Tacos de Chicharrón Guisado
(chee-chah-RRON gee-SAH-doh)
Chapter 3 — Tacos: The Assembly
Walk into any serious taqueria operating out of an East L.A. strip mall or a bustling Texas highway corner, and bypass the spinning trompo for just a moment to look at the steam tables. There, bubbling away in a heavy cazuela, is the true test of the taquero: the guisados. This specific alchemy takes brittle, airy fried pork skins and drowns them in an aggressively vibrant salsa verde until they rehydrate into pillowy, deeply savory clouds. You cannot skip charring the tomatillos for that real recado depth, you absolutely cannot substitute the lard for canola oil, and you must respect the taquero’s oldest secret—a tiny pinch of baking soda to neutralize the tomatillo's bite. Crowned with raw onion and crushed dry cracklings on a double-warmed tortilla, this tastes exactly like that folding table on Mission Street.
Before you start
Set up the taqueria spread on your kitchen counter before you begin cooking.
A taquero assembles rather than cooks to order. Have your diced onions, chopped cilantro, a bowl of crushed dry chicharrón, and hot refried beans ready and waiting before the guisado comes off the stove.
Ingredients
- tomatillos1 lb
- serrano chiles3 med
- white onion1/2 med
- garlic cloves3 large
- fresh cilantro1 cup
- baking soda1/4 tsp
- pure lard2 tbsp
- chicharron duro1/2 lb
- chicken broth1 1/2 cup
- corn tortillas12 small
- refried beans2 cup
- white onion1/2 med
- fresh cilantro1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Char the aromatics on a blistering hot carbon-steel skillet or comal.
Place the garlic cloves, chopped onion halves, and serrano chiles on the dry heat until they blacken and blister on all sides, unlocking a deep, smoky sweetness.
- 02
Boil the tomatillos briefly until they turn pale olive green.
Drop them into a pot of rolling boiling water for just 5 to 7 minutes, taking great care not to let them burst in the water, which would make the salsa overly watery and acidic.
- 03
Crush the salsa components to retain a coarse and authentic texture.
For the best texture, crush the charred aromatics in a molcajete first, then gently pulse in a blender with the boiled tomatillos, roughly chopped cilantro, and a splash of boiling water. Do not puree it into a smooth liquid.
- 04
Fry the salsa aggressively in pure smoking lard.
Melt the manteca in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or cazuela over medium-high heat, then pour in the blended salsa so it sizzles violently. This vital process cooks off the raw edges of the tomatillo and emulsifies the pork fat into the sauce.
- 05
Stir in the baking soda to chemically neutralize the acid.
Add the baking soda and watch the sauce briefly foam up, a necessary taquero trick that balances the tart tomatillos without relying on sugar, then simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.
- 06
Submerge the chicharrón in the simmering salsa to rehydrate.
Reserve a handful of the dry chicharrón to crush for garnish, then fold the rest into the sauce. As the cracklings drink the liquid, slowly stream in the warm chicken broth a half-cup at a time to maintain a flowing, stew-like consistency, simmering for 15 minutes until pillowy and yielding.
- 07
Double-warm the tortillas for assembly.
Heat a carbon-steel comal, misting the corn tortillas lightly with water or wiping them with a microscopic sheen of manteca. Heat them until they puff, steam internally, and develop deeply browned, charred freckles on the outside.
- 08
Build the tacos with a foundation of refried beans and finish with contrasting textures.
Swipe a hot tortilla with a generous spoonful of lard-whipped refried beans from Chapter 2, spoon the glossy chicharrón guisado over the top, and crown sharply with raw onion, chopped cilantro, and a sprinkle of the reserved dry chicharrón dust for an echoing crunch.
Notes
Managing viscosity is critical when prepping ahead for a crowd.
Because tomatillos are high in pectin and the pork skins release massive amounts of collagen, the guisado will gel as it cools. When reheating your batch, gently whisk in splashes of hot chicken broth to loosen it back into a luscious, flowing stew.
Source authentic chicharrón duro for the best texture.
Seek out vast sheets of chicharrón con carnita or chicharrón delgado from a local Hispanic market. Avoid flavored, baked, or microwave pork rinds at all costs.