how do you cook tender steak and chicken for burritos?

Question

I like the big, fat burritos. Some people call them California style Burritos. If you're in the southeast (Atlanta), I'm talking about Moes or Willies burritos. I like to make them at home, but my steak is always tough, and my chicken too... I cook the meat with onions, and some type of steak sauce in a skillet.

How do those restaurants make it so tender, and taste so good? How do you make it? I'll do a taste test, and best tasting steak recipe wins best answer!

Answer 1

Honestly, go invest in a crock pot, throw your chciken in there on low with some chicken broth and let it cook all day, it will be super moist and shred really well for burritos...

Answer 2

Well, I always start with Mexican "arrachera style" marinated skirt steak, it is best for this kind of thing.

If I suspect for a second that the meat has any toughness (rare in marinated arrachera) I give it a little tenderizer ("Mauri" brand) for 15 min. max.

Then I grill the entire steak medium rare - medium. I slice it in thin strips "oriental style". Then I mix it with a little chopped bacon, chopped onion, and sliced mushrooms. Add a little olive oil, some salt and pepper and re-cook the mixture on a hot grill until it looks just right.

You can mix in your favorite grated cheese and use it as taco stuffing, burritos or great steak sandwiches.

With chicken, the secret is so simple that unless you are some kind of purist who has to do everything from scratch, you'll love the result. The best tasting and most tender chicken is roasted chicken. When we want chicken tacos or chicken burritos, I just buy a roasted chicken! I live in Mexico City, the guy up the street sells me 2 for $6.00. (I hope you are so lucky)

(I tend to keep a lot of steak and other sauces for use AFTER cooking. After many years I have found that the best way to cook meat is with a little salt and pepper. That goes for hamburgers too. I add nothing! No egg, no onion, just lightly salt and pepper the patty or steak before cooking and add the green sauce, chimichurri, steak sauce, etc afterwards. Seems to work very well.)

Answer 3

Re. Beef: I've seen Mexican cooks using either skirt steak or flank steak. Throw on medium grill, sear one side & then flip to other side. Keep flipping until medium well (still a little pink inside). Shouldn't take too long. Then slice very thin across the grain.

Re. Chicken: The restaurants offer two versions, grilled or poached. Grilling, I can't help you.

For poaching a 3 - 4 lb. seasoned chicken at room temperature. First bring a big pot of seasoned water (suggest add a can of Swanson's chicken broth) to a rolling boil then place your chicken into it for two to three minutes then carefully lift chicken out, place the chicken aside. Bring the pot of water back up to a boil again, lower the chicken back into pot (turn pot down to simmer) for 40 min. After 40 min., turn off heat and leave chicken in water for another 20 min. Carefully remove chicken.

So chicken is in water for about 62 to 63 min., total. And it should be tender. You also have a good pot of liquid for soup.

Answer 4

Do you have a crock pot? If so take a roast and a whole bottle of picante sauce cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Slow cooking is the trick for tender meat. Never in a skillet unless a real good cut of meat. Cook you steak in oven on 200° for about an hour.

Answer 5

Try cooking the chicken or steak in a slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours in this sauce.

Homeade Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced fine
2 TB garlic, minced
2 cups chicken stock
2 TB chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 TB dried oregano

Place onions in saute pan and saute for about 2 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic. When both are golden, add chicken stock and oregano. Simmer for 5 minutes then strain. Return to saucepan and add all other ingredients, simmer for minutes...then thicken with a cooked roux. Season with salt and pepper.

Moest Tex Mex kitchens here in San Antonio make enchilada sauce this way...and it is very tasty. most here use chicken base instead of stock, but it would be waaay better to use the stock.

Answer 6

You need 1/2 kilo of ground pork and 1/2 kilo of beef. The combination should bring taste and different textures.
Ask your butcher to ground them together, again. This will give your a finner and soft texture you want.
Saute finely chop onions and garlic with 1 tbls of olive oil. The amount for onions and garlic may vary on the individuals taste. Like if you want it "garlicky" then add more to it.
Do not over cook the garlic! Add your ground meats and cook it for about 25-30 minutes or until tender. Add salt and pepper for taste. Add taco powder for that Mexican taste! Hope you enjoy! I know this is not your typical burritos, but it works just as fine!

Answer 7

You need to make sure that you have quality meat to start with. Buy the best meat that you can afford if you truly want tender meat.

Next, you need to make sure you do not overcook your meat. Steak is best when you cook it medium rare. Its internal temperature is 145 degrees at medium rare. Depending on your meat and cooking style, this may take as little as five minutes.

Chicken needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. As soon as the meat reaches that temp, you should remove it from the heat. If you have dark meat, it may still look pinkish, but not bloody.

Answer 8

I assume you mean carne asada? You need to buy a good cut of steak. Try a flank or skirt steak. And use fresh meats, not frozen.

Use Goya Adobo seasoning and meat tenderizer in your marinade. You can also pound the meat slightly to break up the fibers that can make it tough. Let the meat marinate overnight and then cook it slowly on the grill. The faster you cook a meat, the tougher it will be.

Answer 9

Willies Burritos

Answer 10

Just cook it in an electric skillet with water, butter, garlic salt on low for at least an hour. Be sure to marinate the meat the night before in Italian Dressing,enough to cover the meat and a splash of worcheschire and soy sauce,promise will melt in your mouth!We have California Burrito"s here too in K.C. I think they use hot sauce in there marination.Or you can use a crock pot and simmer the meat all day!