Questions on Beef Nachos and Dip

[threestars]

One of my favorite mexican food is beef nachos. Is there any tip aside from the typical recipe that I see from other sites that you can give me to put some mexican taste or a different kind of twist to the beef and dip when I make nachos? Any good recipes on how to make the best cheese dip for the nachos? I appreciate all the tips in advance. Thanks!

[Jaymes]

Nachos are not so much "Mexican food" as they are border food, although it's true that in the strictest sense, all of the Mexico/US border was at one time Mexico, and nachos were invented in Mexico (Piedras Negras across the Texas border from Eagle Pass), and by a Mexican named Ignacio "Nacho." Still, the border is kind of its own country.

I'm in Texas and, for the most part anyway, the most popular nachos down here are not the big pile of cold tortilla chips loaded down with a bunch of gooey stuff.

They are instead hot, with each cheese-, jalapeno- and (sometimes) refried-beans-laden corn tortilla chip its own perfect, sublime entity.

And they are wonderful.

This site explains it pretty well:

"Homesick Texan" nachos

So I really don't know what the "typical recipe" is for that other style. I suppose if I had to make them for some reason (that escapes me now), I'd make a carne seco-type shredded beef chuck roast, and a pot of classic Ro-Tel chile con queso, and an olla of charro beans, and some salsa and pico and guacamole to ladle over the big pile of cold chips.

But to give you the most helpful advice I can (and assuming you are asking about the big pile of chips type of "nacho"), I'd suggest you ask your question in one of the US Southwest forums, rather than the Mexican food forums. Most Mexican food aficionados consider that big pile of cold chips covered with assorted goop to be American bar food, not Mexican at all.

And probably rarely (and I'm betting never) make them.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Jaymes (log)

[Kouign Aman]

Cumin. Cumin smells like "Mexican Food", the way that barbecue smells like "The South".

[heidih]

Agreed on the cumin. Also incorporating fresh jalapenos or serranos into the meat saute rather than using pickled canned jalapenos and squeezing fresh lime juice over the meat adds nice contrast as would quick pickled very very thinly sliced red onions. Also consider crumbling queso fresco over the top rather than a gloppy cheese sauce. You could run the dish under the broiler for just a few seconds to melt the cheese.

[threestars]

@Jaymes, that's some really wonderful information there and some history. Thanks!

Thank you so much for all the replies guys! I will try to test some of these recipes and will see if it will satisfy my taste.

[Jaymes]

@Jaymes, that's some really wonderful information there and some history. Thanks!

Thank you so much for all the replies guys! I will try to test some of these recipes and will see if it will satisfy my taste.

You might try making a batch of the "original" nachos as well. Since you are a lover of all things nacho, could be fun and interesting to compare and see what you think.

[threestars]

You might try making a batch of the "original" nachos as well. Since you are a lover of all things nacho, could be fun and interesting to compare and see what you think.

Thanks for the suggestion. Will try it out too!

[EatNopales]

As Jaymes pointed out Nachos were invented on the border by Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya... and they are quite different to what has been popularized north of the border. While, nobody cooks nachos at home in Mexico, and the vast majority of Mexicans have never seen or tasted Nachos... they are not completely non-existent even in the heart of Mexico (where they are known as Danchos). Several chains that market strictly to teeny boppers & teenagers such as Danchos & Danny-yo, think of them as Mexican Frostee Freeze's, serve them to acclaim with the kids along with frozen yogurts, escamochas etc., In those case the Danchos are warm chips, a cheese sauce made of Chihuahua (Menonita) cheese & topped with vegetables en escabeche (typically carrots, onions, jalapenos).

As far as I know, I have never seen or heard of Beef Nachos in Mexico. Now are you referring to the concession type Nachos that have ground beef with "taco seasoning" on them... or the Cal-Mex style nachos with grilled / griddled chuck steak "Carne Asada", guacamole, sour cream etc.,?

Finally.... Cumin has a much greater presence in New Mexican cooking than in Mexican cooking. As some of you might know, Northern Mexico was largely settled by Crypto-Jews... Spanish Jews who converted to Catholicism after the expulsion of the Moors... they came to New Spain where they thought might be free to practice thinly veiled Judaism but during the late 1500s they left Central Mexico to escape persecution and ended up settling Nuevo Leon, parts of Texas & what is now New Mexico... it is their more Middle Eastern / Med culinary traditions (Flour tortilla as a form of pita, spit roasted kid goat & heavy use of Cumin) that have colored the perception of what Mexican cuisine is in the U.S.

Cumin is used in Mexico but typically as a back ground flavor almost never to the prominence it takes in the U.S. Southwest

[EatNopales]

To make my point clearer... Mexicans rarely use Cumin to flavor Picadillo (Ground, Minced or Chopped Meat sautee) or Grilled Steaks. If you do an Advanced Google search of the term "picadillo receta" only in sites that are .mx domain the overwhelming majority of recipes do not have Cumin (or much spices in them at all).

Of course if you compile recipes for Birria you will of course find the Cumin is an important flavoring... but in general Mexico's cooking uses Spices alot more judiciously than in Mexican-American cooking... even traditional dishes that feature Allspice or Black Pepper as prominent flavoring such as the Pebres of the Yucatan... the Mexican approach is to use whole spices, that leach a gentle version of the flavor in a sauce or broth - then removed - as oppossed to adding ground spices directly into the ingredients. That approach towards spices is symptomatic of a general approach in Mexico of "tempering" and is one of the main reasons why cooks & restaurants in Mexico consistently put out dishes that are much more balanced & sophisticated than their counterparts north of the border.