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Everythang' Tex-Mex!

Hey ya'll once again from the big dry ditch here in Las Vegas. A short while ago I spent 2 days whippin' out a batch of tamales and thought I would add them as part of a throwdown but then I had an epiphany. THP doesn't have a proper Tex-Mex thread for fajita's, enchilada's, refried beans, chips and salsa and such what nots. I reckon it's right appropos to begin now ya'll. I'll start it off with ....

TB's Notorious Tamales.

I began with a 6 pound pork shoulder. Now I could have smoked the 'thang low and slow but growing up in Texas, all my Mexican brothers moms would either roast the pork or just slapped it in the oven. I went one better. Crock pot! I got the old pepper pot out, dusted it off and set it on 300f. I unwrapped the shoulder and readily saw it wasn't going to fit. Damn! Nothin' a little whack and hack can't cure. Cut that wombat in half and stuck it in the pot. I hit that with Spanish and Hungarian paprikas, garlic, some no name chile powder I had stashed away, Mexican oregano, cumin, pequins and chix stock.

Once the pot got chuggin' along after a couple hours, the whole house was filled with the aroma of slow roasting porkage. mrs. blues was going crazy..."is it done yet? How 'bout now? Well?"

Needless to say the porkage came out just like pulled pork but without the "que". This stuff was pure gold. mrs. blues attacked it outright! Rich pork flavor with double the squeel!

I pulled the pork apart and stowed it in the fridge for the next days fixin's, along with the pork broth leftover from the pot.

The next day, I prepped the corn husks by soaking them in room temp water for an hour. You gotta' put 'em in a bowl or pot covered with the water and weight them down so they don't float and stay dry.

I then seasoned the pork with some onion, more chile powder, cumin and pequin powder, along with returning some of the stock to the meat mix.

Mixed the masa dough with some pequin powder and granulated garlic and some of the pork stock. Rolled it out on a husk one at a time, added the porkage mix, rolled them up and tied them off. One by one they went into a big soup pot I have for such things. After all the tamales were in the pot, I added the stock and some water to fill the pot about halfway up on the tamales. Put the lid on and then set the temp to low on the stove top. I let 'em go for about an hour and a half.

Now I don't know if ya'll make your own tamales but lemme' 'splain ya'll.....the aroma's, the flavors, are nothing short of incredible....

I did up about 45 tamales and vacuum packed them for the freezer. Between taking them to work and eating them at home, mrs. blues has wiped out two thirds of them and I'll have to make more next week.

Well hell! Enough wastin' time talkin' about 'em...let's get to the piccy's ya'll!!

All seasoned up...

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mrs. blues got me this 'thang...awesomenessess!!

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Crazy stuff goin' on here...

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All pulled..

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More to come shortly in the next post ya'll!!
 
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geeme booooo posting traditional Mex, this is Tex-Mex! Looks good but that ain't Tex-Mex. Have to add some melted cheese, chopped lettuce and tomato, and sour cream :lol:

PS. Did you use achiote? And curious, what was the recipe?
 
LOL - TexMex is just Mex dolled up!

Yep, achiote was used - it was hard to wash the red out of the spice grinder! Here's the original recipe:
5 tablespoons achiote seeds (also found as annatto seeds)
1-1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1-1/2 tablespoons black pepper (you KNOW I didn't use this! Used douglah powder instead)
1-1/4 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoons cloves
1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon or 6 inches of 1/2" diameter sticks
Sea salt
14 garlic cloves
1-1/2 cups fresh sour orange juice (or 1 cup fresh lime juice plus 1/2 cup fresh orange juice)
12 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 3" wide cross sections
Banana leaves

Grind all the dry spices together, then blend in 1 tablespoon salt, the garlic and sour orange juice. Refrigerate in a non-aluminum container 6 hours, then blend it again. Marinate the meat in this overnight. Line the pan with banana leaves, put in the pork, pour on the rest of the marinade, cover with banana leaves, then cover tightly with foil. Roast at no more than 300F (oven or grill) about 4 hours.

The book says it serves 12 to 15, but that is serving it just "plain", not taco-style. I made only about 1/4 of that recipe, and cheated a bit - although I used whole achiote seeds, I used ground versions of the rest of the seasonings (but fresh garlic, of course.) I also didn't let it steep the full 6 hours before marinating the pork with it.

Also, I used a higher ratio of cumin than the original called for, plus added some allspice.
 
geeme said:
Yep, achiote was used - it was hard to wash the red out of the spice grinder!
Click to expand...

G. - My all time fav way to clean the grinder is throw in some torn up bread! Soaks up the oils, etc, and makes for crazy tasty bread crumbs to boot!!!

The whole "TexMex" thang confuses me! Is this close: Tex = queso, & "Mex = heat? School me Y'all!!! :)

However you cut/cook it...G's grub looked rockin' fantabulous to me!!! And I, personally, adore those green wigglies! Scovie has no idea how much okra he eats! ;)
 
"What is Tex-Mex?" will get you 1,000 different answers, depending upon whom you ask and what part of Texas they're from. Some say it's a matter of really fresh ingredients along with Mexican seasonings - I like that definition! And sorry, no, simply adding cheese doesn't make it Tex any more than simply adding cumin makes anything Mex.
 
Tex-Mex may be as tricky as defining Mexican, since there are many foods and styles in Mexico, just like here, and everywhere. Imagine if you went to Mexico and all they had was the 10 items we're familiar with from Mexican restaurants. BORING! Cuisines should not be defined, they should be experienced! That's the only way.
 
And PS - I had this sudden notion after making it that I should have gotten fresh pomegranate to go with. I'm definitely giving that a try next time.
 
Wiki has an answer. I guess its not too bad.

"Tex-Mex" (portmanteau of Texan and Mexican) is a term used to describe a regional American cuisine that blends food products available in the United States and the culinary creations of Mexican-Americans influenced by the cuisines of Mexico. The cuisine has spread from border states such as Texas and those in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country. Tex-Mex is most popular in the southern state of Texas. Tex-Mex is very different from the southwest cuisine found in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. In these areas, the preferred southwest cuisine is New Mexican cuisine. The southwestern state of Nevada and West Coast state of California tend to lie in the middle as far the preferred style of Mexican-American food. In some places, particularly outside of Texas, "Tex-Mex" is used to describe a localized version of Mexican cuisine. It is common for all of these foods to be referred to as "Mexican food" in Texas, parts of the United States, and some other countries. In other ways it is Southern cooking using the commodities from Mexican culture. In many parts of the U.S. outside of Texas the term is synonymous with Southwestern cuisine.[sup][1][/sup][sup][2][/sup][sup][3][/sup]
Some ingredients are common in Mexican cuisine, but other ingredients not typically used in Mexico are often added. Tex-Mex cuisine is characterized by its heavy use of melted cheese, meat (particularly beef), beans, and spices, in addition to Mexican-style tortillas. Texas-style chili con carne, chili con queso, nachos, chili gravy, and fajitas are all Tex-Mex inventions.[sup][citation needed][/sup] A common feature of Tex-Mex is the combination plate, with several of the above on one large platter. Serving tortilla chips and a hot sauce or salsa as an appetizer is common in Tex-Mex restaurants. Moreover, Tex-Mex has imported flavors from other spicy cuisines, such as the use of cumin (common in Indian food, but used in only a few Central Mexican recipes).
 
Want real tex-mex? Well here 'tis y'all. Ain't nuthin' more tex-mex than Frito Pie! Whoop out some cheap chili no beans and slap in a bowl atop some Fritos, add cheese, chopped onions, 'peno's, sour cream, and whatever else you dig to get your grease on...

Ground chuck in cast iron is a beautiful thang y'all...

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If'n you ain't had frito pie, man you just ain't lived!

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A bowl looks nice and all for the pics but a feedbag would be more appropos...

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You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas. ~ Davy Crockett
 
Gettin' my queso on y'all. Can't have no tex-mex without queso, queso IS tex-mex.

Now one of the easiest and arguably the most traditional queso is made with velveeta, milk and Ro-Tel canned tomatos and chiles. Thats the one you'll find in countless restaurants across Texas and parts unknown. That's cool and the gang and all but I'm not all that freaky deaky with partially hydrogenated cheese product. So we make our own.

Here's how we roll up in here!

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Get it goin' on in a sauce pan with a tablespoon of butter, minced garlic, and small diced onion, fresno and 'peno chiles. Sweatem' out.

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Add your cream, no not milk, we want a sauce, not soup! Bring to a simmer and start whirring and stirring your favorite shredded cheese. I like cheddar but you can use anything. Provolone, fontina or any good melting cheese works. If the sauce is too thin, let it slow simmer on low or add more cheese....and stir stir stir!

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Now get it inna' bowl with your favorite chips...

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Tortilla chips ain't the only way to go though....poor the stuff over enchie's or over burrito's for a "wet" style burrito. Use it as a healthy facial pack. Pour it on fajita's. Use it as a lube for battery operated marital sex devices.

Experience the power of queso y'all!
 
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