Any secrets to making great burritos?

[wagamama]

I make burritos once in while for my family, and they are fairly good, but a bit blah -- it seems something is missing. I use rice, homemade refried beans, cheese, leftover steak, homemade pico de gallo (tomatoes, onions, lemon juice and salt) -- all stuffed into soft corn tortillas. What am I missing? Maybe an herb or a spice? A sauce? What makes them really scrumptous?

[Arduinna]

Well, you are missing cilantro in the pico de gallo which for me is a must have. Other than that I think it's personal preference. My dh and daughter love tapatio hot sauce on theirs LOL, while I prefer tomatillo sauce.

[ollyoxenfree]

I pour a Mexican red sauce over the burritos in the baking dish, and sprinkle with grated cheese, before they go into the oven.

The red sauce:

Saute 1 diced onion and 3 or 4 minced garlic cloves in 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil.
Add 4 Tbsp. masa harina (fine corn flour) or flour and stir until golden.
Add 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. cayenne, 1 tsp. salt and pepper and 1 Tbsp. minced oregano and stir for 2 min.
Add 4 cups warm vegetable or chicken stock and whisk thoroughly. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and add 2 tbsp. tomato paste and 1 Tbps. brown sugar.
Simmer 30 minutes, stirring regularly.

You can play with the spices for the flavours you like.

[Mackenzie]

Originally Posted by Arduinna

Well, you are missing cilantro in the pico de gallo which for me is a must have. Other than that I think it's personal preference. My dh and daughter love tapatio hot sauce on theirs LOL, while I prefer tomatillo sauce.

Arduinna typed exactly what I was going to... cilantro is an absolute must!!!

[Mackenzie]

Also, homemade flour tortillas are what I have always used for burritos... corn=tacos.... lol

[Purple Sage]

Cilantro is definitely a must in pico de gallo, and to me it is not pico unless there's some jalapeno or serrano peppers in it, too. And I believe it's traditionally made with lime juice instead of lemon (not sure if that makes a huge difference, but that how we always make it).

We also add sliced avocado and/or sour cream to our tacos/burritos. Tomatillo sauce (salsa verde) is one of my favorites, too.

When you reheat the leftover steak, you can season it will cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. This is also good seasoning for leftover shredded chicken.

Also, instead of plain rice, I'd make something like this.

[rhiOrion]

Cilantro. But some people hate it. I love it.

Also, I hate corn tortillas. I think flour is the way to go!

You could try some taco sauce or enchilada sauce or something.

[Mackenzie]

Originally Posted by Purple Sage

Cilantro is definitely a must in pico de gallo, and to me it is not pico unless there's some jalapeno or serrano peppers in it, too. And I believe it's traditionally made with lime juice instead of lemon (not sure if that makes a huge difference, but that how we always make it).

We also add sliced avocado and/or sour cream to our tacos/burritos. Tomatillo sauce (salsa verde) is one of my favorites, too.

When you reheat the leftover steak, you can season it will cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. This is also good seasoning for leftover shredded chicken.

Also, instead of plain rice, I'd make something like this.

Or even just infuse the rice with lime, cilantro and cumin to bring it together with the rest of the ingredients...

[almadianna]

make sure the tortillas are heated properly. this makes a HUGE difference. My husband cannot do it properly because he sticks them in the microwave and my kids refuse to eat his burritos.

How are yo umaking the beans? You can add a lot to beans to make them awesome, some chorizo goes a long way in giving beans a lot of flavor which can help with this.

The pico needs more, I suggest peppers and cilantro as well.

What kind of rice are you making?

Sour cream and avocado (like was said above) can add a great deal to the textures and flavors.

[A-mac]

I like to add sunflower seeds.

[theatermom]

I second (third? ) the cilantro and cumin. I also do half lemon/half lime juice -- it's closer to the limes they use south of the US. Definitely experiment with peppers; a little of this, a little of that can make a big difference. Avocado and plain greek yogurt (instead of sour cream, my preference) can offset the heat and provide a nice contrast. I also think homemade flour tortillas are best for burritos.

Have you tried seasoning the beans and meat separately (and more potently) from everything else? I find that if I do this, they provide a nice pop and the whole thing isn't overpowered the way it can be if you season everything together.

[KristyDi]

Cilantro and cumin are absolutely necessary! It's not really traditional, but I love grilled onions and peppers in my burritos.

[LemonPie]

Originally Posted by Purple Sage

Cilantro is definitely a must in pico de gallo, and to me it is not pico unless there's some jalapeno or serrano peppers in it, too. And I believe it's traditionally made with lime juice instead of lemon (not sure if that makes a huge difference, but that how we always make it).

Yup, this.

[Llyra]

Hot peppers would be the biggest for me, in the salsa. I season my beans with cumin, coriander, paprika, and cayenne pepper. I myself am not a cilantro lover, but that's also normally a salsa ingredient as well.

Guacamole too, and sour cream. And cook the rice in a nice broth instead of plain water. And lime, rather than lemon.

[wagamama]

OK, I guess I'm talking about tacos, not burritos! But the same advice applies, I guess. Thanks for all the great suggestions!

[mamadelbosque]

Yeah, corn tortillas are more of a taco thing, and flour more of a burrito thing Of course, you also use corn tortillas in enchiladas, juevos rancheros, etc so I suppose you can be forgiven for getting confused. This time .

Anyhow... I agree, cilantro is totally key!! Personally, when I make tacos all I do is brown some form of ground meat (turkey, venison, beef, goat, whatever I feel like), sprinkle in about 1 tsp chili powder, oregano, garlic powder & a dash or so of salt and cook for a few more minutes. Then I put that in taco shells of some sort and top w/ onions/lettuce/cheese/tomatoes/salsa-of-choice.

[Jaxinator]

I didn't read all of the replys, but this is how I usually make burritos:
Heat large flour tortilla in cast iron, add some colby jack to and let it melt, take it off the heat and layer:
Refried beans that had a can of rotel mixed in
Brown rice
Guacamole (if I'm lazy and haven't made it's more like sliced avocado, cilantro and lime juice also all layered)
Sour cream
chopped tomatoes
texas pete hot sauce
and if I have any, leftover taco "meat", which is just lentils with taco seasoning.

And I have FINALLY cracked the code to folding! Don't over stuff, fold the right and left, then bottom, then top and "seal" with sour cream.

[HappyMommy2]

I agree that you are missing cumin. It has a great smoky "mexican food" flavor.

Also - I do a quick fry of the tortillas (corn or flour) so that they don't get all soggy and nasty. I don't fry them to a crisp, just enough so that they don't split when filling and rolling.

Then, I cover with enchilada sauce and bake. Oh! Just realized I am describing enchiladas, not buritoes. oops.

[Theoretica]

Can someone suggest a yummy enchilada/burrito recipe that has no dairy? I can't fathom decent enchiladas without queso fresco...

(PS-I'm reallllly not impressed with the dairy free cheese options out there, just FYI )

[Arduinna]

Just leave off the sour cream and cheese. I hate fake cheese too, so I refuse to use those rubbery substitutes. I'd rather just use all the stuff I do like.