We’re all obsessed with the ingredient that Alpers told us is a favorite filling for Sonoran-style burritos: carne seca. This sun-dried shredded beef is a local delicacy in Tucson. “The beef is literally dried in the sun until it becomes jerky, then it’s shredded and pan-fried with green chiles, onions, and tomatoes,” before being folded into a burrito, explains Alpers.
It sounds like beef jerky, but carne seca (which is Spanish for “dried meat”) has a few key differences. The beef is sliced thinner than beef jerky. As Alpers notes, the traditional way to prepare it is by drying it in the sun, and it is drier than jerky. Beef jerky, on the other hand, is made in an oven or a smoker.
At El Charro Cafe, the house-made carne seca is dried in the hot Arizona sun on the restaurant’s roof and then cooked with green chile, tomato, and onion. Carne seca is offered in the restaurant’s burros and chimichangas, as well as in enchiladas, on a burger, or on its own on a platter with rice, beans, various toppings, and tortillas. Can’t make it to Tucson to try a carne seca burrito for yourself? Some beef jerky brands make a carne seca product.
