A California burrito is steak, fries, cheese and sour cream in a flour tortilla — that's it
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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.
Make it at home. Or, in case of a burrito emergency, hop in your car and take a trip down south to San Diego.
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The hunt brings our Cooking editor from East Los Angeles to the L.A. Times test kitchen to the edge of a mental breakdown.
California burrito
In a small bowl, combine 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of salt with the sour cream, mix vigorously with a spoon until slightly loosened and place in the refrigerator. Combine the two cheeses and set aside.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat until just smoking.
Pat the chuck steak dry with paper towels and season with 1½ tablespoons of salt.
Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan, swirl to coat and heat until smoking. Cook the steak in batches: Cook ⅓ of the meat, making sure not to crowd the pan and searing on both sides until nicely browned in places, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a cutting board to rest. Repeat with the remaining meat.
Cook the French fries according to the package directions, ideally in an airfryer, until crispy. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt, or to taste.
Reheat the cast iron pan over medium heat and cut all of the steak into small, bite-size pieces. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat until just smoking. Add your steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned all over, about 3 minutes.
Heat a skillet large enough to fit your flour tortillas over medium-low heat. Alternatively, place a baking sheet upside down over one or two burners — to create a makeshift comal — and heat that over low heat.
Gather your sour cream mixture, cheese, fries and carne asada near the stove so they are easily accessible.
Assemble your burritos one at a time. Place a tortilla in the pan or on your baking sheet, moving it around as needed to heat evenly and flipping every 30 seconds. The goal is for it to be barely speckled with light brown spots without getting too dry and brittle. After the second flip, begin layering your fillings in the center of the tortilla: scatter 1⁄6 of the cheese in an even layer, and once it starts melting, remove it to a cutting board. Add ⅓ of the French fries, followed by another ⅙ of the cheese, followed by ⅓ of the meat. Allow to sit for about a minute, then add ⅓ of the sour cream mixture, spooning small dollops evenly over the top of the meat.
To wrap your burrito, fold the sides of the tortilla toward the center, then roll the edge closest to you over your filling, rolling and tucking until you have a tight burrito with no holes for filling to escape out of (see this video for a visual reference). Repeat this process with the other two burritos.
Allow burritos to sit for a couple minutes, perhaps rolled up in parchment paper if you want a bit of the taqueria feeling, then serve your California burritos with lime wedges and your favorite salsa or hot sauce. Enjoy in the sunshine.
