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José R. Ralat on Muck Rack

José R. Ralat

Verified
Texas
As seen in: Texas Monthly, Yahoo Life, Aol, VICE, Flipboard, The Mercury News, Audible Blog, Poynter Online, Serious Eats, Thrillist, Eater and
Taco editor, @TexasMonthly. Author, American Tacos. 2x James Beard Award winner. Taco Chronicles 3. Panzón. Highly opinionated. Opinions mine. RT≠endorsements.
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Articles

The Only Type of Restaurant I Won’t Post About

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By José R. Ralat Verified
| Texas Monthly Verified
Several weeks ago, my friend Greg Castillo and I visited a private home in Ennis for carnitas tacos. Greg, a video journalist, had found out about the business, Carnitas Conejo, on TikTok. To get to the tacos, we walked up the driveway of Oscar Conejo and his wife, Juana Mendoza, underneath their carport, and onto their covered patio. There Conejo, a third-generation carnitero (carnitas master) and Michoacán native, cooked the pork in lard in three cazos (traditional pots).
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By José R. Ralat Verified
| Texas Monthly Verified
I’ve had my fair share of gastrointestinal distress during my time as a food journalist. It’s as much an occupational hazard as getting cilantro stuck between my teeth. Lately, though, I’ve been avoiding cilantro altogether, thanks to this summer’s nationwide cyclosporiasis outbreak. I’ve also been steering clear of raw onions—or anything remotely fresh or uncooked—such as salsa cruda—on my tacos. I cannot afford to be too ill to travel beyond my house.
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The Myth of Handmade Tortillas

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By José R. Ralat Verified
| Texas Monthly Verified
Before Maizajo became a Michelin-recommended taco shop and restaurant in Mexico City, it was primarily a tortilleria. There, founder and owner Santiago Muñoz Moctezuma focused on using native corn for nixtamalization. Employees moved from station to station with precision, packing tortillas and masa for retail and commercial sale. I visited a few years ago and asked Muñoz Moctezuma how long it took to make nixtamalized-corn tortillas. “One year,” he said.
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