Tacos de tasajo
Tacos de tasajo are tacos of tasajo, thin sheets of salt-cured, partly dried beef that are grilled over wood or charcoal, a specialty of Oaxaca best known from the smoky grill stalls of Oaxaca City's Mercado 20 de Noviembre. Tasajo is also a classic topping for tlayudas.
The meat
Tasajo is beef cut into long, very thin sheets that are cured with salt and partly dried, giving a chewy, savory meat that grills in moments; English-language guides often compare it to a jerky-style steak. Larousse Cocina's dictionary of Mexican gastronomy lists sina and cecina as related names, and the line between tasajo and cecina varies by region. In Oaxaca's grill markets, tasajo normally refers to beef, while cecina is usually pork. In Chiapas, tasajo is dried and smoked and is stewed with ground pumpkin seeds and achiote in the dish pepita con tasajo, a preservation practice described as having deep roots in the region.
Pasillo de Humo
The most famous place to eat tasajo is the Pasillo de Humo, the smoke corridor of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre in Oaxaca City's historic center. The market dates from 1882 and has some two hundred stalls. In the corridor, butchers display tasajo, pork cecina, chorizo, tripe and other cuts; each stall has its own wood-fired grill, and the resulting clouds of smoke give the passage its name.
Customers choose meat by weight, usually by the kilo or half-kilo, and have it grilled on the spot. Vendors circulate selling fresh tortillas, grilled spring onions, guacamole, salsa, fiery chile de agua and chicharrón, and diners assemble their own tacos at shared tables.
Food & Pleasure reports that the market is divided into four areas, bread and chocolate, broths, regional cooking and the Pasillo de Humo, and that roughly 15,000 people eat there every day. Its name refers to its street and is sometimes also linked to November 20, 1910, the start of the Mexican Revolution. Originally a produce and livestock market, it later added regional prepared foods.
Other uses
Beyond tacos, tasajo is one of the standard toppings for the tlayuda, the large Oaxacan tortilla that is folded over its fillings and toasted; most tlayuda vendors offer tasajo alongside chorizo. Grilled meats such as tasajo are also used to top memelas, thick masa rounds sold at Oaxacan street stalls.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 g beef top round or sirloin, cut into very thin sheets (ask a butcher to slice it 3 mm thick)
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 8 spring onions
- 12 corn tortillas
- Guacamole, salsa roja and lime wedges
- 1 roasted chile de agua or jalapeño, sliced (optional)
Steps
- Lay the beef sheets on a rack, rub both sides lightly with salt and lime juice, and refrigerate uncovered for 4 hours or overnight so the surface dries.
- Light a hot wood or charcoal fire.
- Grill the beef for about 1 minute per side, just until browned and slightly charred. Grill the spring onions until soft and blackened.
- Cut the meat into strips.
- Serve on hot tortillas with guacamole, salsa, the grilled onions, sliced chile and lime.
Store-bought tasajo or cecina de res is already salted and needs no brining; rinse it if very salty.
Where to try it
- Mercado 20 de Noviembre (Pasillo de Humo), Oaxaca de Juárez: Market built in 1882 whose smoke-filled grill corridor sells tasajo, cecina and chorizo grilled to order.
- Pasillo de Humo, Oaxaca
- Tacos del Llano, Oaxaca
- Tlayudas Doña Flavia, Oaxaca
Reviews
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See also
References
- "Dicen que este mercado oaxaqueño construido en 1882 es el mejor lugar para comprar y comer tacos de carne asada". Food & Pleasure. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Ultimate Oaxaca Street Food Guide: The 17 Things You Must Eat in Oaxaca Mexico". Travel to Oaxaca. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Tasajo". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "Foods of Chiapas: 22 Traditional Dishes and Drinks to Try First". Mexico Travel & Leisure. Retrieved 2026-10-10.