← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg beef suadero, brisket or flank, cut into 5 cm pieces
• 200 g lard (or 250 ml oil)
• 500 ml Water
• ½ white onion
• 4 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 tsp Salt
• 18 small corn tortillas
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 bunch Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
• 250 ml salsa verde or salsa roja
• 3 Lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Put the beef, lard, water, half onion, garlic, bay leaves and salt in a heavy pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the beef is very tender.
2. Uncover and keep cooking for 20–30 min, until the water has boiled off and the beef is gently frying in the fat.
3. Lift the meat out, let it cool for a few minutes, then chop it finely on a board.
4. Heat a heavy pan or griddle with a few spoonfuls of the cooking fat over medium-high heat. Fry the chopped beef in batches for 5–8 min, until the edges turn brown and crisp.
5. Warm the tortillas by dipping them briefly in the fat on the griddle. Stack two per taco, fill with beef, and finish with onion, coriander, salsa and lime.

Tips

• Keep the leftover fat: it is full of flavour and perfect for frying eggs or potatoes.
• Brisket with a good fat cap is the closest easy-to-find match for true suadero.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

The Local Palate Chili Pepper Madness Mexico in My Kitchen