Learn me on tortillas

[Brisketexan 104746]

Back in ‘92 you could get 10 fresh flour tortillas and queso from Taco Cabana on MLK for about $2.
I got in the habit of walking over there about 2am 3-4x a week, and taking those back to the Dobie for a late night snack.
 
Man, between that, beer, and Gumby’s Pizza I got fat in a hurry.
 
So yes, fresh tortillas own, either bought for immediate consumption or homemade.
 

Yes. And...you could load up on 20 containers of fresh pico. I’d make pico tacos. Because lazy and poor.

[HenryJames 65914]

Were you majoring in @Steel Shank? 

[Bozo_Casanova 26336]

Were you majoring in [mention=1451]Steel Shank[/mention]? 

Well, I did do a lot of thinking about snatch.

[Anastasis 23403]

I’d order the beef fajita nachos and a 5 pack of tortillas. 

[Steel Shank 9416]

10 hours ago, HenryJames said:

Were you majoring in @Steel Shank? 

I got straight As at your momma's house, though.

[WhatTheBuck 28721]

22 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

That's messed up.  My culinary respect for you is diminished.  🤬🤬

Given that wheat is not native to the Americas and tortillas date back to pre-Columbian times, flour tortillas are historically inauthentic.  And they appear in northern Mexico because of gringo influence.

But I guess after a few hundred years, no one gives a shit.

How do you feel about people who use tomatoes when making Italian food?

[HenryJames 65914]

How do you feel about Banh Mi and egg tarts?

[TwiceHorn 31322]

1 hour ago, WhatTheBuck said:

How do you feel about people who use tomatoes when making Italian food?

 

16 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

How do you feel about Banh Mi and egg tarts?

Probably the same way you feel about General Tso's chicken.  Or flour tortillas?

Doesn't make flour tortillas in enchiladas any less wrong.

Edited November 4, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

On 11/3/2019 at 7:26 AM, Brisketexan said:

It all depends on context, and even region. Flour is a northern Mexico-south Texas thing. In southern Mexico, they mostly eat corn.

But it’s also context. Enchiladas are almost always made with corn. Same with tostadas.

Both are really good, and fresh/homemade are always better. I actually like the HEB fresh flour - but buy them when they’re actually fresh, and yes, finish on the comal.

I’ve also microwaved plenty of tortillas in my day because young/lazy/in a hurry.

I would say flour is a very northern Mexico thing if that.  If you walk in the markets, even in the border towns like Nuevo Progresso/Los Flores, the tortilla shops sell corn.   Some of the restaurants might offer flour for we Norte Americanos who go over for a few drinks and a meal.  

And anyone who wants to warn up tortillas should invest in one of these.   Just keep it seasoned.

https://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Origins-PreSeasoned-Tortilla-Griddle/dp/B000JLYQIC/ref=asc_df_B000JLYQIC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=192287662223&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9917353333138478138&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028155&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-309638999652&psc=1

 

[Zepol87 9172]

Flour tortillas are a very tex-mex thing, you go any further south than Monterrey and they get harder to find  but that doesn't make them any less delicious when made properly though. Also where they hell have you guys had enchiladas with flour tortiallas? I have never had that in my life. 

Edited November 4, 2019 by Zepol87

[Brisketexan 104746]

I would say flour is a very northern Mexico thing if that.  If you walk in the markets, even in the border towns like Nuevo Progresso/Los Flores, the tortilla shops sell corn.   Some of the restaurants might offer flour for we Norte Americanos who go over for a few drinks and a meal.  
And anyone who wants to warn up tortillas should invest in one of these.   Just keep it seasoned.
https://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Origins-PreSeasoned-Tortilla-Griddle/dp/B000JLYQIC/ref=asc_df_B000JLYQIC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=192287662223&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9917353333138478138&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028155&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-309638999652&psc=1
 

We used to buy great flour tortillas from the tortilleria in Jimenez, and my aunt’s housekeeper make world-class small ones in Piedras Negras. Those weren’t special orders for gringos - it’s what they made.

[Hate 20104]

Flour tortillas are a very tex-mex thing, you go any further south than Monterrey and they get harder to find  but that doesn't make them any less delicious when made properly though. Also where they hell have you guys had enchiladas with flour tortiallas? I have never had that in my life. 

Yeah, I’ve been all over Mexico and the only place you see flour tortilla are in the tourist areas. If you ever go to a typical Mexican town, all of the tortillas are corn and they are usually much smaller than what we are used to here. For some reason, they also don’t split down the middle when you pick up your taco al pastor like they do here.

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We used to buy great flour tortillas from the tortilleria in Jimenez, and my aunt’s housekeeper make world-class small ones in Piedras Negras. Those weren’t special orders for gringos - it’s what they made.

I guess it varies from region to region along the border. I grew up in the Weslaco area, so going to Nuevo Progreso/Aka Los Flores was pretty much a routine thing for us.  The only thing I saw stacked up in the  tortillerias on the main street through town were corn.    But I will admit I never inquired if they made flour.   None the less the corn tortillas were out of this world.  

[Brisketexan 104746]

Just now, Nueces River Rat said:

I guess it varies from region to region along the border. I grew up in the Weslaco area, so going to Nuevo Progreso/Aka Los Flores was pretty much a routine thing for us.  The only thing I saw stacked up in the  tortillerias on the main street through town were corn.    But I will admit I never inquired if they made flour.   None the less the corn tortillas were out of this world.  

No matter what type, fresh tortillas are where it's at.  Angie's here in Austin makes great corn tortillas, and it's the fresh tortillas that make the whole place smell like my grandmother's kitchen.

[Zepol87 9172]

Just now, Hate said:

 

Yeah, I’ve been all over Mexico and the only place you see flour tortilla are in the tourist areas. If you ever go to a typical Mexican town, all of the tortillas are corn and they are usually much smaller than what we are used to here. For some reason, they also don’t split down the middle when you pick up your taco al pastor like they do here.

 

Very accurate post. I mean it doesn't bother me at all cause I grew up more on flour tortillas. My grandma said she learned to make them for my aunts and mom "all your uncles and your dad married white girls" is the reasoning she gave me when I was little. Hell I still get shit to this day from friends cause I prefer to eat menudo with flour tortillas instead of corn. 

The main difference to me is there are many many more shitty versions of flour tortillas out there than corn. So corn IMO is usually a safer pick when out

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

14 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Flour tortillas are a very tex-mex thing., but that doesn't make them any less delicious when made properly though. Also where they hell have you guys had enchiladas with flour tortiallas? I have never had that in my life. 

The only thing I've had that might come close to what you described was a burrito called the Jalisco burrito where they put  a little bit of sauce and cheese on top.  And because of this, you had to eat with a fork.   And it wasn't at gringo oriented Mexican place like Chuy's or On the Border.  It was at a mom and pop like place down here called Taquieria Jalisco.    I guess they are more like a small/local chain, but still owned and operated by Mexicans.

[Zepol87 9172]

That makes more sense 

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

No matter what type, fresh tortillas are where it's at.  Angie's here in Austin makes great corn tortillas, and it's the fresh tortillas that make the whole place smell like my grandmother's kitchen.

Yep.   I was an anglo kid who grew up down in the RGV.   But as my friends used to say, he eats like a Mexican.     And that was the truth as I would often go to my friends homes where they had their Abuelas living with them and ah man after school meals or summer time mid afternoon or late in the evening meals were awesome.  Fresh tortillas,  beans, and during the Christmas season some of the best tamales I haven't been able to find since those days.    Oh and Caldo on cold days.....

The best thing I did was marry into a Mexican family, but we keep it a heck of alot more healthy.   I've seen what too much of that stuff can do to people in her  family and it's not good.  We do eat a lot more corn torts than flour.

[Brisketexan 104746]

2 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Yep.   I was an anglo kid who grew up down in the RGV.   But as my friends used to say, he eats like a Mexican.     And that was the truth as I would often go to my friends homes where they had their Abuelas living with them and ah man after school meals or summer time mid afternoon or late in the evening meals were awesome.  Fresh tortillas,  beans, and during the Christmas season some of the best tamales I haven't been able to find since those days.    Oh and Caldo on cold days.....

The best thing I did was marry into a Mexican family, but we keep it a heck of alot more healthy.   I've seen what too much of that stuff can do to people in her  family and it's not good.  We do eat a lot more corn torts than flour.

Damn.  It's supposed to be cold this weekend.  Maybe a good caldo is in order.

And yeah, we did tamaladas on occasion, and they were glorious.  To this day, if you see a little mexican lady with a cooler full of tamales, buy some.  Maybe they won't be great, but are you willing to take that chance?  I'm not.

And every year, I say "this is the year" we're going to make tamales.  But we're always too busy/tired to do so.  It's such a big damned job.

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

Damn.  It's supposed to be cold this weekend.  Maybe a good caldo is in order.

And yeah, we did tamaladas on occasion, and they were glorious.  To this day, if you see a little mexican lady with a cooler full of tamales, buy some.  Maybe they won't be great, but are you willing to take that chance?  I'm not.

And every year, I say "this is the year" we're going to make tamales.  But we're always too busy/tired to do so.  It's such a big damned job.

I live in Corpus now and starting probably today thanks to Holiday season coming up, we will start getting people who sell tamales stop by our office.   What they do  with unsuspecting buyers is bait them with good tasting ones with plenty of meat and thin masa.   Then they will bring your order back to you and it will be the exact opposite with plenty of masa and thin.

Best thing is to find that one person by word of mouth and buy them by the dozens when you get a chance before they get too busy.   

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

I prefer corn to flour partly because flour fills me up to fast and I can't eat as much taco meat. And if you do any sort of fried tacos you pretty much need corn.

[Brisketexan 104746]

Just now, Nueces River Rat said:

I live in Corpus now and starting probably today thanks to Holiday season coming up, we will start getting people who sell tamales stop by our office.   What they do  with unsuspecting buyers is bait them with good tasting ones with plenty of meat and thin masa.   Then they will bring your order back to you and it will be the exact opposite with plenty of masa and thin.

Best thing is to find that one person by word of mouth and buy them by the dozens when you get a chance before they get too busy.   

Yeah.  Everyone loves the co-worker's aunt who makes them every year.  But those are getting harder and harder to find.

My secretary has a neighbor who makes oaxacan style banana leaf tamales -- they're incredible.  Not what I grew up with, but still tasty.  And my son loves them because they're just like the ones you buy from bicycle vendors in CDMX.

[Zepol87 9172]

Been telling myself I am gonna make some tamales this year as well but man it is a beating

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.  Everyone loves the co-worker's aunt who makes them every year.  But those are getting harder and harder to find.

My secretary has a neighbor who makes oaxacan style banana leaf tamales -- they're incredible.  Not what I grew up with, but still tasty.  And my son loves them because they're just like the ones you buy from bicycle vendors in CDMX.

Exactly.   They are hard to find

[Jkwellborn 6658]

Yeah.  Everyone loves the co-worker's aunt who makes them every year.  But those are getting harder and harder to find.
My secretary has a neighbor who makes oaxacan style banana leaf tamales -- they're incredible.  Not what I grew up with, but still tasty.  And my son loves them because they're just like the ones you buy from bicycle vendors in CDMX.

I used to have a coworker that made them with banana leaves, white masa and chicken. (He said it was chicken) They were awesome. The best I’ve had.

[hornbri 1378]

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

The only thing I've had that might come close to what you described was a burrito called the Jalisco burrito where they put  a little bit of sauce and cheese on top.  And because of this, you had to eat with a fork.   And it wasn't at gringo oriented Mexican place like Chuy's or On the Border.  It was at a mom and pop like place down here called Taquieria Jalisco.    I guess they are more like a small/local chain, but still owned and operated by Mexicans.

Yeah - I was going to say the closest thing I can think of is what I have seen called a "wet" burrito where it is covered in sauce, maybe meat and cheese. 

You shouldn't be calling anything made with flour tortillas enchiladas....

In Brownsville I can think of a few places that were stands/hole in the wall that had flour tortillas on the US side, I cannot think of any on the Mexican side. 

[Zepol87 9172]

27 minutes ago, Jkwellborn said:

I used to have a coworker that made them with banana leaves, white masa and chicken. (He said it was chicken) They were awesome. The best I’ve had.

Some of the best tamales my grandma made were leftover turkey from thanksgiving. Man I really those 

[Sbbruin 21782]

5 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Some of the best tamales my grandma made were leftover turkey from thanksgiving. Man I really those 

[HouTex 1851]

Been telling myself I am gonna make some tamales this year as well but man it is a beating

This will be my 4th or 5th year in a row to make tamales for a few friends during the Christmas season. After the second year it’s gotten way easier. I cook the pork on a Thursday or Friday evening and then do 6 dozen a day on Saturday and Sunday. It takes me about 3 hours to do 6 dozen. I can do that before or after my golf game.

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.  Everyone loves the co-worker's aunt who makes them every year.  But those are getting harder and harder to find.

My secretary has a neighbor who makes oaxacan style banana leaf tamales -- they're incredible.  Not what I grew up with, but still tasty.  And my son loves them because they're just like the ones you buy from bicycle vendors in CDMX.

I've never tried the banana leaf version, but yes that is the popular method the further south you go into Mexico.  Probably has to do with the corn crops being more a of dry land crop and most of the agricultural region which fits this would be in the north, so the corn shucks are easily available.  Whereas in the south, it's more tropical where banana trees are a crop.  

[Bozo_Casanova 26336]

Flour tortillas are a very tex-mex thing, you go any further south than Monterrey and they get harder to find  but that doesn't make them any less delicious when made properly though. Also where they hell have you guys had enchiladas with flour tortiallas? I have never had that in my life. 

I have. In Australia. It was fucking terrible.

[Brisketexan 104746]

1 hour ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I have. In Australia. It was fucking terrible.

My wife loves to make a nostalgic enchilada recipe that her mother used to make.  Her white girl from Beaumont mother.  The enchiladas feature bland jack cheese and barely-seasoned ground meat as the core of the filling, with the addition of copious amounts of chopped ripe black olives that taste like a mix of nothing/dirt, rolled into flour tortillas, topped with a tiny can of Gephardt enchilada sauce, which is just enough to slightly moisten the top of the tortilla, leaving the rest dry AF.   I am confident that the recipe came from a 1977 issue of Good Housekeeping or some other bland white people magazine.  And she loves them.  She doesn't cook much, but when she does, 50% of the time, it's to make those.

I pour a bunch of salsa on top and eat them.  But goddamn.

Edited November 4, 2019 by Brisketexan

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

17 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

My wife loves to make a nostalgic enchilada recipe that her mother used to make.  Her white girl from Beaumont mother.  The enchiladas feature bland jack cheese and barely-seasoned ground meat as the core of the filling, with the addition of copious amounts of chopped ripe black olives that taste like a mix of nothing/dirt, rolled into flour tortillas, topped with a tiny can of Gephardt enchilada sauce, which is just enough to slightly moisten the top of the tortilla, leaving the rest dry AF.   I am confident that the recipe came from a 1977 issue of Good Housekeeping or some other bland white people magazine.  And she loves them.  She doesn't cook much, but when she does, 50% of the time, it's to make those.

I pour a bunch of salsa on top and eat them.  But goddamn.

Black olives?????  

 

 

[Brisketexan 104746]

4 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Black olives?????  

 

 

Fucking gringos LOVE black olives on mexican food....

Fucking garbage.

[HenryJames 65914]

25 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

My wife loves to make a nostalgic enchilada recipe that her mother used to make.  Her white girl from Beaumont mother.  The enchiladas feature bland jack cheese and barely-seasoned ground meat as the core of the filling, with the addition of copious amounts of chopped ripe black olives that taste like a mix of nothing/dirt, rolled into flour tortillas, topped with a tiny can of Gephardt enchilada sauce, which is just enough to slightly moisten the top of the tortilla, leaving the rest dry AF.   I am confident that the recipe came from a 1977 issue of Good Housekeeping or some other bland white people magazine.  And she loves them.  She doesn't cook much, but when she does, 50% of the time, it's to make those.

I pour a bunch of salsa on top and eat them.  But goddamn.

That's Taco Bell.

[Brisketexan 104746]

Sadly, those look MUCH better than my mother-in-law's recipe.  There's more sauce in one of those packets than makes it on to her enchiladas (a word that literally means "seasoned with chili"). 

[HenryJames 65914]

Closer?

[Deej 76599]

2 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I have. In Australia. It was fucking terrible.

I had "fajitas" in New Zealand that were beef stew on store-bought flour tortillas that I think had been shipped by boat from the U.S. 

[Brisketexan 104746]

6 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Closer?

Sadly, yes.  But still looks better than hers.  Has about 6X the sauce.  

[Pescado_Rojo 19338]

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

My wife loves to make a nostalgic enchilada recipe that her mother used to make.  Her white girl from Beaumont mother.  The enchiladas feature bland jack cheese and barely-seasoned ground meat as the core of the filling, with the addition of copious amounts of chopped ripe black olives that taste like a mix of nothing/dirt, rolled into flour tortillas, topped with a tiny can of Gephardt enchilada sauce, which is just enough to slightly moisten the top of the tortilla, leaving the rest dry AF.   I am confident that the recipe came from a 1977 issue of Good Housekeeping or some other bland white people magazine.  And she loves them.  She doesn't cook much, but when she does, 50% of the time, it's to make those.

I pour a bunch of salsa on top and eat them.  But goddamn.

are our wives sisters? 

[Brisketexan 104746]

15 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

are our wives sisters? 

A basic white girl is a basic white girl.

[irishtexan 11447]

8 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

I would say flour is a very northern Mexico thing if that.  If you walk in the markets, even in the border towns like Nuevo Progresso/Los Flores, the tortilla shops sell corn.   Some of the restaurants might offer flour for we Norte Americanos who go over for a few drinks and a meal.  

And anyone who wants to warn up tortillas should invest in one of these.   Just keep it seasoned.

https://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Origins-PreSeasoned-Tortilla-Griddle/dp/B000JLYQIC/ref=asc_df_B000JLYQIC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=192287662223&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9917353333138478138&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028155&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-309638999652&psc=1

 

what does this do that a normal cast iron skillet - or really any skillet - doesn't do? Is it just that it's flatter and bigger? I've always wanted to buy one of these but if the only thing I'd ever use it for is to heat up tortillas, that's a pretty big pan for an awfully specialized purpose. Do you cook with this too? Does this make something better than my 12 inch lodge cast iron skillet? Convince me that I need this for something other than heating up a tortilla.

3 hours ago, Deej said:

I had "fajitas" in New Zealand that were beef stew on store-bought flour tortillas that I think had been shipped by boat from the U.S. 

I was about to make fun of you for ordering fajitas in New Zealand until I googled "food in new zealand" and now it all makes sense.

[Deej 76599]

Just now, irishtexan said:

I was about to make fun of you for ordering fajitas in New Zealand until I googled "food in new zealand" and now it all makes sense.

My wife's family had friends that owned a restaurant. They discovered fajitas on a trip to Texas, and since I was from Texas, they insisted I try theirs. 

 

[Zepol87 9172]

Went to el rancho and bought a pack from their bakery today. Heated some up on the comal and slapped some butter on em. Damn I haven't done that in a long ass time. So simple so good

 

As to the comal vs cast iron skillet question, I've never heard of a difference but my comal gets hotter faster than my skillet

[Brisketexan 104746]

5 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Went to el rancho and bought a pack from their bakery today. Heated some up on the comal and slapped some butter on em. Damn I haven't done that in a long ass time. So simple so good

 

As to the comal vs cast iron skillet question, I've never heard of a difference but my comal gets hotter faster than my skillet

This.  It's generally thinner, so heats faster.  You're just heating/cooking the tortilla for a minute or so.

I keep a double griddle on the stove at all times, primarily for this purpose.  Mine looks like this:

But this is the classic:

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

I was about to make fun of you for ordering fajitas in New Zealand until I googled "food in new zealand" and now it all makes sense.

Like someone noted , they warm up much quicker than a traditional cast iron skillet. You can also use them as hot plate for fajitas like you get at a Mexican restaurant.

Back in the day, we used to just warm up tortillas directly on a gas stove burner. Some still do.

[Hate 20104]

My wife's family had friends that owned a restaurant. They discovered fajitas on a trip to Texas, and since I was from Texas, they insisted I try theirs. 
 

Was one of the owners named Dave? If so, I may be responsible for introducing him to the glory of fajitas /no homo.

[Deej 76599]

3 minutes ago, Hate said:

 

Was one of the owners named Dave? If so, I may be responsible for introducing him to the glory of fajitas /no homo.

 

This was 1995. I have no idea what his name was 

[cactusflinthead 27595]

13 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

I would say flour is a very northern Mexico thing if that.  If you walk in the markets, even in the border towns like Nuevo Progresso/Los Flores, the tortilla shops sell corn.   Some of the restaurants might offer flour for we Norte Americanos who go over for a few drinks and a meal.  

And anyone who wants to warn up tortillas should invest in one of these.   Just keep it seasoned.

https://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Origins-PreSeasoned-Tortilla-Griddle/dp/B000JLYQIC/ref=asc_df_B000JLYQIC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=192287662223&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9917353333138478138&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028155&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-309638999652&psc=1

 

That's what I have. Wagner 1109. I have a double burner one too, but this one gets the most work.

 

[Hate 20104]

This is what I use.