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Tacos de trompa

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Snout tacos, Muzzle tacos

Tacos de trompa are tacos of cooked beef or pork snout, chopped fine and served in corn tortillas at head-meat stands and carnitas stalls; the cut is fatty and gelatinous.

Contents
  1. Overview
  2. Preparation
  3. Where to find it
  4. Recipe
  5. Where to try it
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

Overview

Trompa is the snout or muzzle. In the beef head-taco tradition it is one of the parts that go into the general chopped mix, as Chilango explains, alongside cheek, sinew, palate and eye, but it is also offered as its own order. Rachel Laudan lists trompa among the cuts on the board at central Mexican cabeza stands.

Pork snout appears at carnitas stalls. El Financiero notes that trompa, ear and heart from the pig are finely chopped to fill tacos at carnitas stands.

Preparation

Beef snout is cooked with the head for hours until the gelatinous tissue softens, then chopped and kept warm in the steamer. Pork snout is simmered in lard in the carnitas pot with the other cuts. In both cases the result is rich and slightly chewy, and it is usually chopped very fine to make it easy to eat.

Where to find it

In Mexico City, trompa is offered at head-taco stands including Los Cocuyos (Centro Histórico), Tacos El Paisa (Roma Sur) and Tacos Lolita (Roma Norte), and at Tacos Rafa's near Calzada de Tlalpan, which Sopitas lists alongside its tripe, tongue and eye tacos. In Culiacán, El Chino sells snout as one of its separate head cuts.

Recipe

Makes 12 tacos · Time: About 3.5 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 kg beef snout (or pork snout), cleaned
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 12 to 16 corn tortillas
  • Chopped onion, cilantro, lime and salsa roja

Steps

  1. Scrub the snout and singe off any stray hairs over a flame.
  2. Simmer with onion, garlic, bay and salt for 3 hours, until a knife goes in easily.
  3. Drain, cool slightly and chop very finely on a board.
  4. Keep warm over steam; fill tortillas and top with onion, cilantro, lime and salsa.

For a carnitas-style version, simmer pork snout in lard with the other carnitas cuts.

Where to try it

  • Los Cocuyos, Mexico City: Lists trompa among its head cuts.
  • Tacos Rafa's, Mexico City: Pedregal de Santa Úrsula stand selling tripe, tongue, snout and eye.
  • La Carreta (Santa Ana), Santa Ana, California
  • Tacos y Carnitas Sahuayo, Santa Ana, California

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Tacos de cabeza: un manjar al vapor". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Beef Head Tacos/Tacos de Cabeza". Rachel Laudan. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. "5 de cabeza para empezar: aquí los encuentras en la CDMX". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  4. "¿Qué parte del cerdo son las carnitas?". El Financiero. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  5. "Comida para valientes presenta: nos echamos un taco de ojo". Sopitas. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Beef tacos Offal tacos Pork tacos Street food Taco types