By Pati Jinich, The New York Times
As a Mexican born and raised in Mexico City, I thought I knew my carne asada.
But it wasn’t until I traveled across the state of Sonora, from the border city of Nogales to Navojoa, in the southern part of the region, that I had a true taste of the northern-style carne asada experience.
At a taco stand anywhere else, carne asada is grilled meat. But in Sonora, a carne asada is the weekly gathering of friends and family, with the dish at its heart. Every component — from the dishes (the meat, the salsa, the beans, the smashed guacamole never with lime, the pillowy-soft flour tortillas) to their preparation (the cooking, the taco assembly) to everyone’s role (the parrillero, or grill master, his family members, the guests) — is treated with almost reverence.
A shared culinary experience, it embodies Sonora’s agricultural way of life, bringing together the pillars of its economy: its beef, from the cattle that roam the region’s ranches, and its flour tortillas, from the wheat that blankets its fields.
I learned that, to understand a carne asada, you needed to be invited to one. And that doesn’t just happen. The gatherings tend to be tight knit, with just family and close friends in attendance.
Still, I managed to be invited to not one, but two.
“It’s like getting the secret password,” said Hector Platt, whom I met at one event. “Once you are invited to a carne asada, you are in. You are part of the group and have access as if you were a member of the family.”
Earlier this year, before the world was turned upside down, I traveled to Sonora to film my television show, “Pati’s Mexican Table,” a travelogue and cooking program that explores the country’s different regions. I met with cooks, growers, ranchers, butchers, farmers, merchants and artists. At every turn, Sonorans playfully competed over who hosts the best carne asada — and all referred to them as the soul of the region.
At the center is “nuestra carne,” as Sonorans proudly call their beef, and its reputation extends to the rest of Mexico and across the U.S. border. The United States receives about 86% of Mexico’s beef exports, of which over a third comes from Sonora, according to Alvaro Bustillos, a third-generation rancher from Vaquero Trading, a Mexican cattle company.
You would think that parrilleros might seek out the most expensive pieces of meat. But carne asada is not about the fanciest cuts or the aging process.
Its essence lies in “a good, fresh, tasty piece of meat that will always end up in a taco,” said Carlos Buena, an impassioned parrillero who competes in national grilling contests. “Its final destination is never to be plated or eaten with a dinner fork and a serrated knife.”
The traditional cuts are the unfussy and budget-friendly diezmillo, or chuck roll, and palomilla, or top sirloin. The diezmillo has an intense beef flavor and a sturdy chew, while the palomilla offers a subtle taste and a tender, juicy bite. Elsewhere, these cuts are commonly cooked low and slow, and used in stews, but, in Sonora, they’re taken in the opposite direction, sliced thin and cooked fast over high heat. It’s common for people to opt for one or the other, but many choose both cuts.
The meat is cooked on an open charcoal grill, preferably mesquite. First, the grate is cleaned by rubbing white onion and greased with a chunk of beef fat. Then, once the flames run wild, whole chiles, tomatoes and onions get their turn.
As they char, their flavors are coaxed out, and their juices run, as they are mashed into a roasted salsa. Once the flames calm down and the charcoal glimmers red under a layer of ashes, the grill is ready for the meat. Knowing the exact moment is crucial: The ultimate test is to hold a hand out a beer can’s length above the fire for four to five seconds. If you can only hold it for less, the heat is too high. If you can last longer than that, you need to fire it up again.
As for the meat, it should be sliced about 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick for a decent bite, and must be seasoned with only one ingredient — salt, preferably sea salt. Using anything else is considered a serious offense. A marinade? Unfathomable. It simply stops being a carne asada.
Many suggest salting only one side of the meat, as Jose Luis Lambarri, a food entrepreneur does. Lambarri brought me to my first carne asada and also took me to see the wheat fields with his business partner, Carlos Preciado.
“Add a generous amount of salt over the top of the meat right before you throw it on the grill; no timer needed,” said Lambarri, who is considered an especially good parrillero by his friends and neighbors. “Once it begins to sweat and its juices rise and bubble, that is when you flip it, only once.” The salt flavors the meat from the top down, while the bottom gets a clean char.
As traditional as a carne asada may be, change is beginning to creep in, thanks to social media. Costillitas, or short plate ribs, are now thrown on the grill to nibble as a starter. With its complex taste and playful bite, arrachera, or skirt steak, is catching the interest of some wanting to offer higher-quality cuts to their guests. So is the tablilla, a boneless short rib with a robust, luscious bite.
Sharing the spotlight with the meat is the parrillero. Traditionally a man, there’s one in every family and friend group. Not only does the parrillero work the grill, he also buys the ingredients, invites guests and entertains. A good parrillero doesn’t need to be a skilled professional; he needs only to never mess up the meat, to get it out fast and diced to keep up with demand, and to make sure warm tortillas, salsa, refried beans and guacamole are at the ready. While the parrillero helms the grill, the women in the family are usually in charge of preparing the other dishes.
He must also save the receipts, so everyone can pitch in. As a guest, the only food or drink you are allowed to bring is cold beer or dessert.
And that’s what I found most moving about carne asadas: their sense of community. A carne asada is never meant for one. It’s a celebration of simply coming together with a close group of loved ones, which feels especially poignant right now.
From week to week, in normal times, you might catch a priest coming over for a baptism, a piñata being broken for a birthday, or a family mourning after a funeral: “Desde la bienvenida hasta la despedida,” as Sonorans say, from the first arrival, to the last goodbye.
Looking back on those two Sonoran carne asadas from my home in quarantine, I thought about the ritual — and the generosity of my hosts — and I longed for a time, hopefully soon, when we can again gather and partake in an impossible-to-close taco or two.
Recipe: Carne Asada Lorenza
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 large white onion, for cleaning the grill
- Beef fat (cut from the meat, if fatty), tallow or vegetable oil, for greasing the grill
- 2 pounds chuck roll, sliced into 1/2-inch steaks
- 2 pounds top sirloin, sliced into 1/2-inch steaks
- 4 teaspoons kosher or sea salt (about 1 teaspoon per pound of meat), or to taste, plus more for salting tortillas
- 12 corn tortillas
- Frijoles de Fiesta (Fiesta Refried Beans) (see recipe below)
- 12 ounces asadero, quesadilla, Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
- Salsa Tatemada Norteña (Fire-Roasted Salsa) (see recipe below)
- Chile Verde Guacamole (see recipe below)
Directions
1. Start a charcoal or gas grill, and get it very hot. For gas, set to high heat. For charcoal, grill is ready when coals are red but entirely covered with gray ash, and you can hold your hand about 5 to 6 inches above the coals for only about 4 to 5 seconds before it becomes too hot.
2. Clean and season the grill: Using a pair of tongs, rub a quarter of a white onion over it. Next, rub the beef fat over the grill to season it further. (Alternately, you can do this using tallow or vegetable oil.)
3. Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, place the meat over the hot grill. Season the meat generously with salt on top right before throwing it on the grill, salt-side up. (Alternatively, sprinkle the salt on top of the meat once it’s on the grill.)
4. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom has seared, deep grill marks have developed, and the meat juices have started rising and bubbling over the top. Flip to the second side and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium. Remove the meat and place in a lidded dish or container. Cover the cooked meat while you grill the remainder. Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes.
5. One by one, take out the pieces of meat and cut into about 1/2-inch dice, placing them back in the same lidded dish and covering until the meat has been chopped.
6. If using gas, reduce the heat of the grill to medium. Brush the corn tortillas with water and sprinkle or rub with salt to taste on both sides. Place on the grill — if using charcoal, place them over indirect heat — and let them toast for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, depending on how hot the grill is, until lightly browned and crisped on both sides.
7. Remove the crisp tortillas from the grill, slather each one with a couple tablespoons of refried beans on one side and cover the beans with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
8. Place them back on the grill, cheese-side up, and cook until cheese has completely melted and corn tortillas have browned darker and crisped further, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the grill, place on a platter, top with a generous amount of diced meat and bring to the table. Let your guests top with salsa and guacamole to their liking.
Recipe: Frijoles de Fiesta (Fiesta Refried Beans)
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: About 2 hours
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans, rinsed (see Note below)
- 1/2 large white onion
- 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed
- 4 dried Colorado chiles (also known as California or New Mexico chiles), or guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 to 2 whole canned chipotles in adobo
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
- 8 ounces asadero, quesadilla, Monterey Jack or Oaxaca cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
- 1 ounce crumbled Cotija (about 1/4 cup), for garnish
1. Place pinto beans in a large pot and cover with 14 cups water. Add the onion and set over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, skim off any foam that may have risen to the top, partly cover with a lid and cook for 1 hour.
2. Remove the lid, stir in salt, partly cover with the lid, and cook for another 15 to 30 more minutes, until beans are completely cooked through and tender and the liquid is tinted from the pinto beans.
3. Meanwhile, place the dried chiles in a small saucepan, cover with water and set over high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until chiles have rehydrated, softened and plumped up.
4. Remove the lid on the beans, and, using a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs, discard the onion.
5. Working in batches if needed, add the cooked beans along with 2 cups of their cooking liquid, the dried chiles, the chipotle chiles and the adobo sauce to a blender or food processor, and pulse until the mixture forms a coarse purée.
6. Heat the oil in a large, heavy casserole or saute pan set over medium. Once hot but not smoking, carefully add the bean purée, as it will strongly sizzle and splatter. Stir well, incorporating the hot oil into the bean mixture. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan as the refried beans continuously attempt to create a crust, until the mixture thickens.
7. Stir in the grated cheese, and continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom and the sides, until the mixture thickens to a thick purée that holds its shape, and a clear trail can be traced in the bottom of the pan.
8. When ready to serve, scrape into a bowl and garnish with the crumbled Cotija. Beans will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Reheat them in a saucepan or skillet with a couple tablespoons of water over medium and mash as they warm up, since they have a tendency to thicken once chilled.
TIPS: Starting with dried beans yields the most flavorful results, but you can substitute 3 (15-ounce) cans of cooked beans to save time. If using canned beans, start the recipe at Step 3. If using canned beans and they don’t have enough liquid for 2 cups, the dried chile cooking water or water can be added.
Recipe: Salsa Tatemada Norteña (Fire-Roasted Salsa)
Yield: About 2 cups (6 servings)
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ripe Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 pound whole, fresh Anaheim chiles (2 to 3 large chiles); see Note below
- 1/4 peeled large white onion (about 3 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste
Directions
1. Start a charcoal or prepare a gas grill. Once hot, place the whole tomatoes, chiles and onion on the grill. Let the ingredients char for about 12 to 15 minutes, flipping every 3 to 4 minutes. Pull them off the grill once cooked: The tomatoes should be completely mushy, as their skins start to break and their juices start to come out. The chiles should be wilted, charred and wrinkled. The onion should be darkened and softened. (Alternatively, ingredients can be charred under the broiler on an aluminum foil-covered baking sheet, or directly on a preheated comal or a cast-iron pan set over medium heat.)
2. Place charred chiles in a plastic bag, and close the bag well. Let chiles steam and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes. As soon as they have cooled enough to handle, remove them from the bag, slip off their skins, make a slit down the side of each and remove their seeds and stems. You could rinse the chiles under a thin stream of water to help remove the seeds or rinse them off by dipping them into a bowl of water. (Don’t remove or discard the skin, seeds or juices from the tomatoes and onion.)
3. Set the charred tomatoes, onion and cleaned chiles on a chopping board, and finely chop. Place in a bowl, add salt, and mash and mix with a fork. (Alternatively, ingredients can be mashed in a molcajete.) Taste for salt and add more, if needed.
4. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days. The salsa can be eaten cold, though is best consumed lukewarm or hot. If desired, you can reheat it in a small saucepan until warmed.
TIPS: Known as chile verde in Sonora, Anaheim chiles are also referred to as Fresno, California or New Mexico chiles.
Recipe: Grilled Corn, Asparagus and Spring Onion Salad
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 5 ears fresh corn (preferably white corn), shucked and cleaned
- 1 bunch asparagus (about 8 ounces), woody ends removed, stalks peeled up to flower bud
- 1 bunch spring onions or 2 bunches large scallions (about 8 ounces total), trimmed
- Vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Maggi sauce
- 1 tablespoon chile oil or hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Directions
1. Heat grill to high. Lightly brush corn, asparagus and spring onions with vegetable oil. Place them on the grill and spread them out in one layer so they can cook evenly. Flip the vegetables a couple of times until they are charred on all sides but retain a firm bite; asparagus and spring onions should cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, depending on thickness, and corn about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the grill as they are ready, then set aside.
2. While the vegetables grill, combine lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire, Maggi, chile oil and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until fully combined. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
3. Once vegetables have cooled enough to handle, cut asparagus and spring onions into thirds and add them to the bowl. Shave the kernels from the corn, discarding the cobs, and add kernels to the bowl. Toss to combine with the sauce. Add the halved tomatoes and combine well. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe: Chile Verde Guacamole
Yield: About 3 cups (4 to 6 servings)
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 fresh Anaheim chile
- 1 serrano chile, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, plus more to taste
- 3 ripe avocados, halved and pitted, meat diced and mashed
Directions
1. Place the Anaheim chile on a small baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Roast it under the broiler, flipping a couple times, until the chile is wilted and its skin is completely charred and wrinkly, 9 to 12 minutes. (Alternatively, you can char the chile directly on a hot comal or a cast-iron pan set over medium heat, or on a grill set to high.)
2. Place the charred Anaheim chile in a plastic bag and close it well. Let it steam and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. As the Anaheim chile steams, add the serrano chile, onion, cilantro and salt in a bowl or molcajete, and mash until combined. Add the avocado and continue to mix and mash until you form a chunky purée.
4. Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the Anaheim chile from the bag, slip off the charred skin, make a slit down the side and remove the seeds and stem. You could rinse the chile under a thin stream of water to help remove the seeds or rinse it off by dipping it into a bowl of water.
5. Finely chop the Anaheim chile. Add it to the avocado mixture, and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.
Recipe: Sonoran Carne Asada Tacos
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/4 large white onion, for cleaning the grill
- Beef fat (cut from the meat, if fatty), tallow or vegetable oil, for greasing the grill
- 2 pounds chuck roll, sliced into 1/2-inch steaks
- 2 pounds top sirloin, sliced into 1/2-inch steaks
- 4 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, or to taste (about 1 teaspoon per pound of meat)
- Frijoles de Fiesta (Fiesta Refried Beans) (see recipe above)
- Salsa Tatemada Norteña (Fire-Roasted Salsa) (see recipe above)
- Chile Verde Guacamole (see recipe above)
- 12 to 16 large (8-inch) flour tortillas
Directions
1. Start a charcoal or gas grill, and get it very hot. For gas, set to high heat. For charcoal, grill is ready when coals are red but entirely covered with gray ash, and you can hold your hand about 5 to 6 inches above the coals for only about 4 to 5 seconds before it becomes too hot.
2. Clean and season the grill: Using a pair of tongs, rub a quarter of a white onion over it. Next, rub the beef fat over the grill to season it further. (Alternately, you can do this using tallow or vegetable oil.)
3. Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, place the meat over the hot grill. Season the meat generously with salt on top right before throwing it on the grill, salt-side up. (Alternatively, sprinkle the salt on top of the meat once it’s on the grill.)
4. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom has seared, deep grill marks have developed, and the meat juices have started rising and bubbling over the top. Flip to the second side and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium. Remove the meat and place in a lidded dish or container. Cover the cooked meat while you grill the remainder. Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes.
5. One by one, take out the pieces of meat and cut into about 1/2-inch dice, placing them back in the same lidded dish and covering until all the meat has been chopped.
6. Before the meat is brought to the table, make sure the refried beans are hot. Set them on the table along with the salsa and guacamole, in separate bowls.
7. Reduce the heat of the grill to medium if using gas, or, if using charcoal, set the flour tortillas on a cooler part of the grill. Heat the flour tortillas about 1 minute or so per side, until puffed, lightly browned and completely heated through. Keep warm in a clean kitchen towel or tortilla warmer and bring to the table.
8. To assemble the tacos, a common practice is to grab a warm flour tortilla, spread some refried beans on the middle, add a generous amount of meat, then add salsa and guacamole on top to taste — but everyone can choose how they want to build or eat their tacos. (If the taco doesn’t easily close, your assembly was successful!)
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