Suadero style taco’s from smoked chuckroast

Tacos de suadero are a true street food classic from Mexico City. Traditionally made from a thin cut of beef slowly cooked in its own fat, the result is incredibly tender meat with crispy, caramelised edges, served in a warm tortilla.

The original cut is hard to find outside Mexico, but the idea behind it is what makes this dish special. In our smoked version, we use beef neck (chuck) and build layers of flavour the way you would on a smoker. First, we smoke the meat for depth, then gently braise it in beef tallow until it becomes tender. Finally, we chop and sear it on a hot griddle for those signature crispy edges.

It’s not traditional, but it delivers everything you’re looking for: soft, juicy beef with rich flavour and just enough crunch to make every bite interesting.

Using a wire rack makes handling smaller pieces much easier. You can place everything on the grill in one go and lift it off just as easily later. With loose pieces, it quickly turns into a bit of a mess. 

Your grill is already running steady at around 110–120°C (230–250°F), and we’re using cherry wood for smoke. This gives a mild, slightly sweet smoke flavour and a beautiful colour on the meat.

After about two hours of smoking, the beef cubes will have taken on a deep reddish-brown colour from the cherry wood. Up close, you’ll notice the outside looks firm and slightly dry, while the inside is still juicy. If you didn’t know there were more steps coming, you’d probably eat them right now. Give it a little more time.

Now place a pan on the grill and add the beef tallow. Suadero is really all about the fat. The tallow absorbs flavour and later redistributes it through the meat. This is what gives you that rich, deep beef flavour in every bite.

Beef tallow is rendered beef fat. Any good butcher should be able to get you some. Or make it yourself next time you trim a brisket by slowly rendering and straining the fat.

Add the remaining ingredients to the fat. Onion and garlic form the base of any good braise. Then come bay leaves, cinnamon, clove, and cumin to give it that unmistakable Mexican character.

There’s also a dried ancho chili going in to add depth and richness to the braise.

After stewing the beef is tender and ready for the next step. Take it out of the pan, but don’t throw away the cooking liquid. This isn’t a by-product, it’s liquid gold.

In that pan you’ve got a mix of:

• beef tallow
• gelatin from the meat
• smoke
• onion, garlic, and spices

Before storing the liquid you strain it while still warm to remove herbs and solids. Then you let it cool completely in the fridge and it will separate into a firm layer of fat on top, a rich, jelly-like beef stock underneath. Store both sealed in the fridge for about a week, or freeze it in portions.

You can use the fat for frying meat or potatoes, the beef stock as a base for stews or to stir it into the water before you cook rice.We deliberately didn’t cook the beef until it falls apart. This isn’t pulled beef. You want chunky pieces with some bite. That’s what gives these tacos texture. Just chop the meat into smaller pieces with a knife.

Place a griddle in your grill and heat it up. Fry the meat in some of the reserved fat until crispy edges form. This final step is what gives you those signature suadero-style crispy bits.

This is what you’re after. Tender, juicy beef with dark, crispy edges. Rich, slightly smoky, and full of flavour. These aren’t traditional tacos de suadero from Mexico, but they follow the same idea: slowly cooked beef, finished hot and fast at the end.

If you’re going to make these tacos on your grill, let us know how they turn out. Or even better, share a photo on Instagram and tag @bbqhelden so we can see what you’ve made.