If you ever explore authentic Mexican cuisine, tacos specifically, there are two very popular choices – Al Pastor Tacos or the Suadero Tacos. What makes the Tacos de Suadero so special? Let’s dive and explore!
What is special about Suadero?
Suadero is a special cut of beef that is taken from the soft part that lies between the hind leg and the belly of a cow. It is the flap of the connective tissue that attaches the leg to the body. It has a smoother texture than normal meat and has no muscle grains. Some find it a bit chewier. But cooked right, it can be flavourful, soft and melty. Though it is an acquired taste elsewhere, Suadero Tacos are a huge hit in the Mexican mainland.
Picking the Tortilla
Everyone almost always tells you to pick corn tortillas for tacos over flour tortillas. It is because corn tortillas are made with corn, a whole grain. Whole grains are much higher in fibre, vitamins and minerals than their refined counterparts. Also, corn tortillas are typically smaller than flour tortillas, making the serving size smaller and lower in calories. If your town/ restaurant offers whole wheat tortillas, they can be a good option to keep you full for longer. If you are very good at eating consciously, you can also wrap the suadero in lettuce or simply make a ‘taco bowl’ instead.
Cooking of the Suadero meat
Mexico’s traditional cuisine is the first ethnic cuisine on our planet to be recognized by UNESCO as a cultural heritage. So any Mexican food that you lavishly devour today has been perfected by years and years of refining the recipe. The Tacos de Suadero are so special that they even have their own unique pot to be cooked in. To begin with, slices of the brisket are marinated overnight in orange juice, lemon juice, salt and pepper. The mixture is then cooked very slowly the next day to preserve the flavour. After it’s cooked quite a bit in its juices, the Suadero is chopped. This chopping is hard work – the piping hot meat is shredded inside a hot pan into very small pieces. At the end of the process, many of the beef bits would have browned and crisped deliciously and be well cooked in their own juices.
The special taco pan, called the Comal de Bola, is shaped like a doughnut. The middle of the pan looks like a dome. Corn tortillas are heated on the dome, with the beefy sauce simmering on the deep sides. The taco is then served with a dash of lemon, onions and cilantro.
Outside Mexico, very few places get the Tacos right. If you fall in love with their beefy flavour at the right flavour, they can become an instant addiction.
Nutritional Value of Tacos
Tacos are well suited to be both a quick snack and a filling meal. Here’s a breakdown of what your body gets in a single taco:
• Serving Size: 1 Suadero Taco
• Calories: 215 kcal
• Sodium: 446 mg
• Potassium: 229 mg
• Vitamin A: 150 IU
• Cholesterol: 63 mg
• Calcium: 29 mg
• Protein: 22 g
• Carbohydrates: 12 g
• Fat: 8 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Iron: 2.2 mg
• Fibre: 1 g
• Vitamin C: 0.7 mg
Homemade Suadero Taco Recipe
Homemade tacos are a great choice for filling food on party nights. The sole challenge in making the tacos de suadero is finding the right meat. Here’s how you can make this delicacy for yourself.
What you’ll need:
- 1 kg of Suadero Beef
- 2 tbs of vegetable oil (Use beef fat for the authentic flavour)
- 10 to 12 corn tortillas
- ½ white onion finely diced
- ½ cup of cilantro finely diced
- Water
- Any hot salsa of your liking
How to make Tacos:
- Wash the meat well and place it in a pot with fat or vegetable oil. Cook well for 2 hours in a medium flame. Keep checking the pan and add more water if the meat goes dry. Cook till the meat is done and tender.
- After the meat is well cooked, let the water run dry on a low flame. The meat will start to brown and crisp in the fat.
- Switch the stove off. At this point, you can either shred the meat or place it on your cutting board and chop it into small pieces. Return all the meat to the pan.
- Warm a flat pan on medium-high heat. Fry each tortilla on each side for 10 to 30 seconds until browned. The tortilla should be pliable and soft, not hard and crispy.
- Make the tacos by placing a generous amount of the suadero on the tortilla and top off with chopped onions, salt and cilantro. Serve with salsa.
- You can also cook the beef tender and store it in the freezer in small portions to just thaw and brown on a pan for a quick taco meal through the week.
- If you own a crockpot, throw the meat in for 6 hours for slow cooking.
- If you use a pressure cooker, cook the meat for around 35 minutes on a medium-low flame for tender meat.
- You can also marinate the meat overnight in salt and lemon juice for a flavourful experience.
