[Drums beating] Pati, voice-over: Prohibition sent U.S. citizens south to Ciudad Jurez in search of spirits, giving it the nickname "The Roaring City."
Today, that spirit is alive and well with pachuco culture, and it's alive... [Rattling] through spirits.
I'm toasting with a margarita in the bar where it was invented.
Classic with a classic with a classic with a classic.
[Speaking Spanish] [Sizzling] Pati, voice-over: And you can't visit Ciudad Jurez without trying something else it's famous for.
Pati: A super-famous weenie burrito from Jurez.
[Applause] Pati, voice-over: Keep that applause going because I'm bringing the borderlands to my kitchen with classic nachos draped in melty cheese and juicy carne asada.
Wow, this is great.
Mm.
Then I'm teaching you the iconic El Compa shredded beef and egg burrito.
Breakfast of campeones.
[Sizzling] What a feast!
Pati: Mm!
So succulent.
These beans are insane.
[All laugh] Mm.
Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... Announcer: La Costea.
por sabor!
Men: Avocados from Mexico Announcer: Texas A&M International University-- going beyond borders.
Announcer: Eggland's Best available in your grocer's egg aisle.
Visit egglandsbest.com.
[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.
[Swing music playing] Pati, voice-over: I love dancing.
Like cooking, it tells a story without words, plus, it's just fun.
And who better to show me a few moves than the renowned pachucos of Ciudad Jurez?
The pachuco counterculture, with its zoot suits and love for swing music, was born during Prohibition as an act of defiance against conformity.
Pati: Tell me a little bit about pachuco culture.
Woman: It was a rebellious group against the society and all the stuff that was happening.
It was, um, a way to...to stand up.
Pati, voice-over: Violeta Casas is the founder of Movimiento Pachuco, a group that is still as defiant of cultural norms, but having more family fun than ever.
Mateo Zapatas' parents invited some pachucos to his eighth birthday party, and he was hooked.
He's still learning basic math, but his moves are adding up to a future legend.
[Pati speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
[Speaking Spanish] [Man speaking Spanish] [Speaks Spanish] Pati, voice-over: During Prohibition, Americans poured into Ciudad Jurez for legal libations.
Fittingly, we're storming the Kentucky Bar that's just steps from El Paso, Texas.
It's also the rumored birthplace of another cultural phenomenon... [Rattling] the margarita.
[Pati speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm-hmm.
Pati, voice-over: Omar Lugunas, the manager, explains that the bartender created the drink for a coworker's girlfriend, who loved tequila.
[Speaking Spanish] Ah!
[Both speaking Spanish] [Overlapping chatter, shaker rattling] Pati, voice-over: Theo Morales has been a bartender for 20 years, and his specialty is, of course, the famous Kentucky Bar margarita.
[Both speaking Spanish] To note, margaritas are not pureed in a blender.
You need to shake them.
[Speaks Spanish] Muy bien.
[Rattling] Ha ha ha ha!
[Both speaking Spanish] OK, now I'm going to have my first sip of a classic margarita, made by... Theo.
Mm!
Super-fresh, super-cold.
I feel like I'm at the beach, suddenly.
Perfect balance, the tequila, limn, orange liqueur, and ah!
Cold!
Yum!
[All speaking Spanish] OK, uh-huh.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[Both speaking Spanish] [Rattling] [Speaking Spanish] Whoa.
OK, and the margarita is an iconic drink of Mexico, and the tequila is an iconic spirit of Mexico, and... [Speaking Spanish] Classic with a classic with a classic with a classic.
[Both speaking Spanish] Violeta: Ha ha!
[Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Beyond the margarita, you have to try another borderland invention-- nachos.
Kentucky Bar's cheesy, crunchy sirloin nachos are a revelation.
Mm.
[Both speaking Spanish] These are so good!
It's like the classic nachos, but with refried beans, melty cheese, and the classic pickled jalapeo.
[All speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: From Ciudad Jurez to my kitchen, I've got you covered for a classic nacho recipe you can whip together at home.
[Livelier music playing] Pati: Enrique, I'm so excited that you're here, not only because you're my friend and you're an amazing cook, but you come from the borderland.
The nachos are, like, the iconic borderland food.
Yes.
And you come from...
Which is?
Which is the-- well, the--a small city on the border with Eagle Pass, Texas.
But it's the birthplace-- And it is the birthplace of the nachos.
So-- We have the biggest festival for the nacho... Ha ha!
in the world, so, yes.
Let's start making the totopos.
Yes.
So we're going to make carne asada nachos.
OK.
I got inspired by the nachos I ate at the Kentucky Bar.
So I have the corn tortillas.
I think the easiest thing to do is to brush the tortillas with oil... Uh-huh.
and then we can cut them into pieces.
I have a knife for me and a knife for you.
You can choose.
I want this one.
It's shiny.
This is so kind of me, so kind of me.
I'm letting you choose your knife first.
Ha ha ha!
[Speaking Spanish] Can you brush my pan, too... Sure.
with oil?
And then I want you to tell me the story of how the nachos came to be 'cause you've told me that this is like-- So this is what I know.
So Ignacio Anaya... Mm-hmm.
"Don Nacho," right?
Uh-huh.
In Mexico, to Ignacios, you call it...
Both: Nacho.
He worked at a club.
I--I think the name was-- The Victory Club.
The Victory Club.
Exactly.
Yeah.
And one day, a group of American ladies, regular to the-- to the restaurant.
Mm-hmm.
They ask Don Nacho a new snack... Mm-hmm.
they'd say, right?
Mm-hmm.
And he came to the kitchen, and he--he did this.
Mm-hmm.
Exactly what we're doing, so, basically, tortilla.
Mm-hmm.
He added cheese... Mm-hmm.
I'm going to cut this into-- and sliced jalapeo.
A sensation.
A sensation.
But I wanted to tell you, so totopos-- tortilla chips-- are so important...
Yes.
for nachos, of course, and there's-- I mean, you know, 'cause you're a cook.
There's two ways-- well, there's 3 ways, really, to make totopos, or tortilla chips.
Yes.
One is you can deep-fry them in oil.
Uh-huh.
The other one is you can bake them in the oven with a little bit of oil-- And I think that's the traditional one.
The baked in the oven, right?
That's how Ignacio Anaya did it, yes.
Yeah!
You can also toast them...
Yes.
on the grill, so I'm going to put these in the oven.
I have the oven at 375, and I do, like, 15 minutes.
And we're going to flip them, but meanwhile, we're going to marinate meat 'cause we're going to make carne asada nachos or... That's a sophisticated way for the nachos.
[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.
Sweet.
Yeah.
Pati: I love skirt steak because it is so packed with flavor... Enrique: Yes.
that you get the beefy flavor, and you get the grains, which are so nice to bite into.
And I didn't know this, but I realized that arrachera is a falda, or a skirt steak, that has been marinated with, like, a witch's brew of sorts... Yeah.
which is what you're going to help me do.
Super.
[Speaking Spanish] So I cut the skirt steak just into, like, 3-, 4-inch pieces, just to make it easy to grill.
And here, let me rinse my hands.
But we're going to marinate, so we're going to add-- I have 3 tablespoons of soy sauce there.
OK. We'll start with this?
Yeah.
OK. We have a teaspoon of Dijon.
OK. And then we have a tablespoon of [Speaking Spanish] OK, and then we're going to do freshly squeezed lime juice.
That's great, OK. Uh-huh.
Where's my knife?
Then slice.
Yes, this is mine.
[Laughs, speaks Spanish] Ha ha!
Now we're gonna do lime juice.
Lime.
OK. And then-- so the lime juice is great because it-- it will give flavor to the meat, but it also tenderizes it a little, and we need that with falda.
OK, so I'm adding salt, and I'm adding pepper, and then we're going to grab two garlic cloves.
[Crunches] No?
I'm telling you, Enrique knows what he's doing.
[Chuckles] [Crunches] Do you want me to...cut it or not?
Finely chopped, yes.
OK. Like, super finely chopped.
Mira, and you're holding the knife right.
[Chuckles] No, you do this.
I do this.
No, that!
Yeah!
OK. Enrique, you're approved in my kitchen.
Heh heh!
OK, now we're going to throw in the garlic.
OK. OK, so I'm adding the meat here, and, I mean...
Smells amazing.
It smells amazing.
Let's check on the chips.
Let me rinse my hands again.
[Oven bell dings] OK, I'm gonna flip them.
I like them super crazy crispy.
OK.
But I know people that like the nachos soft.
Yes.
Is that you?
Well, uh, nachos are very similar to chilaquiles, right?
Yes.
And it's a breakfast-- uh, ha ha!--dish.
Yes.
But chilaquiles, we like it-- in our family, we like it, like, very soft.
No!
Right?
So-- No!
So you--ha ha!
Wow!
No!
We're just putting the chips back in, or the totopos, for another 15 minutes so they'll be super-crispy.
So now we're going to grill the meat.
OK, so I have these.
[Speaking Spanish] Yes, but you can do it with your hands here.
OK. [Sizzling] That sound, it's just crazy, right?
It is so crazy.
Yum.
Did you want to rinse your hands?
OK, let's talk about Mennonite cheese.
While I was there, I learned that Chihuahua cheese is the Mennonite cheese... Is the Mennonite.
made in Chihuahua.
OK.
But so taste it, try it.
Tell me what you think.
It's super-good.
Mm.
I don't know how to describe it.
It's so good.
It's like-- It's very strong.
Mm-hmm.
If you can't find Mennonite or Chihuahua cheese, you can use Monterey Jack, Muenster, cheddar.
OK, I'm going to take this out 'cause this looks ready.
Porque we want it juicy, right?
Let's taste it, let's see if the marinade is on point.
OK. Mm-hmm?
Mm-hmm.
I think it is.
Mm, mm.
The chips are getting ready.
I want to make sure they're not soggy.
I think that the totopos, or the chips-- either if you bake them or you fry them, they can go very quickly from perfectly golden to burned.
Yes.
So...
In two minutes.
you guys have to be careful.
Once they start getting golden-brown, take them out 'cause they'll burn fast after that.
[Speaks Spanish] That is, like-- We're ready.
The color is so gorgeous, right?
Yep.
Now, I have refried pinto beans.
Yes.
The cheese is on top of the beans, right?
Yes, 'cause you want the cheese to be super-melty.
OK.
This is just-- Isn't it gorgeous?
And now we need to add the chiles, jalapeos.
I'll raise the heat to 400.
OK. You can do 400, 425, and then put this in just until the cheese melts.
Yes.
As we wait for that, we can cut some avocado.
OK. Nice.
Slices.
[Oven bell dings] [Both speaking Spanish] I'm going in.
Let's go.
Let's do it.
Super-filling, generous bite.
[Crunching] Mm.
This food is so unapologetically delicious.
It's like the beans are flavorful, the Mennonite cheese is insane.
Wow, this is great.
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
That's why you go to the stadium, not to watch the football, but to eat nachos.
Ha ha ha!
[Crunching] [Festive music playing] Pati, voice-over: The burrito became popular during the Mexican Revolution... [Horse neighs] and now it's famous worldwide, but it's still best-enjoyed in northern Mexico.
And El Compa in Ciudad Jurez is a formidable contender for the best burrito around.
Hola.
Man: Hola.
[Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The late Alfonso Olivares opened El Compa 50 years ago and quickly gained a reputation for making an exquisite burrito.
After passing away in 2015, his 4 kids and small staff carry on the tradition.
[Pati speaking Spanish] [Man speaking Spanish] It's food on the go for workers, no?
[Speaking Spanish] [Speaks Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Their best-selling deshebrada burrito is made with tender, slow-cooked beef, jalapeos, onions, and tomatoes, then topped with creamy avocado and, finally, wrapped in warm, handmade flour tortillas.
[Pati and man speaking Spanish] Pati: ...from making so many flour tortillas every day.
[Pati and man speaking Spanish] 35 years making... [Speaks Spanish] [Speaks Spanish] Pati, voice-over: But what I'm dying to try could only be the product of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands-- a wiener burrito, the unique combination of Vienna sausage and beans.
[Pati and man speaking Spanish] Uh-huh?
[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Woman and Pati speaking Spanish] [Paper tearing] [Both speaking Spanish] The super-famous weenie burrito.
[Both speaking Spanish] Mm!
[Applause] Pati, voice-over: It's certainly worthy of applause, but that shredded beef burrito is what is lingering in my mind.
He says, if you want to understand Ciudad Jurez, you have to understand the shredded beef burrito, so I guess I have no choice but to show you how to make it.
[Livelier music playing] Pati: I promised.
Now I'm gonna deliver.
I'm gonna show you how to make your... [Speaks Spanish] because that's my favorite one at home.
We're going to start with the meat, and I have here one pound of flank steak.
Now, you can make the filling for this burrito with brisket, with flank, with skirt steak, but I really like it with flank.
And I have water that I already-- it's getting hot and I need it to start simmering, and I'm going to cook the meat in there.
I'm going to cut the meat into like, one- to one-and-a-half-inch chunks.
OK, I'm adding the meat in here.
Let me rinse my knife, my board, and my hands.
Now I need a half of a white onion.
It's just your basic, simple, like... [Speaks Spanish] preparation.
We're going to use half of the onion to cook with the meat and half of the onion to make a super-delicious tomato base.
We're going to add 3 garlic cloves, two bay leaves.
Typical way to season a... [Speaks Spanish] Now we're going to bring this to a boil, and once it does, you're going to let the meat cook for about an hour to an hour and a half, until the meat is really falling apart when you shred it, and that is what deshebrada means.
I have some meat that I already cooked.
Oh, it smells so good!
Smells like Caldo de Res.
I'm going to remove the onion, strain the meat... and I'm going to start making the base for seasoning the deshebrada.
I'm going to add a couple tablespoons of oil.
I'm going to let them heat, and then I'm going to chop half of an onion.
I'm going to finely chop this one.
So, in El Compa, they have the beef that's all already cooked and shredded, and when you order your burrito, they add the beef to the plancha, or the griddle, and then they add the onions, the jalapeos, and the tomato, and cook it all with the meat.
I like to make my base first and make it really come together and make it super-intense and mushy before adding the shredded meat.
OK, I'm cooking this onion until it really softens and it wilts in the oil, and then I'm adding a serrano and a jalapeo.
I mean, you could choose.
I'm keeping all the seeds... throwing that in there, mix that up.
We want that to soften.
And then, I'm adding a pound of ripe Roma tomatoes, or Guaje, and I'm going to start adding the tomatoes as I chop them.
So now I want to add some salt and pepper.
Now, we're going to shred the meat.
By cooking the meat like we did, I mean, look at how the meat comes apart.
By cooking it low and slow, we just made it so tender.
Mix it all together.
This is ready.
I think the principles of burrito heaven are one phenomenal flour tortilla and one phenomenal filling, which is what we have.
I'm grabbing this small pan, and I'm adding some of the deshebrada.
I know how good it's going to taste, but I'm going to prove it to you by taking one bite.
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
Mm, mm, so delicious.
It's powerful.
It's the tomato.
It's concentrated, it's really spicy because I added the jalapeo and the serrano, but it's got so much taste.
And I want to grab a couple of eggs.
I'm going to crack them.
Salt, pepper, scramble.
Whenever I add my scrambled eggs to anything, I make sure that my pan is at medium-low heat and not higher 'cause I like a soft scramble.
[Sizzling] And, yeah, now it's just a simple scramble, but it's a most delicious scramble.
As my eggs continue to cook, I'm going to start cooking my flour tortillas.
Now, you can make your flour tortillas at home if you have time.
If you don't have time, try to find flour tortillas at the store that are ready for you to cook, so all you need to do is add them to your preheated comal at medium-low heat.
Here's one for me.
Oh, it's puffing!
Ah, so beautiful!
This is how you know you have a good flour tortilla.
Look at the puff.
When it puffs, it's telling you that it's cooking from within, so it cooks on the outside, on both sides.
OK, tortilla ready.
[Sizzling] Mm, mm, mm!
This is really the breakfast of campeones.
This is what I want my breakfast to look like.
Mm.
I mean, El Compa burritos are outstanding, but...you guys from El Compa, you have to come here and try some of mine.
Pati: There's a bird in the house?
Yeah, it's... [Man speaking Spanish] Heh heh!
Oh, it's a baby!
Oh, wait, wait, maybe I want to try to open here.
Oh!
I keep--did it go out?
Come, come, come, come.
Pati: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com and connect.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, X, Instagram, and Pinterest @PatiJinich.
Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... Announcer: La Costea.
por sabor!
Men: Avocados from Mexico Announcer: Texas A&M International University-- going beyond borders.
Announcer: Eggland's Best available in your grocer's egg aisle.
Visit egglandsbest.com.
[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.
Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.
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