#200!
Pastor burrito from La Norteña Market on SW 124th Avenue. Beaverton, OR.
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Thanks for following along on this crazy ride.
I now have over 200 burritos under my belt in 2015 and let me tell you, there’s only so much you can say about individual burritos. The most flattering commentary is whether I return to order it again and again. (Drunk at 3AM fast food burritos not withstanding.)
You can see my short list of favorites here:
http://365burritos.tumblr.com/tagged/favorite
My criteria for a good burrito:
- Construction: This is vital to a successful burrito. I cannot stress this enough. Knife and fork burritos are okay, but a really good burrito should be manhandled and hold up to it. The most well-constructed burritos involve tucking the outside end of the tortilla into a rift along the length of the burrito. (The burrito featured above demonstrates the risk of pressing the tortilla’s edge flat against the surface.) I always remove foil or paper wrap completely to remove the interruption of unmitigated enjoyment. No bloat and burst seams from creams and fillers. If it starts to break apart near the end, that’s fine, but it’s gotta make it through 85% of the meal without stuff falling out. I should never need a knife and fork to pick up the pieces. Maybe a few chips or sliced carrots for the stragglers.
- Tortilla: Must be seared all the way around to give it a nice crisp texture. Steamed tortillas end up sticking to your hands like summer rolls.
- Simplicity: I try and mix up the burritos I order since I’m eating s’damn many, but my top burritos are simple, regular burritos. Meat, beans, rice, salsa/flavor. One of my favorites also adds a bit of shredded cabbage for a nice crunch when you bite down. My exception to this is super chorizo burritos. The mellow of the sour cream complements and rounds out the sharp of the chorizo. I occasionally order burritos with cheese in/on them, but it’s not my preference.
- Breakfast: 99% of places fail to include beans and rice in their breakfast burritos. It seems so obvious to include them that now all other breakfast burritos are but a pale outline of what they could be. The one breakfast burrito in my favorites list includes these and is exceptional because of it. El Charrito in San Carlos, check it out!
- Beans: Pinto. Real, well-cooked pinto beans that have the slightest hint of salt. Refried beans are acceptable if the other burrito elements are bomb.
- Rice: It’s tough to ruin Mexican rice. The only sin is moisture level. Dry rice is not a burrito rice. This ain’t the place for jasmine.
- Meat: Quality is king, of course. Good flavor and texture are important in a good burrito or taco meat:
- Chicken burritos are my gauge at any restaurant or truck. Grilled chicken is superior to boiled chicken because any meat that sits in a broth will ruin your burrito (see: burrito construction.) Tendons and bits of bones are an immediate burritokill.
- Asada should be grilled and then chopped, which is difficult to find. I know of only two places that prepare asada correctly: El Rancho Supermarket in Menlo Park, CA, and my family’s backyard grill.
- Al pastor must be prepared and cut from the skewer. Some places try to get away with “pastor” that is clearly not prepared in the traditional manner. Places that prepare in the preferred way will show it off.
- Carnitas require a bit of crunch to them. We’re talking about fried pork here. Soft, shredded carnitas will do what they gotta do but are lazy carnitas indeed.
- Chorizo is rarely successful in a burrito. The grease compromises burrito stability and the sharpness of chorizo makes it better suited for bite-size taco bursts. The exceptions are a good super burrito and breakfast burritos. Chorizo is a traditional breakfast meat because eggs serve the same purpose as sour cream in a super: balance the sharpness of the chorizo.
- Others: Lengua is alright but once again better in tacos. Birria or shredded beef are okay if they’re not steeped in broth before being placed in a burrito. Get that ground beef outta here.
It’s rare to find a bad burrito and I obviously don’t limit myself to these preferences. I say try ‘em all! There are just elements that elevate some burritos to true greatness.
