burritos de tripas

[Toby]

For the last few years I lived in San Francisco I worked three nights a week, from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. My sleep schedule became very skewed, as did my meal schedule. I got into the habit of coming home from work and waiting until 8 a.m. or so when the taqueria around the corner from me opened so that I could have burrito de tripas (or buche) for breakfast before I went to sleep for the day. The guys working in the taqueria thought it was hilarious, but it was very comforting food.

My favorite combination was chopped up pork stomach, yellow rice, black beans, monterrey jack cheese, finely chopped white onion and cilantro, tomatillo-chipotle salsa, and sliced avocado all wrapped up inside a big flour tortilla. The smoothness of the black beans and avocado were so delicious alongside the slightly chewy, but smooth, texture of the pork stomach.

I recently found a recipe for cooking the stomach that sounds authentic. The method is rather like confit. Pork stomachs are sold whole and can usually be found in Chinese butchers. They're football shaped and need to be cleaned carefully. Remove all the excess fat from the stomach, wash, rub with salt and rinse again. Sometimes I rinse it in some white distilled vinegar to get rid of any strong odors. Then melt a lot of lard (enough to cover the stomach) in a big pot. Add a cup of water (or more) in which some salt has been dissolved. Water allows the lard to boil; also, salt won't dissolve in lard. Bring the lard-water mix to a fast boil; try not to get splattered. Add the stomach and simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 2 or 3 hours, until the tripe is very tender but not crisp. Drain well, blot with paper towels and chop the meat.

[Kerouac1964]

Toby --

Great post!! I too, love a savoury breakfast. Funny how people become so set in the types of food they eat at certain times of the day.

My area of the country, Sioux City, Iowa, has a burgeoning Mexican Immigrant population. They come here to work in our packing houses. A lot of great food places have opened up serving tripe! I finally had my first taste a few months ago. It was very rich and tasty. However, there was that slight odor that you mentioned. It finally got to me, which is a shame as I really like the taste, texture of the dish. I haven't tried preparing my own, so your preparation instructions will go a long ways towards that end.

Thanks for taking the time to post!!

[Stone]

As was at El Farolito the other night and considered the tripe burrito. I thought better about it, and ordered carnitas. The bastards gave me a plain rice & bean burrito. However, I must say that it was excellent. The grilled tortilla instead of the usual steamed makes a huuuge difference.

Thanks for posting the tripe recipe. I think I'll cook some up tomorrow morning and use it to stuff the turkey.

[Toby]

The taqueria I used to go to for the pork stomach burritos was on Mission between 21st and 22nd (they owned two on that block, this one was closer to 21st; don't know if it's still there; their tacos were also very good). When I ordered, I called it "buche."

[stellabella]

Toby, I have a probelm with tripe that I am determined to overcome. Your burrito sounds delicious to me. And the language you have used to describe this dish seems as savoury as the dish itself.

[Steve Plotnicki]

What's the difference between pork stomach, pork belly and tripe?

[Toby]

Pork stomach and tripe are the same. Pork stomachs are probably more like people stomachs and less like the weird and complicated stomach system cows have. Pork stomachs are shaped like a football with an opening at either end; the flesh is smooth and kind of elastic. The taste is a little strong; it needs to be cleaned pretty well before cooking. (I've been meaning to start a thread about stuffed pig's stomach.)

Pork belly is the paunch or flank, the undercut of the pig. Bacon and pancetta are made from the belly. Pork belly is red cooked and/or steamed in Chinese cooking (Su Tung Po pork is a classic preparation); braised in French/American bistro-style cooking.