Cooked From the Heart » Mexican » Tito’s Tacos’ All Meat Burrito
Tito’s Tacos’ All Meat Burrito
I went to school just down the road from Tito’s Tacos in Culver City and it became a lunch time and after school destination for us to get something good and cheap enough for our allowance. It became a habit and like almost everything that you grow up eating, it became as much of a comfort food as mom’s cooking.
I have been living out of state for a long time now but every time I go back to L.A., Tito’s Tacos is a must stop and their all meat burrito is a must have. I have never found anything like it anywhere else. So I was genuinely excited when one of my facebook friends who also attended the same school posted that he found a recipe that came really close to the Tito’s Tacos all meat burrito! He tried this copy cat recipe from food.com and since he said it was just like the real thing, I decided to give it a go. Of course, I couldn’t just follow the recipe, I had to tweak it just a bit.
I must say, I was quite happy with the result and so was the family. I had mine with just meat and cheese because I wanted to see if it was just as I remember having, and I was not disappointed! The rest of the family added extras like sour cream and pico de gallo and rice with theirs and they all proclaimed they would love to have this added to the regulars on the menu. And just like any good stew, this was even better the next day!
- 3-4 lbs Beef Chuck Roast, trimmed and cut into chunks
- ½ cup Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 teaspoon Ancho Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Chipotle Chili powder
- 3 cups water or Beef Broth
- Salt to taste
- Coat the beef pieces with flour
- Heat a heavy bottomed pan or skillet and add the olive oil. Sear the pieces of beef until browned on all sides and put them in the slow cooker.
- In the skillet, with the remaining oil, add the garlic and onions. Saute until fragrant and the onions are translucent.
- Add some of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan and pour the mixture in the slow cooker with the beef.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 8-10 hours or until the beef is falling apart tender.
Written by Jeanette Moore (JMom)
I am a terrible housekeeper but I do love to cook so it all evens out in the end. I like to try new recipes that I think my family will like. However, I am not one to follow all recipes to the letter. I tend to tweak and change the recipes based on what I have on hand and how I am feeling at the time. Feel free to share your versions, I just might try it out next time I make the dish again.
Filed under: Mexican · Tags: beef, burrito, Mexican, Tito's Tacos
Thanks for posting! I ate at Titos regularly for 30+ years. I remember the high school gang piling into a car and going to Titos! I recently moved to Portland and make sure I eat there every time I visit my mom. Needless to say, I miss it! I just made 1/2 of thIS recipe. I wouldn’t say this is spot on. It’s a little too spicy and I would recommend to trim the fat. That being said, it’s GREAT! Next time I make it, which will be very soon, I will cut the chili portions in half and maybe experiment with a different beef broth and/or put less broth and add a water. Tomorrow I will cook refried beens and make it a regular burrito with cheese! Does anybody have a copycat Tito’s guacamole recipe? I would love to dip it!
I have been eating at Tito’s since it was in the corner stand that is now occupied by a rival. I used to skip lunch at Venice HS and get a couple of tacos after school. I don’t have an exact recipe, but the burrito meat is just a red pipian sauce, search for that. The taco meat is just slow cooked beef and shredded, not the same meat. The red salsa always seemed like just tomato, maybe a little onion, black pepper and salt ground in the molcajete. The green sauce seems like canned jalapenos pureed or done in the molcajete as well
I’m from Europe and with a couple of friends from Ireland went to college in Los Angeles in the mid 1980′s. My best friend introduced me to Tito’s and it soon became like a second home to us. The food and place became so important to us, we ate there 4 or 5 times a week, I kid you not. Part of the ritual was that the 3 of us tried desperately to flirt with the girls behind the counter – they were all gorgeous, but they just laughed at us…..
Through the years I have had cravings for Tito’s and can’t wait to try this recipe. If I can even get it close to Tito’s I will be delighted.
All the best and thanks for posting.
I just made a half recipe of this and it is absolutely spot on. After I started I discovered that I had no paprika so I substituted with pasilla chile powder. It did not affect the taste but it was a little less red in color than what Tito’s serves. I also thickened it up a bit by ladling off a couple of cups of the broth into a sauce pan, adding a slurry of cornstarch, and then returning it to the crock pot. Fantastic. Thanks for figuring this out.
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Wow. This is a masterpiece) Looks spicy and delicious)