Beef flautas, how to make the best
When I lived in Iowa City, a fellow homesick Texan was tired of the lack of good food, so he opened a Mexican restaurant called La Perlita. The name means little pearl in Spanish and this small restaurant was indeed a gem. The salsas were fiery and bright, the refried beans had depth and flavor, and the tortillas were patted out by hand. But I have to say my favorite dish on menu were the freshly fried flautas.
Not familiar with flautas? Perhaps you know them by another term: some refer to them as taquitos and in parts of Mexico they’re often called tacos dorados. But the basic premise is the same—it’s a rolled taco that’s been fried.
Flauta (which means flute in Spanish) is what I grew up calling them, so I was a bit flummoxed by the variation in names. When I asked my non-Texan friends, they insisted that it was a flauta if it was made with flour tortillas, a taquito if it was made with corn. I have to disagree as I’d never even had flour tortilla flautas (though I don’t doubt their existence). And the Mexican street-food vendors here all sell tacos dorados, but they look just like flautas to me.
No matter what you call them, however, the key to a good flauta is that it needs to be fresh. Often you’ll find pre-fried ones, where a dull tortilla surrounds a cold, lifeless filling. Would you eat a cold nacho? Would you eat a cold enchilada? Of course not! So I don’t understand why people insist on serving old food—you can’t doll it up no matter how much lettuce, cheese or salsa you pile on top of it.
But a fresh flauta? Now that’s a thing of wonder! The tortilla snaps, the filling is alive and no adornment is necessary—though a drizzle of hot sauce is certainly welcome.
Making these is not difficult—as long as you’re brave when confronted with a skillet that is hissing and popping with hot fat. (I wear long sleeves and oven mitts to keep myself safe.) But because of your fearlessness you will be rewarded with the best flautas you’ve ever had. Actually, that’s not exactly true—I still think that the best flautas were those served to me at La Perlita, by a fellow Texan who knew how to make those needing a respite from the cold feel welcome and warm.
I’m curious—what do you call these? And am I wrong—is there indeed a difference between flauta, taquitom and tacos dorados? Please let us know!
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Beef flautas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chuck roast, cut into 4-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon bacon grease or canola oil
- 1 medium Spanish onion, quartered
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and quartered
- 2-4 jalapenos, seeded and diced
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 12 corn tortillas
- Oil, for frying
- Salsa, cilantro, diced onions, and sour cream for garnishing
Instructions
- Brown the cubed beef in the fat on medium heat in a large Dutch oven or pot (may have to do in batches). Add the onions, garlic, tomatillos, jalapenos, cumin, 1/2 cup of the chopped cilantro, 4 cups of water, salt, and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer uncovered for 2 hours until meat is tender. Remove beef from the pot, shred it and then toss it with the 2 tablespoons pan juices, the lime juice, then taste and adjust seasonings. (Feel free to save the broth for another use!)
- Wrap the tortillas in foil, and heat in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes or until soft. Take each warmed tortilla and place 2 tablespoons of the shredded beef into it and roll tightly.
- Heat 1 1/2 inches of canola oil in a large iron skillet and when oil is 350° F (or hot but not smoking), gently place 3 flautas into oil, seam side down, and cook on each side until crisp, 45 seconds per side. (If you don't have a thermometer, you can stick a wooden spoon into the oil and if it bubbles around it, the oil should be hot enough.)
- Serve immediately with salsa, chopped cilantro, onion and sour cream.
Flautas for me. I haven't made them in a while. I tend to use chicken and when I fry them, I use toothpicks to hold them together, seam inside, to keep them from coming undone.
Might just make some this weekend.
I used to love the flautas at La Fiesta in Waco. Shoot, I wonder if they still have them. First place I ever tasted fish tacos, too. I may have to break out a bottle of oil and go to town. I'll never get the music right but I might get a little taste of La Fiesta back in my head.
Lynn–Cheese dip? Now that's just wrong! And yes, they'd be terrific with leftover BBQ.
Pamela–Now see, that's what I thought as well. And glad you saw the article!
Melissa–Ah, so it's a question of girth.
Dee–Oh, goat cheese is something I never thought of–that would be wonderful!
Anna–I'm a big fan of the sour cream as well.
Duncan–You know, you may be right as the ones in Mexico City were certainly longer than the ones you find here.
Amy–Sounds like the perfect trip home!
Anon–See, I suspected it was a California thing, calling the flour-tortilla fried tacos flautas.
Anon–Thank you! And they are all delicious.
Anon–You're very welcome. And they are indeed worth the fat.
D–Hmmm, beef means taquito–that coudl work. And I could go for a crispy dog myself right about now!
Nobody Puts Mama in a Corner–I hear you! Sad, isn't it? Though leaving Texas has probably made up better cooks.
Lisa–Homeamade is indeed the best.
PC–Oh, yes, guac is a must!
John–No comment!
Cathy–Agreed, a rose is a rose…
Cynthia–Hurrah!
Maners–Perhaps.
Texichan–You're not alone, I've discovered.
Lo–I know! It's amazing how creative we are with language.
Esmer–Shredded cabbage? Must try that!
Chelsea–I think it must have closed a while ago (I was there in the early 1990s).
What's Cookin Stacey–Yay! Hope y'all enjoy!
Vickie–Midland has some amazing food, I understand your longing.
Marjorie–Excellent news! I'm so happy you enjoyed them!
Jennifer–Welcome and I look forward to seeing you again?
Anon–Oh, how interesting, true DF taquitos aren't fried at all.
Joyce–I love the idea of holding them like a hot dog!
Andrea–They are indeed addictive!
Dena–I agree!
Justin–See, I think they're the same thing, too. It'll be curious to see your wife's verdict.
Chris–So it's indeed California that deemed flautas made with flour tortillas.
Laura–You're very welcome! And thank you!
cptexas–So tacos dorados aren't rolled in El Paso/ Juarez? I did not know that!
Margie–Toothpicks are a wise choice to keep them rolled.
Mark–Break out that bottle of oil! You only live once!
Here in Southern California rolled corn tortillas are called taquitos and rolled flour tortillas are called flautas.
I made these on Monday and they were wonderful. I used flour tortillas. They turned out sooo good. My Husband ate 5 of them.
I've always thought it was a regional thing. When I lived in Nevada, we called them taquitos. In Texas, we called them flautas (even when the box in the frozen food section said 'taquitos'). In restaurants here in TX, they are definitely called flautas. And, they're made with corn tortillas. I've seen them made with flour tortillas, but they're typically called banditos. Not sure where that comes from. 🙂