Tacos Campechanos (Mexican Beef and Chorizo Tacos)

One of the best food experiences you can have in Mexico City is walking up to a sidewalk taco stand late at night and smelling the incredible aroma of meats and vegetables simmering in a huge pot over a gas flame. The taqueros start early in the day and add meats like suadero, pork, offal, tripe, chitlins, pig and beef feet, chorizo, onions and chiles into a giant pot, where they cook until the meats fall apart and the flavours fuse together in perfect harmony. On the menu at many of these stands, tacos campechanos include a little bit of everything in those pots.

1 Tbsp. rendered lard, preferably not hydrogenated, or use extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs beef brisket, preferably point (fatty) end, or chuck roast, excess fat trimmed
½ lb pork belly or smoked slab bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 pig’s foot, split lengthwise, or 1 ham hock
4 tsp. sea salt
¾ lb fresh chorizo links or longaniza links
5 spring onions or scallions, root ends trimmed
4 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
24 corn tortillas

To Serve:
Salsa taquera
chopped white onion
chopped cilantro
sliced radishes
lime wedges

Heat lard in a large heavy pot over medium-high and cook brisket until browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Transfer brisket to a large bowl. Add pork belly to the pot and cook until browned on at least two sides, 4-6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with brisket. Add pig’s foot and cook until browned on all sides, 4-6 minutes. Add salt, reserved brisket and pork belly, their accumulated juices and 2½ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a low simmer and cook for 1½ hours. Brisket and pork will be partly cooked and very tough at this point. Add chorizo links, spring onions and garlic, cover and continue to simmer until meats are all very tender and will shred easily with little resistance, another 1-1½ hours.

When ready to assemble, remove pig’s foot from pot (be careful not to leave behind any bones) and separate meat and skin from bones. Discard bones, chop the meat and skin and transfer to a large bowl. Chop the brisket, pork belly, chorizo and spring onion and add them, along with the garlic, to the bowl with the pig’s foot; toss to combine. Pour cooking liquid over meat.

Spoon meat and some juices onto a tortilla and top with salsa taquera, onion, cilantro, radish and a squeeze of lime. Or make taqueria-style tacos.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

• Storage: Meat can be cooked and stored, uncut, in the cooking liquid for up to 3 days. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

To Make Taqueria-Style Tacos:

• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Lightly dip a tortilla in the oil floating above the chopped meat and transfer to the skillet, dipped side down. If necessary, use tongs or a spatula to move the tortilla around the skillet to coat the surface of the tortilla in oil.
• Flip and heat the second side until very lightly browned in spots. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To the same hot skillet, add 2 cups of the chopped meat mixture with some of the oil in an even layer and fry, tossing or stirring frequently until the meat is browned and lightly crisped on the edges, 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately with the warmed tortillas.