Learn me on tortillas

[NoName 16330]

9 hours ago, Hate said:

This is what I use.

i have something close to this that i use as well.

[WhatTheBuck 28721]

22 hours ago, HouTex said:

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.

That sounds like one gross way to spend a weekend. 

[RollLeft 5040]

21 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.

I have had this recipe at two different homes.  Both white families.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.  I was hungry.  Damn, the taste of olives still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.    

[elfenix 34193]

people stingy with canned enchilada sauce pisses me off. 

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

55 minutes ago, elfenix said:

people stingy with canned enchilada sauce pisses me off. 

Canned enchilada sauce pisses me off.  

[HouTex 1851]

That sounds like one gross way to spend a weekend. 

Playing golf and making tamales. That is a great weekend. It helps that they don’t suck.

[Brisketexan 104746]

2 hours ago, RollLeft said:

I have had this recipe at two different homes.  Both white families.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.  I was hungry.  Damn, the taste of olives still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.    

What I want to know is this: WHO IN THE FUCK ACTUALLY LIKES CANNED BLACK RIPE OLIVES?

They taste like a mix of nothing and dirt.  They add nothing.  I love all kinds of olives....but canned black ripe olives are a nothing.  They add nothing except a slight bit of mediocre to bad taste.  

[jeevsie 3725]

On 11/4/2019 at 8:59 AM, 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.  

W.E. Stewart LAnd COmpany

WESLACO

Sup, compa?

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

17 hours ago, Hate said:

This is what I use.

Must be a gringo... LOL!  

[Nueces River Rat 5531]

1 minute ago, jeevsie said:

W.E. Stewart LAnd COmpany

WESLACO

Sup, compa?

Yup...   Talking about all this makes me want to make a quick trip down to Casa De Maricos or even go across to Arturos or the Red Snapper!   

[hornbri 1378]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

What I want to know is this: WHO IN THE FUCK ACTUALLY LIKES CANNED BLACK RIPE OLIVES?

They taste like a mix of nothing and dirt.  They add nothing.  I love all kinds of olives....but canned black ripe olives are a nothing.  They add nothing except a slight bit of mediocre to bad taste.  

I do...I will eat them out of the can....not on Mexican food though. 

[Hate 20104]

1 hour ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Must be a gringo... LOL!  

 

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

What I want to know is this: WHO IN THE FUCK ACTUALLY LIKES CANNED BLACK RIPE OLIVES?

They taste like a mix of nothing and dirt.  They add nothing.  I love all kinds of olives....but canned black ripe olives are a nothing.  They add nothing except a slight bit of mediocre to bad taste.  

[Brisketexan 104746]

7 minutes ago, Hate said:

 

Fucking.....puke....

Well, not even puke.  I can stomach them.  They're just sad and pointless.  The fucking decorative leaves of kale lining the Pizza Hut salad bar have a more meaningful purpose.

[Hate 20104]

I mainly put them in salads, but I can eat them straight out of the can.

[Steel Shank 9416]

On 10/26/2019 at 12:16 PM, Hate said:

For store bought tortillas, these are pretty damn good.

 

I would take the recommendations above as far as finding the Mexican neighborhoods.  It shouldn't be too hard to find a paneria to get some tortillas from.  If you keep them in the refrigerator, they should last a couple of weeks.  As far as corn or flour, Henry James nailed it with his post above.  Corn tortillas for breakfast tacos is an awful idea. 

This right here. Just tried these and they are quite legit. Good call, Hate. Extra pudding for you.

[Hate 20104]

On 11/7/2019 at 2:00 PM, Steel Shank said:

This right here. Just tried these and they are quite legit. Good call, Hate. Extra pudding for you.

[utee94 15746]

On 11/5/2019 at 5:17 PM, Brisketexan said:

Fucking.....puke....

Well, not even puke.  I can stomach them.  They're just sad and pointless.  The fucking decorative leaves of kale lining the Pizza Hut salad bar have a more meaningful purpose.

No, puke was right.  Those things are nasty.

['stache 21778]

On 10/26/2019 at 11:24 AM, CooterBrown said:

Honestly make them yourself. It’ll take a couple of tries to turn out good ones but after a half dozen attempts, you’ll be able to crank them out in just a few minutes and you’ll make them often.

Here’s a good recipe based on San Antonio style flour tortillas. They are the best. Make sure you use a cast iron skillet or comal. Don’t try to sub any ingredient. Use fucking lard.

There’s nothing better than sitting at the table with just a stack of burning hot fresh tortillas and a bowl of room temperature butter.

https://abc13.com/amp/food/make-your-own-fresh-tortillas-with-this-recipe/2785780/

Can anyone vouch for this recipe, or have another recipe? I'm determined to make tortillas like I recall my aunts making (I don't live near them and they're too old now to teach me anyway, and never wrote any recipes down). All the recipes I've found are pretty much the same and results are inconsistent, too easy to dry out, and don't have the homemade flavor I remember. The only difference in this recipe is milk which I'll definitely give a shot. Any advice would be helpful. We have authentic tortilla factories here and I really like the ones you can buy in the refrigerator section that are raw, but I'm fixated on making them right from scratch and will continue trying until I get it right.

[Brisketexan 104746]

30 minutes ago, 'stache said:

Can anyone vouch for this recipe, or have another recipe? I'm determined to make tortillas like I recall my aunts making (I don't live near them and they're too old now to teach me anyway, and never wrote any recipes down). All the recipes I've found are pretty much the same and results are inconsistent, too easy to dry out, and don't have the homemade flavor I remember. The only difference in this recipe is milk which I'll definitely give a shot. Any advice would be helpful. We have authentic tortilla factories here and I really like the ones you can buy in the refrigerator section that are raw, but I'm fixated on making them right from scratch and will continue trying until I get it right.

Try this one: https://patijinich.com/flour-tortillas/

But go heavy on the lard, and even a touch extra water.  But seriously....don't be shy on the lard.

[Wally Pryor 5245]

Lazy cracker that I am still loves to go to Fiesta on Promontory. Take that right turn onto Promontory and the aroma hits you. 

[next2naus 436]

Could you use rendered bacon fat instead of store bought lard?

['stache 21778]

19 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Try this one: https://patijinich.com/flour-tortillas/

But go heavy on the lard, and even a touch extra water.  But seriously....don't be shy on the lard.

That's pretty much every recipe I've seen. Maybe I'll lean on more lard and water.

2 minutes ago, next2naus said:

Could you use rendered bacon fat instead of store bought lard?

I tried it and it was terrible. Maybe I didn't render it right, but the smoke flavor was overwhelming.

[Jkwellborn 6658]

Could you use rendered bacon fat instead of store bought lard?

I watched a video on the food network where the guy used bacon fat instead of lard. I’ve never tried it. He seemed to enjoy them.

[WhatTheBuck 28721]

On 6/28/2022 at 11:58 AM, next2naus said:

Could you use rendered bacon fat instead of store bought lard?

Why would you want to do that? I’m no expert and you can do anything you want in the kitchen. But isn’t lard more authentic? Wouldn’t it also be cheaper and easier in the long run?

[C-Man 27083]

I watched a video on the food network where the guy used bacon fat instead of lard. I’ve never tried it. He seemed to enjoy them.

Do what Flores down in Hillsboro does — they use smoked beef tallow.

[Post Oak 20188]

On 6/27/2022 at 3:21 PM, Brisketexan said:

Try this one: https://patijinich.com/flour-tortillas/

But go heavy on the lard, and even a touch extra water.  But seriously....don't be shy on the lard.

 I tried this one and they turned out pretty good.  Couldn't get them round to save my life.  Most came out looking like Ohio.  I found that they cooked up better if I threw some lard in the skillet.

Will definitely try again..

[Post Oak 20188]

17 minutes ago, C-Man said:

Do what Flores down in Hillsboro does — they use smoked beef tallow.

I don't have enough tallow yet but when I do I'm going to use Chuds recipe.

 

['stache 21778]

On 10/26/2019 at 11:24 AM, CooterBrown said:

Honestly make them yourself. It’ll take a couple of tries to turn out good ones but after a half dozen attempts, you’ll be able to crank them out in just a few minutes and you’ll make them often.

Here’s a good recipe based on San Antonio style flour tortillas. They are the best. Make sure you use a cast iron skillet or comal. Don’t try to sub any ingredient. Use fucking lard.

There’s nothing better than sitting at the table with just a stack of burning hot fresh tortillas and a bowl of room temperature butter.

https://abc13.com/amp/food/make-your-own-fresh-tortillas-with-this-recipe/2785780/

This recipe can’t possibly be written correctly. I’ve tried it twice and the pasty cutter doesn’t create a corse consistency and the milk just makes it a sloshy mess. There’s no way it can be 2 cups flour and two cups lard and milk.

[WhatTheBuck 28721]

On 7/2/2022 at 1:45 PM, Post Oak said:

Most came out looking like Ohio.

Better than looking like Michigan.  

Edit: Or Oklahoma. 

Edited July 3, 2022 by WhatTheBuck

[UncleBuck 6448]

On 11/4/2019 at 8:38 AM, 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

 

Yes, those are a must have. One stays on our stove at home unless it goes directly into the oven to make room on top.

As for the flour vs. corn argument, the region of "Northern" Mexico that Texas borders is extremely corn. You can find flour, and it's not just for the gringos, but mostly what you're going to see is corn. Now if you're out Sonora way, they're more of a flour tortilla region, as they've been doing wheat for probably four or so centuries. And seeing as that's where the carne asada taco is widely credited as originating from, it'd probably be more traditional to eat your carne asada on flour vs. corn.

There is another region I've heard of that uses a lot of flour, but I cannot remember it. But of course, most of Mexico is corn. 

My solution: buy the Mixla tortillas at HEB.

Edited July 5, 2022 by UncleBuck

[Brisketexan 104746]

Yes, those are a must have. One stays on our stove at home unless it goes directly into the oven to make room on top.
As for the flour vs. corn argument, the region of "Northern" Mexico that Texas borders is extremely corn. You can find flour, and it's not just for the gringos, but mostly what you're going to see is corn. Now if you're out Sonora way, they're more of a flour tortilla region, as they've been doing wheat for probably four or so centuries. And seeing as that's where the carne asada taco is widely credited as originating from, it'd probably be more traditional to eat your carne asada on flour vs. corn.
There is another region I've heard of that uses a lot of flour, but I cannot remember it. But of course, most of Mexico is corn. 
My solution: buy the Mixla tortillas at HEB.

My family was in southern Chihuahua, and it was mostly flour tortilla country. There was some corn to be found, but on most dinner tables, it was flour.
Honestly, same for my family in Piedras Negras.

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

On 10/26/2019 at 4:49 PM, Viking said:

This man speaks the truth. Also look for uncooked torts in the frozen aisles. Those are the best. The others have preservatives which ruin the simple flavors of a tort.

 

On 10/28/2019 at 9:22 AM, jeevsie said:

Is this not a known thing that the HEB torts have to be finished on the comal?  No, they're not ready to eat like that, ya mo-rons!

 

On 10/29/2019 at 7:56 PM, ChickenSandwich said:

White corn torts from Lupe Tortilla are legit. Grab and go

destroys the traditional corn for breakfast 

I swear to god I'll pistol whip the next guy who calls tortillas torts. 

[Seasick Sailor 3747]

 

On 11/4/2019 at 1:58 PM, 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.

This is the most offensive thing I've read on this website. 

 

[jeevsie 3725]

So you are clearly in favor of tort reform.  Got it.

[Dry Elbows 142]

On 6/28/2022 at 10:58 AM, next2naus said:

Could you use rendered bacon fat instead of store bought lard?

I do it all the time.  They are awesome.  Cook bacon in the oven and drain the fat through a coffee filter into a jar.  Store the jar in fridge until needed.  1.75 cups of flour, teaspoon of salt, .5 cup bacon fat, and .5 cup warm water.

[Texas St. Armadillos 1381]

2 hours ago, Dry Elbows said:

I do it all the time.  They are awesome.  Cook bacon in the oven and drain the fat through a coffee filter into a jar.  Store the jar in fridge until needed.  1.75 cups of flour, teaspoon of salt, .5 cup bacon fat, and .5 cup warm water.

Cut in the fat?  Add the water?  Rest time?  What is the yield (12 tortillas)?

What's your process?

[Dry Elbows 142]

4 hours ago, Texas St. Armadillos said:

Cut in the fat?  Add the water?  Rest time?  What is the yield (12 tortillas)?

What's your process?

Mix the bread flour and salt.  Add the bacon fat and water.  Mix by hand until fat is dissolved and everything is mixed together.  Then put it on a cutting board with loose flour and work until the outside is smooth.  This probably takes 5-10 minutes.  I usually let it rest for 15-30 minutes before making balls and rolling out with a rolling pin.  I make my tortillas a tad bigger than you get in the store, so a batch of dough yields about 10 tortillas.  

I want to try a recipe that uses baking powder.

 

[Texas St. Armadillos 1381]

2 hours ago, Dry Elbows said:

Mix the bread flour and salt.  Add the bacon fat and water.  Mix by hand until fat is dissolved and everything is mixed together.  Then put it on a cutting board with loose flour and work until the outside is smooth.  This probably takes 5-10 minutes.  I usually let it rest for 15-30 minutes before making balls and rolling out with a rolling pin.  I make my tortillas a tad bigger than you get in the store, so a batch of dough yields about 10 tortillas.  

I want to try a recipe that uses baking powder.

 

Thanks, man.  Will try this weekend.

[Dry Elbows 142]

11 hours ago, Texas St. Armadillos said:

Thanks, man.  Will try this weekend.

No problem.  When you initially mix it, the dough may be "shaggy" and still wet.  Just use more flour when working it on the cutting board.  Hope they turn out great.

[Celery Man 20902]

One of my goals this year is to do fresh tortillas. First batch was last night, the problem i was having was the circles were shrinking down between when I rolled them out and when they hit the pan. Do I need… more flour on the working surface? Or maybe (what I’m hoping) it would be easier if the balls were cold? Ultimately I want to make batches of dough (maybe even formed into tortillas) and freeze them. That way i can do a whole bunch of the prep and bust them out in batches of 10 to cook, or thaw the discs and cook them as needed.

[CooterBrown 17943]

One of my goals this year is to do fresh tortillas. First batch was last night, the problem i was having was the circles were shrinking down between when I rolled them out and when they hit the pan. Do I need… more flour on the working surface? Or maybe (what I’m hoping) it would be easier if the balls were cold? Ultimately I want to make batches of dough (maybe even formed into tortillas) and freeze them. That way i can do a whole bunch of the prep and bust them out in batches of 10 to cook, or thaw the discs and cook them as needed.

You need to work them more to better develop the gluten. Use the palm of your hand instead of a spoon to work the dough for a good 5 minutes. You then need to let it rest for 15 minutes before rolling out the tortillas.

[Celery Man 20902]

I was running it in the kitchen aid with the dough hook for a good 5 minutes and then rested for half an hour - maybe do some manual stretching before resting in addition to the mixer?

[Celery Man 20902]

Tried brisket’s link, mixed by hand and I needed it really well. I’m pretty happy with the results. If I could find some lard I’m sure it would improve the flavor over shortening, but I may try the recipe with butter. Made these yesterday and we’re already low. Super excited, tortillas in North Carolina are bullshit.

[Celery Man 20902]

Still working on this, I think I'm on batch 4 for the year. I work at a biotech that produces some products for food and beverage and wound up talking to the head scientist in the baking lab, who is from Texas and suggested that I use milk instead of water. She also told me to just use the mixer, to ditch the tortilla press altogether, and to let the dough rest for a couple of hours. I've been working off of the link Brisket posted above - https://patijinich.com/flour-tortillas/, using crisco shortening. I had been using more fat than the recipe called for, but I think with the addition of the milkfat it was too much last time and the dough as difficult to use. I also still tried to use the press last time, but ended up having to also roll them out and everything was gooey and it was pain in the ass. The tortillas were crazy pliable though. I used right on the nose 2/3 cup this time, and I did ditch the press altogether (and have gotten better at making dough balls and rolling out circles), made sure I had enough flour on the working surface, and I formed the dough into individual balls this time before letting them rest covered. Much better, much easier. And the tortillas are finally the right thickness - super thin as they go into the pan, and they came out not paper thin but not this thick almost pita thing. I want to try and improve the flavor and am going to try doing this with butter next time, although I may see if I can get some lard from the butcher shop down the street.

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by Celery Man

[Dry Elbows 142]

2 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Still working on this, I think I'm on batch 4 for the year. I work at a biotech that produces some products for food and beverage and wound up talking to the head scientist in the baking lab, who is from Texas and suggested that I use milk instead of water. She also told me to just use the mixer, to ditch the tortilla press altogether, and to let the dough rest for a couple of hours. I've been working off of the link Brisket posted above - https://patijinich.com/flour-tortillas/, using crisco shortening. I had been using more fat than the recipe called for, but I think with the addition of the milkfat it was too much last time and the dough as difficult to use. I also still tried to use the press last time, but ended up having to also roll them out and everything was gooey and it was pain in the ass. The tortillas were crazy pliable though. I used right on the nose 2/3 cup this time, and I did ditch the press altogether (and have gotten better at making dough balls and rolling out circles), made sure I had enough flour on the working surface, and I formed the dough into individual balls this time before letting them rest covered. Much better, much easier. And the tortillas are finally the right thickness - super thin as they go into the pan, and they came out not paper thin but not this thick almost pita thing. I want to try and improve the flavor and am going to try doing this with butter next time, although I may see if I can get some lard from the butcher shop down the street.

 

Use bacon fat.  It is glorious.

[tx 3 putt 76497]

 

very easy, makes extremely tasting corn tortillas 

[jimmyjazz 45605]

Man, I admire the effort, but I am addicted to the "you bake 'em" tortillas from HEB.  I have no interest in going beyond that.

[Celery Man 20902]

That was my go-to when there was an HEB within 1000 miles.

[Bevo&Pevo 5055]

HEB Mixla half corn half flour.  Muy deliciosa. Especially with a little char in the skillet.

[Brisketexan 104746]

22 minutes ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

HEB Mixla half corn half flour.  Muy deliciosa. Especially with a little char in the skillet.

My daughter calls those "crack tortillas."  When she goes back overseas, she brings back a pack of 20 flour, and a pack of 10 mixed.  She shares the flour.  She keeps the mixed all for herself, to be eaten warm, with just that little char in the skillet.