Suadero Beef Brisket Tacos (Tacos de Suadero)
A slow slow cook that is not 100% traditional but is easy as
This recipe is super simple, but can take a long time. Beef often demands a long slow cook - anywhere between 3 and 6 hours. This also needs some marinating time - some recipes say overnight, but I only did it for half an hour and it turned out fantastic. I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, it’s a great one to throw in the oven while you do a Sunday clean or slouch back to the couch again because you had a big night before.
Suadero is a type of beef cut that we don’t usually get in Australia. It’s a tough, lean cut of smooth muscle, so it is usually cooked in beef fat or lard until falling apart, then fried and cut to order. The suadero tacos I get from my favourite Mexican place (The Tamaleria by Rosa Cienfuegos - best in Sydney, no question) are simply flavoured, with no extra spices or chilli.
Beef brisket is often used as a substitute for the proper suadero cut around the world, even in Mexico. As brisket cuts often have a lot fat, I prefer not to cook it in fat but render the fat first, then slow cook it in a broth flavoured with the marinade.
You will need: A resealable freezer bag, a chopping board, a big pot with a lid that can go into the oven, a sharp knife, tongs, three small serving bowls, and a big serving bowl
Ingredients
For the Brisket
1kg or so of beef brisket (1kg will do a family of four easily, 2kg for a bigger gathering, 3kg for a party, etc, just increase the rest of the ingredients by the same amount)
1/2 cup lemon juice (bottled is perfectly fine)
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced roughly
1/4 cup oregano (If you can get Mexican Oregano (which sounds like a euphemism), that is ideal)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
For the Coward’s* Pico de Gallo
3 medium tomatoes
1 french shallot, diced or a 1/3 of a red onion (I only use french shallots because I hate having 2/3 of an onion left)
Half a bunch of coriander (you can use the rest on your tacos or save for another dish)
1 lime
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
*It’s a Coward’s Pico de Gallo because it has no chilli. My children are averse.
For the Guacamole
1 large ripe avocado
1 lime
1 clove of garlic
Salt to taste
To serve: Refried beans, hot sauces, diced onion, lime, and, of course, tortillas
While we’re here, if you’ve been enjoying my recipes and they’ve helped you out in the kitchen, or you just want to help me out because you’re a wonderful and very good looking person, sign up for a paid subscription! Thank you! I love you!
Method
Preheat your oven to 160C. Get your marinade together. My lemon juice looks like that because it came from a bottle. It’s cheaper and easier. Do yourself a favour.
Put your brisket in the bag and pour your marinade in. Use the bag to rub the marinade into the brisket. About 5 minutes of this should do it. Longer if you have the hand strength (I do not). Put it in the fridge for half an hour minimum, couple of hours if you can, even overnight if you prefer.
Once marinaded, put your pot on high heat and put the brisket in to brown. There should be plenty of oil in the marinade, so no need to add any to the pot. After the marinade, the meat might look a bit grey. This is because the acidity in the lemon juice has denatured the meat proteins - essentially, cooked it a bit. This is normal. It’s good, even! More flavour. The lemon juice might also foam a bit. It’s all good. Just keep going.
This is what you are after
Add enough water to cover the meat. If they stick out a bit, it’s fine. Those bits will just be more caramelised than falling apart.
Add the salt and pepper. Put the lid on and put it in the oven. Be careful! It will be heavy!
While it’s in the oven, you can kick back, or you can make the salsa and guacamole.
If you’re new to dicing tomatoes, or it’s just not in your wheelhouse, I’ve put a short guide here. Otherwise, you know the drill. Sprinkle a bit of salt on the diced tomatoes to let the juices out, while you dice the onion and chop up the coriander.
Mix the Pico de Gallo in a large enough bowl (I always underestimate how much I am making). Add olive oil. Now this is not traditional BUT I reckon it gives a better flavour and mouthfeel. We’re also not adding chilli (unless you want to!), so tradition already went out the window.
Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and mix well. Or tip some of the bottle in, but go slow. Taste as you go with the olive oil, lime juice, and salt. You want something that cuts through the rich meat without ripping your mouth up.
Now, there are plenty of ‘hacks’ on the internet for getting the seed out of the avocado, but this is the only one you need - use a fork! Press it into the base of the seed and lever it out. I swear it’s the best way and you are going to use that fork to mash your avocado anyway.
Mash the avocado to your liking. I like a little bit of chunk but otherwise smooth. Some people like to show the avocado a picture of a fork and leave it there. Whatever floats your boat.
Grate the garlic into the mashed avocado. If you don’t have a microplane or handheld grater, use the smallest holes on your box grater. Squeeze in the lime and add salt and pepper to taste. You want it a bit zingy but mostly just avocado goodness.
Cover both salsa and guacamole, and put them in the fridge for now.
After 3 hours, check on your brisket. Test it with a fork. If it pulls away in strands like this, hooray, it’s all done! If not, put it in for another hour. Test and retest after each hour until you get it pulling apart. If it stubbornly refuses to fall apart, just chop it up. Show that brisket who is boss.
Warm up your tortillas! Either cover them in foil and put them in the oven, or heat them in a dry pan one by one. Heat them for about 10 mins in 100C oven. It’s time to get the Pico de Gallo and Guacamole out of the fridge to bring up to room temperature.
If you’re having refried beans, just chuck it in a pan to eat. This is the least effort possible for the nicest tasting side, in my humble opinion.
Shred the meat. Some people have fancy implements that look like bear claws. I just use two forks. As you can see in the photo, there will still be some fatty chunks (depending on your brisket). Pull or cut them out, and save them for later. They will be good for rendering down to heat the leftovers in.
Once shredded, add some of the hot cooking liquid to the meat. This will keep it moist and also make it more flavourful. Mix the meat and liquid together for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if need be. Cover with foil to keep warm.
Time to serve! If you have hot sauces, bring ‘em out. That’s right, white nerdy boys, girls and enbies, it’s your time to shine.
Pile that tortilla high and eat to your hearts’ content
