheros.
Equipment
- mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp piquin chilies
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 4 black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp white onion chopped
- 1 garlic cloves dliced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 6 tbsp water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Dry toast the the chilies for 1 minute over medium heat. Move the chilies to the mortar.
- Dry toast the cumin seeds and peppercorns for 30 seconds. Move to the mortar.
- Gring the chilies, cumin, oregano, and peppercorns down with the pestle.
- Heat up the vegetable oil. Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Move to the mortar.
- Grind the onions and garlic with the chilies.
- Stir in the vinegar, water, and salt.
Tetelas Oaxaca
Tetelas Oaxaca
Tetales are a refried black bean stuffed masa cake; much similar in concept to the Salvadoran pupusa. The tetelas are pan fried until crispy and topped with crumbled cheese, sour cream, salsa, and cilantro.
Equipment
- tortilla press
- gallon sized storage bag; cut into 2 sheets of plastic
Ingredients
- 1 cup masa harina flour
- 2/3 cup warm water
- 2/3 cup refried black beans
- vegetable oil for frying
Garnish
- queso fresco crumbled
- cilantro chopped
- Mexican sour cream
- red or green salsa
Instructions
- Mix together the mass flour and warm water.
- Roll into 4-6 equal sized balls.
- Place 1 sheet of plastic on a tortilla press. Place 1 of the dough balls in the center, with the other sheet of plastic on top.
- Flatten to 1/8” thick. Remove the top sheet of plastic.
- Place a heaping tbsp of refried black beans in the center of the pressed dough. Spread it around.
- Using the plastic, fold up the bottom third of the tetelas. Fold back the plastic.
- Fold over the right side at an angle. Fold back the plastic.
- Fold over the left side, creating a triangle. Seal the corners.
- Heat up vegetable oil on a griddle over medium high heat. Place the tetelas on the griddle.
- Fry for 4-5 minutes until crispy.
Yucatán Fried Beans
I love refried beans. This is possibly the easiest and most flavorful recipe to make Yucatán style fried black beans. Toast the onions and habanero. Purée the black beans with the onions. Fry the purée with the habanero until it reaches your desired consistency. That’s it. You can use either vegetable oil or lard to fry the beans in; depending if you want them vegan or not.
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 2 slices white onion
- 1 habanero
- 4 cups cooked black beans with broth
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Dry toast the onion and habanero for 5 minutes in a sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Place the onions and black beans in a blender .
- Purée until smooth.
- Heat up vegetable oil or lard in a sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in the beans. Add the toasted habanero back in. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the beans are thickened to your liking. Season with salt.
Smoked Pit Beef Tacos
Smoked Pit Beef Tacos
What’s better than tacos? Not much. The meat used in these particular tacos comes from a brined, then smoked chuck roast. This beef can be used in numerous recipes for fillings, sandwiches, nachos, etc.
Ingredients
- smoked chuck roast
- corn or flour tortillas
- cilantro/onion/green onion mix
- smoked tomatillo salsa
Instructions
- Shred the smoked chuck roast.
- Top the tortillas with the beef, cilantro/onion/green onion mix, and the tomatillo salsa.
Smoked Pit Beef
Smoked beef sandwiches!? Fuck yeah, smoked beef sandwiches. They are extremely easy to make as long as you have time and patience. This is better than any smoked beef you can get from a restaurant or smokehouse for a fraction of the price. I’ve seen smoked beef go for as much as $25-$30 per lb, when the chuck roast I purchased was only $3.99lb.Once brined, the chuck will take 2 hours per lb to smoke in order for the meat to shred; exactly like a pork shoulder. To achieve this, use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. You will want the temp to get to 205-210 degrees. Once finished, let the chuck rest for at least 20 minutes. The beef is great on a sandwich or even used as taco meat.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- Probe Thermometer
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- black pepper
- paprika
Brine
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup sea salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 6 shallots sliced
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
Wood Chips
- mesquite wood chips
Instructions
- Mix together the brining ingredients.
- Place the chuck in a gallon sized storage bag with the brine. Brine the chuck for 1 day.
- Pat the chuck dry. Season all sides with black pepper and paprika. Let rest at room temperature for an hour before smoking.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Place the chuck in the smoker.
- The chuck will take about 2 hours per lb. Monitor the temp with a probe thermometer. In order for the beef to shred, you will need to reach an internal temp of 205-210 degrees.
- Once finished smoking, pull from the smoker and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Slice or shred the beef.
Smoked Tomatillo Salsa
I really like tomatillo salsa and wanted to see what it tastes like with the ingredients smoked. The answer: even better! The ingredients take no more than 2 hours to smoke in your smoker. It’s ready to use as soon as you purée the ingredients in a food processor. The salsa will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Equipment
- Electric Smoker
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 lb tomatillos
- 1/2 medium onion
- 2 jalapeños
- 2 green onions
- 1 head garlic
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wood Chips
- mesquite wood chips
Instructions
- Place the tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños, and green onions on your smokers rack.
- Place in a preheated 250 degree smoker for 2 hours.
- Let the ingredients cool.
- Add the smoked ingredients along with the cilantro, vinegar, and salt to a food processor.
- Purée until smooth.
