The success of this recipe depends on access to fantastic, burrito-sized (12- to 14-inch) flour tortillas. If you’re in Los Angeles, I recommend heading to Boyle Heights or East Los Angeles and searching out tortillas from La Princesita, La Azteca or La Gloria. Ideally, the tortillas should be made with lard, rather than vegetable shortening or margarine. In a pinch, you could use tortillas from Sonoratown or Mejorada, however these options are a bit too small to achieve the full experience of the classic, oversized San Diego-style burritos.
This recipe calls for chuck roast, sliced horizontally into thin steaks. You can often find this pre-sliced at Mexican markets (a cut labeled “diezmillo” works well) and butcher shops or international grocery stores like Jon’s Fresh Marketplace. You can also ask your butcher to do it, or do it yourself at home. Just be careful not to cut yourself! It seems like many San Diego taquerias use chuck, however more tender cuts like ranchera or skirt steak can also work well.
Here, I call to shred a mixture of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese — this seems to be a blend that many taquerias use. You can substitute pre-shredded if you don’t like cleaning a box grater. I won’t tell anyone.
