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!
—————
Would you like more Homesick Texan? Well, I’ve started offering additional recipes for paid subscribers to help with the costs of running the site. While I’m not taking anything away, if you’d like to support Homesick Texan and have access to exclusive, never-seen-before subscriber-only posts, please consider becoming a member; annual subscriptions are as low as $25. Thank you for reading, your consideration, and your support!
—————
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.
Oh yum, I so think I need to make these ASAP.
I've lived my whole life in Dallas, and always called these flautas. Although if you buy them in the frozen food section, they're called taquitos. But taquitos, to me, are the breakfast burritos you buy at Whataburger (and subsequently, when we make similar things at home, we call them taquitos too. Not sure why.)
I prefer this dish when made with corn instead of flour. I am still a little fuzzy on the whole Flauta/taquito debate. which is which?
Cherry Blossom–You need to make them again, soon!
Latter-Day Flapper–That's a good theory.
Tessa–I wonder why they don't appear on menus as often anymore?
Smallgrapes–They're great with ground beef.
Chris–I don't know the lumpia–will have to check that out!
Solaera–So perhaps the flour-tortilla flauta is a California thing.
Chriss–What in West Texas are you?
Donaji–Oh, now that's an interesting difference.
Lindsey–A chicken and beef split? I've never thought of that.
Laura–You're welcome–enjoy!
Heather–Marshmallow making is indeed addicting. My favorite part is licking the fluff off the beater. So wonderful!
Kelly–The ends are wonderful!
Marjorie–You're very welcome! Hope you like them.
Abby–I've actually heard a lot about NC taco trucks. Will have to visit soon!
Mandy–Yay! Destiny!
Brenda–I love dipping them in guacamole as well.
Tanya–Ah, so perhaps it's a Western distinction.
Jojo–And I miss Texas! Muchas gracias!
Nicole–They flour tortilla ones sound like mini chimichangas.
Crogers–I agree!
Deceiverofmen–Ah, I did not know that.
Robyn–Yes, I've seen them called taquito in the frozen-food section as well. Even Whole Foods calls theirs taquitos.
Plainsgal–I've eaten at Casa Jurado but I didn't get the flautas, I ordered the milanesa con chile con queso instead. So decadent and good! And I've never heard the term tapatias. Will have to investigate!
Scott–They are indeed a small previwe of heaven!
Janna–I had heard it was gone. And yeah, Iowa Mexican food in general left much to be desired.
Greg–Ha!
Knittinchick–If it makes you feel any better, I wish I was going to Oaxaca, too!
Anon–That seems to be the consensus.
Anon–Smoked chicken flautas sound divine!
Edelweiss Cowgirl–Do you have access to masa harina? You can order it from mexgrocer.co.uk. Corn tortillas are a cinch to make with that and a tortilla press.
Steve–They are hard to find in the NE.
Flea–Most call them flautas but some insist that they're only flautas if made with flour tortillas, taquitos if made with corn.
Woodsman–I agree, I'm not a fan of fried flour tortillas in any form.
Tasty Eats At Home–Yes! Taquitos are Whataburger's breakfast tacos, not a fried rolled taco.
I'm with Robyn — growing up in D, always flautas, always corn tortillas. Now that I'm in Mississippi, I finally tracked them down as taquitos. And, you know, they (both hispanic and gringo) don't say chile con queso here, but rather, queso dip or cheese dip. I don't like even to utter the phrase "cheese dip" — it sounds so much better as "chile con queso." Is the term "chile con queso" a Texas thang?
I'm thinking flautas would be an excellent way to use leftover BBQ, whether beef brisket or pulled pork.