Bricklayer-style tacos

[Brad Olson]

A couple of weeks ago I made bricklayer-style tacos from the PBS show Pati's Mexican Table. I made some minor adjustments, the biggest being the decision to grill as much of the meal as possible.

I started with a pound of top sirloin that I cut into small pieces.


I lit a small pile of lump charcoal and charred the vegetables. The recipe calls for 1 jalapeno but I opted for 2 serranos.


The beef, bacon, and vegetables were cooked in an alloy pan over a hot lump fire.


We rarely use corn tortillas so I decided they'd make a nice change of pace, and figured they'd hold up a little better on the grill than flour tortillas.


Colby-jack cheese definitely isn't authentic but it's what we like when shredded cheese is called for. The vegetables were nice and soft and the filling had plenty of flavor, so we didn't even add any bottled taco sauce. There's a chicken taco recipe associated with this episode and I'm looking forward to trying it next time.

 

[Mike Cosgrove]

Looks great Brad, I never use corn tortillas either and it looks like they held up nice.

 

[Brad Olson]

Thanks, Mike. I'm not a big fan of corn tortillas straight out of the package but a little heat from a grill, stove burner, or even some hot oil really makes a difference.

I have a package of flour tortillas and in big letters on the label is written "Made in Minnesota", which makes me wonder if it's really lefse.

 

[Mike Cosgrove]

Thanks, Mike. I'm not a big fan of corn tortillas straight out of the package but a little heat from a grill, stove burner, or even some hot oil really makes a difference.

I have a package of flour tortillas and in big letters on the label is written "Made in Minnesota", which makes me wonder if it's really lefse.

Thats funny, I've never even tried lefse, on my to do list.

 

[Tony R]

Looks good...nice job brad.

 

[Mike Coffman]

Great looking tacos Brad!

 

[Ed M.]

Super looking tacos, Brad!

 

[Jim Lampe]

corn tortillas are best heated and doubled-up if the filling is heavy
never heard of anything Mexican-related "Made in Minnesota"

 

[Mike Cosgrove]

corn tortillas are best heated and doubled-up if the filling is heavy
never heard of anything Mexican-related "Made in Minnesota"

I live in West saint Paul Jim, which is borders the "West Side" of Saint Paul, theres a very large mexican population here and theres a market called "Burrito Mercado" that I swing by once in a while thats just fantastic and that could be where the tortillas were made.

 

[Paul Kastner]

What a great looking taco.

 

[John Solak]

very nice looking tacos!!! Corn Tortillas are the best but they have to be made fresh and come from a tortilla place, not those Mission tortillas or similar chain brands.

 

[Bob Bass]

...never heard of anything Mexican-related "Made in Minnesota"

Remember having dinner at a place called Chi-Chi's many moons ago...

 

[Dave O (Alaska)]

Love tacos, yours look awesome!

 

[Bob Correll]

Terrific looking tacos Brad!
Way to do it all on a grill!

 

[Rolf Jacobsen]

Brad I've bookmarked this one and will try it for sure. hanks1

 

[Andy Beers]

Looks great

 

[Kim Drana]

Awesome post!

 

[Jon Des.]

I'm not sure what these have to do with bricks, but I like.

 

[Brad Olson]

Thanks, everybody...they tasted pretty good!

Instead of chopping the chiles into pieces I halved them longways. They still gave off heat and flavor and were easy to avoid if no one wanted actual pieces in a taco.

I'm not sure what these have to do with bricks, but I like.

According to Pati Jinich, because the tacos are made with beef and bacon they're hearty and fortifying and were originally popular with bricklayers and other laborers in Mexico. Women would show up at the worksites and cook them fresh to order, and if working with a griddle or stovetop they don't take much time at all.

Corn Tortillas are the best but they have to be made fresh and come from a tortilla place, not those Mission tortillas or similar chain brands.

There's a Mexican market not too far from my office; I should stop in sometime to see if fresh-made corn tortillas are available. Otherwise I'm sure I could find all the ingredients and make my own tortilla press from some sheet metal and a floor jack...