Taqueria El Chipilon 2: A World of Tacos

Kirk is the wonderful host and main writer here at mmm-yoso!!! , but he lets others play in his sandbox too. Today ed (from Yuma) is here to tell you that more than just vampires lurk at this Taqueria.

Just wanted to do a quick post about the huge taqueria where I found the vampire tacos in San Luis, Sonora. Usually we think of getting tacos at stands, trucks, and carts. Of course, you can also get tacos at most Mexican restaurants, but real restaurants have all kinds of other things on the menu. El Chipilon is remarkable for being a large restaurant that serves primarily just tacos.

On my last visit there, the pollo asado taco was exceptionally flavorful, though you can't tell that from this picture:

The chicken had a wonderful flavor, a hint of char, and a moist and succulent interior. Much better than the rather undistinguished version I had had previously. A quick visit to the charcoal grill showed me why the taco was so much better that day:

That afternoon the chicken came straight off the grill and onto my taco. From this next pic, You can see that this taqueria prepares meats in vast quantities, so the quality of any item will vary depending on how long it has been on hold:

The positive side to this mass production is that the cooks can satisfy 50 to 60 tables full of hungry partiers all at once, chopping up the meats with skill and speed:

Friends tell me that the place is busiest and completely packed at 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights (more precisely, on Saturday and Sunday mornings). After all, what better way to end an evening of drinking and clubbing (and the drinking age in Mexico is 18) than to have a few great tacos?

And of course, all the tacos come with the wheel of condiments (and grilled veggies and house salsa):

Along with vampire tacos, this place does one other unique and distinctive taco - the Super Taco Chipilon:

Basically, just a cheese and carne asada soft taco (which is called a caramelo taco - see this link (thanks Alex)), this Super Taco Chipilon is  loaded with moist and flavorful beef, and the white cheese lays atop a roasted green chile. What's not to like? The combination of mild white cheese, carne asada, and green chile all enfolded by a yellow corn tortilla - with its touch of natural corn sweetness - provides a nice balance of contrastive flavors.

As good as these two types of tacos are, my favorite non-vampire at El Chipilon is their version of al pastor:

They don't skimp on the meat. Most al pastor in Yuma is done with a dry rub, but this succulent pork flesh is carmelized and almost glazed and has a slightly sweet flavor note that surprised me the first time that I tasted it. It was only later, when I looked at this close up of the meat, that I began to speculate about the origins of this style of al pastor with its distinctive flavor:

Doesn't this look a lot like Chinese barbecued pork - if it had been cooked over open flames? I'm not saying that al pastor estilo El Chipilon is unique, because I've eaten similar looking Mexican pork before, but the hints of sweetness in this meat made me wonder if there might be some Asian connection. Someone more knowledgeable than me has pointed out the profound influences that Mexican and Chinese food have had on each other along Mexico's northern border with its large Chinese population. Some claim that Chinese cooks invented the chimichanga, so maybe it isn't too fantastic to suggest that this shepherd style pork, which is often cooked on a Lebanese style spit, sometimes exhibits the finishing touch of some Asian pig herder (which seems appropriate considering that no one has ever shepherded pigs). Small world really.

How are the prices at El Chipilon? Well, no prices are listed on the menu, and I didn't do any bargaining before ordering, so I suspect we paid the gringo rate.  Nonetheless, 16 tacos (8 deluxe and 8 regular), 4 Pacificos, an order of beans, and a large jamaica came to $30 American. Seems fair to me.

Comments

[Ed]

As I remember, apparently the Chinese culinary influence is especially strong in the state of Sinaloa, where soy sauce and other Chinese-style sauces strongly figure into the cuisine.

[janfrederick]

That's funny you should suspect char chiu. We have a local small Mexican market (same strip mall as R&B) that offers a couple of different types of pre-marinated meats. I tried the "red" chicken the other day. I grilled it, and I SWEAR I could have eaten it stir-fried in some day-old rice with peas and carrots.

After I started hearing about the Mexican/Asian/border thing, I've been way more intrigued with the cuisine (not to say I haven't been addicted since I was 5 - I grew up on the stuff).

[janfrederick]

Oh...and the recipe for Carne Asada in "Baja! Cooking on the Edge" calls primarily for soy sauce. And I must say, it is a great recipe!

[Bri]

I think that there would be a strong case for Soy Sauce in this Al Pastor recipe, though brown sugar can also have a reddening affect on some cuts of pork.

I bought a Pork Picnic Roast for Christmas and marinated it with just a little garlic and sugar and when I roasted it the pork had lovely red bits at the edges.

Our Adobada here in San Diego is reddened with Chiles Arbor or other dried red chilies, but it tends to be a brighter red and not that nice roasted red that comes from Soy and sugar.

Yummy Ed! Thanks for sharing.

[The Guilty Carnivore]

Both Chinese and Latin cooks use a fair amount of achiote/anatto in their marinades and seasonings, which impart that lovely red hue.

[janfrederick]

Ah yes. Anatto: http://filipinokastila.tripod.com/FilMex.html

[nhbilly]

WoW that looks awesome bit too fancy I think but taken into account where it is located. This bring back memory of my trip to Mexico street tacos is nothing compare to here in in the States. Less than a dollar a tacos and they go by the honor system you keep track of how many tacos you scarf down and a squirt bottle to compliment your tacos and thats it.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Thanks, all, for the comments. El
Chipilon, as nhbilly suggests, is a bit too "industrial" for my taste to serve the best tacos, but still it is good.

I'm happy that most of you don't think my Chinese/Mexican connection is completely crazy. 3 things brought it to mind. 1. the taste; 2. the look of that al pastor; 3. the student who confided to me his uncle's "secret" carne asada marinade (and virtually all long-time Yumans have a special way to prepare asada) which was lime juice and oyster sauce. Culinary fusion at its best.

[cathy]

One day, I am just going to drive the three hours and meet you for lunch, Ed. Maybe ...um...next month. :) This looks wonderful.-C

[Adam C.]

You should definitely try " tortas el perico ". They have the best tortas. What I think makes them the best, is the bread they use. It's very soft. I live in LA and drive about 5 hours just to eat a torta.. the place is south on second street when you cross the border. To your left hand side. Hope you get to try them..

[ed (from Yuma)]

Thanks for the tip Adam. I think I've seen that place. I usually go to Tortas D.F. on Obregon when I want a torta in SL, so it's great to learn about a new place