Tacos de suadero – slow-cooked beef brisket tacos
This beef brisket taco recipe is one of the most popular street foods in Mexico City. Brisket is slow-cooked in its own fat until meltingly tender, before being crisped up in a pan and served in warm tortillas with salsa, coriander and onion.
Ingredients
- 2kg beef brisket , or another roasting cut such as feather blade
- 2kg beef fat , or duck fat
- 1 garlic bulb , halved
- 1 handful of sea salt
- 30 corn tortillas
- 1/2 bunch of coriander , finely chopped
- 1/2 onion , diced
- 1 lime , cut into wedges
salsa roja
- 3 guajillo chilli peppers
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tomatoes
- 1/2 onion
- 250ml of hot water
- 50ml of cider vinegar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of cumin powder
Equipment
- Blender
Method
1
Begin by rubbing the brisket generously with the sea salt, then leave to cure for 3 hours
2
While the brisket is curing, prepare the salsa. Preheat an oven to 250°C/gas mark 9. Place a frying pan over a high heat and toast the guajillo chillies until they start to smoke, then transfer to a bowl and cover with the hot water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes
3
Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, garlic and onion on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until blackened. Peel the garlic and place in a blender with the tomatoes and onion, then add the soaked chillies and the water. Blitz until chunky, then add the cumin and salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary – it should be smoky and a little spicy. Decrease the temperature of the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2
4
Wash the salt off the brisket and cut the beef into 8cm chunks. Place a few tablespoons of the beef or duck fat in a large ovenproof casserole dish and heat until melted. Add the beef chunks and sear on all sides until browned and crisp, then transfer to a bowl (you may need to do this in batches)
5
Add the rest of the fat to the saucepan and heat until melted. Add the garlic and the browned beef, stir to combine, then cover and cook in the oven for around 4 hours. The beef is ready when it is very soft and tender (you should be able to cut through it with a spoon)
6
Use a slotted spoon to lift the beef out of the fat and discard the garlic. Chop the meat up roughly and place in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for 3–4 minutes to crisp up the beef, then transfer to a bowl and keep warm
7
In the same pan, warm the tortillas until pliable and soft, covering them in a damp tea towel to keep warm
8
To serve, spoon some of the meat into each tortilla followed by a dollop of the salsa. Finish with some coriander, onion and a squeeze of lime juice
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Tacos de suadero – slow-cooked beef brisket tacos
