Taquitos Meet High-tech Silicone

We love to eat chicken taquitos, but I don't enjoy making them so much because keeping them tightly rolled during frying is always a challenge. The standard toothpick method, even when the tortillas are soft and pliable, bring out my inner klutz. Taquitos are available in all kinds of local restaurants, but more often than not, are either soggy or so over-fried they can gouge deep cuts into the roof of your mouth! When I make them at home, I like the shell to shatter when you bite in to them.

So, I decided to try out these heat resistant silicone bands. They really worked well. Tortilla selection and handling are still key to avoid tearing or bursting, but the bands were far easier to use than toothpicks. And the bright colors make them easy to spot before eating - if you've ever bitten into a toothpick hidden in a taquito, you know what I mean.

Before frying:



After frying:



Topped with shredded cabbage, crema, pico, queso fresco, and guacamole on the side (I need to do a better job of setting white balance on my camera - the guacamole was really a bright green)..



I also used these bands for keeping stuffed cabbage rolls closed while browning. They are resusable. I got them at http://www.cutlery.com/ (search for part# W6456020).

Bill/SFNM

Taquitos are one of Sparky's favorite foods, and I have tried making them several times without real success (although, god bless him, he eats them anyway) I have a Mexican friend who insists that they're "easy," but when I follow her instructions at home, things fall apart.

I like your silicone band idea - what brand of tortillas are you using (or are yours hecho a mano?) I have a feeling, although I keep trying to find the "very thin" corn tortillas my friend described, that that's the major part of the problem.

PS - those look delicious!

Mhays wrote:
what brand of tortillas are you using (or are yours hecho a mano?) I have a feeling, although I keep trying to find the "very thin" corn tortillas my friend described, that that's the major part of the problem.

PS - those look delicious!

Thanks!

Tortilla selection is important. First priority is to get the most flavorful tortillas you can find. I use a local brand - Santa Fe Tortilla Company. They have a number of varieties: white corn, yellow corn, blue corn, etc. The darker yellow corn ones that are on the thick side are the ones I prefer. Freshly made tortillas are NOT the best for this dish, IMO.

There are many ways of getting the tortillas soft and pliable, even if they are a few days old. The problem with some of these (e.g., microwaving in moist towel) is that unless you fry them the moment you roll them, they can crack as they dry. I lightly spray both sides with Pam and place on a cookie sheet and cover with foil. I put them in the oven for a few minutes and then roll them.

Hope this helps a little.

Bill/SFNM

Aah! My friend espouses the microwave method, which leaves me with gummy tortillas that crack. Interesting that you prefer thick, rather than thin. I'm going to have to try this again...

Mhays wrote:Interesting that you prefer thick, rather than thin. I'm going to have to try this again...

It's not that I prefer them thick. It is just that the ones with the most intense corn flavor are thicker. You may find thin ones with a good flavor.

Bill/SFNM

Hmm... I'd always looked for a means of holding things like that together. For years I've tried to come up with an edible staple, but an inedible but non-destroyed rubber band sounds like a better option.

So here is another good use of the silicone bands. This is a cochito smoked in banana leaves - my rendition of a roasted pork dish from Chiapas - similar to cochinito pibil from the Yucatan, but more fragrant and flavorful. Butcher's twine is the way I usually keep the leaves in place, but these bands were easier and more effective.



Bill/SFNM

Bill,

Are these the same bands you used on the taquitos? If so that is one majorly stuffed banana leaf, judging by the diameter of the stretched rubber bands. I'd love to see what was inside.

stevez wrote:Bill,

Are these the same bands you used on the taquitos? If so that is one majorly stuffed banana leaf, judging by the diameter of the stretched rubber bands. I'd love to see what was inside.

stevez,

Yes, they are the same bands. Inside is a 12 pound bone-in pork butt, marinated with a paste of chiles, herbs, spices, etc. and currently bathing in pecan smoke at 275F in the smoker. Should be done before midnight. I'll take photos tomorrow at lunch: pulled cochito with freshly made tortillas and sweet onion slivers.

I have only been only to find these bands in one size, but I hope they will eventually be available in a range of sizes. If anyone finds other sizes, please let me know. Thanks!

Bill/SFNM

Bill/SFNM wrote:I have only been only to find these bands in one size, but I hope they will eventually be available in a range of sizes. If anyone finds other sizes, please let me know. Thanks!

Bill,

These are the first silicone rubber bands that I have seen, but have you checked out Food Loops? They're adjustable and you can hook more than one together for those really big jobs.

stevez wrote:
These are the first silicone rubber bands that I have seen, but have you checked out Food Loops? They're adjustable and you can hook more than one together for those really big jobs.

Stevez, food loops look interesting - I'll have to try one out if I can find an application for it. I've also seen a length of silicon with a trussing needle on the end.

Here are photos of the finished cochito. It fell apart into all of its components muscle groups when the bone was removed:

Bill/SFNM wrote:Here are photos of the finished cochito. It fell apart into all of its components muscle groups when the bone was removed:

OK. I'm really hungry now. I was going to wait until Chuck's Mardi Gras Bash to eat, but this is not making it easy.