I know I’ve been going off topic lately, covering everything from baseball to my travels, but I assure you this post isn’t about that 80’s boy band that incubated no-talent hacks stars like Ricky Martin.
Some of you may consider this comforting Mexican offal stew equally cringe-worthy, but I think it gets a bum wrap because of the odd ingredients, which admittedly require some amount of care to prepare correctly. I have to tell you though that this piquant and hearty stew is the perfect recovery food after a long night spent throwing back cervezas.
To be totally honest, I’m not a huge fan of offal. The strong minerally taste of liver and kidney keep those organs off my plate and out of my kitchen. Tripe is a different animal though (figuratively if not literally) and when prepared properly it’s downright mild in comparison to other organ meats.
Like in many cultures, Menudo’s origins are rooted in the fact that offal was considered a garbage cut and was thus very cheap. This made it a good source of protein for the masses. Today, there are many regional variations, but most include tripe , which are the stomachs (yes they have more than one) of ruminant animals.
I’ve used a combination of honeycomb tripe (the second stomach of a cow) along with pig trotters, for a rich collagen laden broth. By soaking, par boiling then braising the tripe for hours in an aromatic broth, all but the faintest traces of the stomach’s former contents are eliminated. The slow braise converts the connective tissues into gelatin and the naturally spongy structure of the tripe help it absorb all the good flavours in the cooking liquid.
While they may not look it, the trotters are quite tame in comparison to tripe and have started showing up on menu’s all over the country. In New York City, there’s even a Japanese restaurant that specializes in pig trotters. When cooked for a long time, they create a wonderful stock, and the connective tissue and cartilage soften to a jelly like consistency that’s creamy, rich and fulfilling. After the bones are removed and the meat is cut up, you really wouldn’t know what it was unless you were looking for it.
The finished dish has a bright red color coming from the sweet dried guajillo chilies. With small bits of starchy hominy, this makes for a wonderfully satisfying all-in-one meal. To give the slow cooked stew a little freshness, and to further obscure the offal, serve this with a healthy squeeze of lime juice, onions and cilantro. The leftovers are fantastic served with scrambled eggs and tortillas.
Ingredients
- 900 grams honeycomb tripe
- 2 pig trotters
for braising liquid
- 10 cups water
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1 head garlic smashed
- 5 plants cilantro stems and roots only
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 4 chiles de árbol (small spicy red)
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using table salt)
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
for menudo
- 115 grams dried guajillo chiles
- 3 cups cooked white hominy
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Steps
- If your tripe has been bleached (white color), soak it in a couple changes of cold water for a few hours to get rid of the chlorine smell. If you are using unbleached tripe (grey or greenish brown), thoroughly clean it under cold water and remove any extra fat on the smooth side.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil then add the tripe and trotters. Boil for about 5 minutes then drain, discarding the water, and wash the tripe and foot clean of any brown gunk that's collected on the surface.
- Wash the pot out and return the cleaned tripe and trotter to the pot then add all the ingredients for the braising liquid. Cover and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and simmer for 3 hours. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Remove the tripe and brush off any spices or brown stuff. Slice it into 1/2" x 2" strips. Remove the trotters, clean and strip off the meat and tendon then roughly chop. Strain the stock through a double mesh strainer into a bowl and press on the solids. Wash out the pot and add the chopped tripe and trotter back into the pot.
- Place the oven rack in the lower middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F. Tear the guajillo chilies open, discarding the stems and seeds. Flatten the chilies on a foil lined baking sheet then spritz with cooking spray. Put the chilies in the oven for about 5 minutes or until you start smelling sweet and peppery, be careful not to burn them. Remove them from the oven and cover with very hot tap water and allow them to rehydrate (about 15-20 minutes).
- Drain the chilies and put them in a blender with about half the stock. Puree until smooth, adding more stock if needed. Strain the chili mixture through a double mesh strainer into the pot with the tripe and trotters. Once you have strained the chili mixture, pour the rest of the stock through the strainer into the pot, pressing on any remaining solids.
- If you are using frozen hominy, measure out 3 cups into the pot. If you are using canned hominy, wash and soak in cold water to get rid of the "canned" taste. Add the rest of the menudo ingredients, lightly salt to taste and simmer uncovered for about an hour, until the tripe has taken on the color of the chilies and the soup is nice and thick. Check once last time for salt and augment if needed.
- It's best if you let it sit overnight for the flavours to mingle, but you can also eat it right away. Serve with tortillas, chopped sweet onions, cilantro and lots of lime.
Notes:
Gorgeous color on that, Marc! As I said before, I’ve never tried it, but I might just have to road trip up to NYC to have a bite of your version 🙂
I must admit that you’ve discovered the beauty of offal in these pictures. How do you do that? 🙂
When I lived in the North End, the butcher shop displayed a heap of tripe in their window. Each day I walked by that shop and wondered how I’d ever prepare it. This recipe would have been the ticket!
I thought this would be next after the tripe post. Looks great and flavors sound wonderful but I will pass. I am not an offal girl! I will just take some sauce over rice.
Gorgeous color on that, Marc! As I said before, I’ve never tried it, but I might just have to road trip up to NYC to have a bite of your version 🙂
I must admit that you’ve discovered the beauty of offal in these pictures. How do you do that? 🙂
When I lived in the North End, the butcher shop displayed a heap of tripe in their window. Each day I walked by that shop and wondered how I’d ever prepare it. This recipe would have been the ticket!
Mexican offal stew – where have you been all my life?
I thought this would be next after the tripe post. Looks great and flavors sound wonderful but I will pass. I am not an offal girl! I will just take some sauce over rice.
Jen, are you referring to the North End in Boston? I live in Cambridge, MA, and have heard that the North End has some very authentic old-country-style tripe!
Mexican offal stew – where have you been all my life?
It looks gorgeous and great job, but I just don’t think I can do tripe. Now, a vegetarian version, I would definitely want to eat.
Call me crazy but I think this looks delicious!
I have to admit I was never a big fan of tripe. The rest of my family would happily eat their fill whenever my late-Mom cooked it. Me? I always opted for something else that night. But recently, I tried tripe at Incanto restaurant in San Francisco, where Chef Chris Cosentino is famous for his way with offal. After one taste, I finally realized why everyone else loves this stuff so much. Cosentino’s version was sooooo tender. The texture truly was sublime.
It looks gorgeous and great job, but I just don’t think I can do tripe. Now, a vegetarian version, I would definitely want to eat.
I had menudo for the first time a month ago when I was in Jalos, Mexico. Despite it not being my favorite brunch meal, I did appreciate the intense acidic flavor that was needed to cut that “offal” flavor.
I like to eat it with an un-abashedly large serving of limes.
In the end I think I prefer birria in the context of mexican specialty dishes. Although I’d love to try and cook this.
Call me crazy but I think this looks delicious!
I have to admit I was never a big fan of tripe. The rest of my family would happily eat their fill whenever my late-Mom cooked it. Me? I always opted for something else that night. But recently, I tried tripe at Incanto restaurant in San Francisco, where Chef Chris Cosentino is famous for his way with offal. After one taste, I finally realized why everyone else loves this stuff so much. Cosentino’s version was sooooo tender. The texture truly was sublime.
I had menudo for the first time a month ago when I was in Jalos, Mexico. Despite it not being my favorite brunch meal, I did appreciate the intense acidic flavor that was needed to cut that “offal” flavor.
I like to eat it with an un-abashedly large serving of limes.
In the end I think I prefer birria in the context of mexican specialty dishes. Although I’d love to try and cook this.
Well Ricky Martin did come to mind immediately, but this is probably better than a singing Ricky.
Well Ricky Martin did come to mind immediately, but this is probably better than a singing Ricky.
I’ve heard so much about Incanto I really do have to give it a try the next time I’m out there.
I agree on the lime. It helps tame the gaminess and I love the spicy/salty/sour contrast.
Love it – is tripe better than Ricky Martin?? I think most def.
Love it – is tripe better than Ricky Martin?? I think most def.
I can’t see the link with Ricky Martin for the life of me, but who cares. This looks tremendous. Even tripe looks good when YOU take a picture of it 🙂 genius!
I can’t see the link with Ricky Martin for the life of me, but who cares. This looks tremendous. Even tripe looks good when YOU take a picture of it 🙂 genius!
oh gosh, i’ve never had this before but it looks too amazing to pass up. the colours are gorgeous. to the fishmonger’s it is! x
My mom used to take me to a Mexican flea market in Houston on Sundays that had a tiny tin-can of a place that served menudo at $5 a bowl, with–get this–FREE REFILLS! Sometimes I would see the locals squeeze lime juice all over a warm, soft tortilla, sprinkle salt on top, roll it up tightly and dip it into the stew. So happy to see this post–yours looks great!
oh gosh, i’ve never had this before but it looks too amazing to pass up. the colours are gorgeous. to the fishmonger’s it is! x
I tried cooking tripe once while in college (I thought it was a type of fish), and all I remember is that it filled my dorm room with a horrendous odor. I ended up throwing it away.
Guess I could’ve used a few tips . . .
My mom used to take me to a Mexican flea market in Houston on Sundays that had a tiny tin-can of a place that served menudo at $5 a bowl, with–get this–FREE REFILLS! Sometimes I would see the locals squeeze lime juice all over a warm, soft tortilla, sprinkle salt on top, roll it up tightly and dip it into the stew. So happy to see this post–yours looks great!
I tried cooking tripe once while in college (I thought it was a type of fish), and all I remember is that it filled my dorm room with a horrendous odor. I ended up throwing it away.
Guess I could’ve used a few tips . . .
Thanks for the great recipe. I’m in NM and eat menudo as often as I find it, which is often in the winter. I’ve only cooked it from scratch twice so I’m thankful for your detailed recipe. All the various parts are simmering on my stove right now. We’re having friends over for New Year’s Eve and I wanted to serve them an authentic NM good-luck-for-the-New Year meal. I’m originally from the South so I’ll be making Hoppin’ John soup, too, which is a New Years’ Eve good luck meal, too. I cut my tripe in tiny pieces after cooking,… Read more »
Thanks for the great recipe. I’m in NM and eat menudo as often as I find it, which is often in the winter. I’ve only cooked it from scratch twice so I’m thankful for your detailed recipe. All the various parts are simmering on my stove right now. We’re having friends over for New Year’s Eve and I wanted to serve them an authentic NM good-luck-for-the-New Year meal. I’m originally from the South so I’ll be making Hoppin’ John soup, too, which is a New Years’ Eve good luck meal, too. I cut my tripe in tiny pieces after cooking,… Read more »
Since I was a child I have been a big fan of menudo, but I learned not to eat it just anywhere. Some boil it so much it gets slimmy and doesn’t taste good. Other’s cook is “chilis and tripe”. This recipe seems to be the best, I can’t wait to try it in a couple of days.
Since I was a child I have been a big fan of menudo, but I learned not to eat it just anywhere. Some boil it so much it gets slimmy and doesn't taste good. Other's cook is “chilis and tripe”. This recipe seems to be the best, I can't wait to try it in a couple of days.
During a camping trip at Pescadero, CA, I went looking for a newspaper early Sunday morning and found the only gas station with a market was serving menudo. It’s the best I’ve ever tasted! I’ll have to try your recipe and hope it comes close to what I just had.
During a camping trip at Pescadero, CA, I went looking for a newspaper early Sunday morning and found the only gas station with a market was serving menudo. It's the best I've ever tasted! I'll have to try your recipe and hope it comes close to what I just had.
I’ll post the same information to my blog, thanks for ideas and great article.
i made some and it’s toooo salty…how can you help?
Sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. Did you use kosher salt? If so, which brand? Morton’s tends to be significantly saltier than Diamond Crystal. If you used regular table salt, did you halve the amount of salt?
As with any recipe, it’s usually a good idea to salt anything to your tastes as people’s preferences vary, and there’s huge variation in the salinity of various brands of salt. Depending on how salty it is, you might be able to fix it by adding some vegetables (carrots, potatoes, etc) and more water.
add a peeled raw potato and let it absorb the salt.
This recipe is so delicious. I made it for my family & friends last night and they all loved it.
wait… i DONT understand why you just dont cut the tripe after the 1st 5min boil? it seems like you can skip cooling down the tripe afte the long boil if you just cut it up when u add the braising ingredients. tell me if there is a method to this madness (lol).. recipe looks great but im just trying to understand.
Hahaha that’s an excellent point! It will also cook faster if you cut
it up, so I say go for it!
p.s. why does so many brands of frozen tripe have hair???? ive tried to make it twice and each time (using a different brand) it has hair in between the layers. THIS IS SOOOOO GROSS!!!!!! i just purchased some yesterday fresh from the butcher and it looks amazing! I havent fully inspected it out of the package but i looked very very close through the package and was happy to see it had no visibal hair. I hope that when i cut it up its the same story. HAS ANYONE EXPERIENCED THIS? it is the easiest way to waste $9… Read more »
I haven’t had the hair problem, but I hate buying tripe in the US
because they’re all bleached. I think it’s an FDA requirement, and it
makes the tripe smell like a swimming pool. I usually soak the tripe
in water overnight to tone down the smell, but it doesn’t completely
go away.
You don’t cut the tripe at the beginning because it makes it hard to filter the stock and be sure that you’ve removed any bones.
This is the great blog, I’m reading them for a while, thanks for the new posts!
This is so interested! Where can I find more like
this?
Dude, you have no idea how you just changed my life! For years I’ve been searching for a menudo recipe that tasted like my local taqueria’s in San Jose, CA (I’ve tried 20+ recipes), and yours comes the closest by far. I have no idea whether their’s was “authentic” or “the best” or what, but I do know I loved it every Saturday or Sunday morning when I might have consumed too much alcohol the night before. The taqueria closed a few months ago, and in desperation I tried the menudo from four otherp local places. Theirs all tasted like… Read more »