Do You Have the Guts to Try These Tripas Tacos?
Local spots that offer offal
By Evan Rodriguez, Fri., March 11, 2022
Offal are the cuts of the people – or once were, anyway. You can now find off-cuts, cheeks, sweetbreads, tongue, and many others on higher-end restaurants' menus, but not so much tripas. The marriage of unique textures with a subtle, earthy richness make tripas somewhat inaccessible to the casual eater, but sought after by blue-collar folks and gourmands alike.
Often overlooked but a delicacy when treated with tender love and care, tripas are the small intestines of the cow, cut up, washed thoroughly, boiled with aromatics and spices, then cooked in some type of fat, like a confit. You'll usually find them in soft-but-sturdy corn tortillas. The tripa taco is perfect in its versatility: excellent on sun-kissed warm fall days, a sweltering summer day, or a cold winter's night.
Tripas are sometimes served "soft," basically right off the boil; singed on a flat top or in a disco (metal disc), coaxing some crispy edges, adding just a touch of texture, or served medium-crispy; and extra crispy. Medium-crispy, my preferred method, is the hardest to pull off, with nice crusty edges with some texture throughout, caramelizing some of the fat, but with an almost-firm creamy interior. It's truly transcendent when done correctly. Then there is extra crispy, with fully crisp edges and exterior; when pulled off just before the tripa becomes tough and chewy, it is decadent, rich in fat, requiring richer and more salsa. I suggest a fiery arbol sauce if you like heat, or for a nice contrast, a sweet tomatillo sauce works great.
Finding lesser-known cuts like tripa in decent taco form isn't as simple as a quick Google search. This is a difficult cut, and taqueros are more equipped to slang it in their milieu, from a truck on styrofoam plates or swaddled in foil, eaten outside on a picnic table with a beer, standing up in the night. Most tripa tacos you'll encounter in Austin are served soft, flaccid, almost waterlogged, and greasy, typically not a complement to the tortilla texturally, and just not enjoyable. There are, however, some operations that know how to treat this unique ingredient.
El Super Taco
El Super Taco lives in a converted car wash-turned-literal taco shack, in that a strange corrugated, clear plastic cubicle is where you order your food. The strip of East Oltorf between I-35 and Pleasant Valley houses at least a half-dozen taco trucks and just about every one of them offers a tripas taco. This strip has remained as-yet untouched by the homogenization and high-end mediocrity Austin has become so obsessed with as of late. Here, you are in a predominantly blue-collar immigrant enclave, and for tripas, El Super Taco is your spot. The tripas are served extra crispy, crunchy and rich, the softer sections at times contrasting with crisp ends. The sweet verde sauce plays really well with the fresh onions, texturally and tastewise. On the other hand, the fiery arbol sauce overpowers the tripa. The tortilla is the only thing that really lacks here. Generous portions at $3.50 per taco, cash only, open late every night, always call for exact hours.
2005 E. Oltorf, 512/203-4932.
Las Trancas
Las Trancas, just east of I-35 on Cesar Chavez, consistently slings quality tripas, typically served soft, almost to medium-crispy, with a spicy arbol sauce. Maybe they do not boil them as long, or maybe they boil them a little too long at times, because they can be a little chewy depending on the batch. But such is the nature of this cut, and I imagine achieving a uniform texture is likely next to impossible. Herein lies some of the charm. Las Trancas is one of the most consistent, delectable, and quality taco trucks around, and it's equipped with a real bathroom, very rare.
1210 E. Cesar Chavez, 512/701-8287.
Tacos Las Amazonas Estilo Jalisco
While the state of Jalisco, Mexico, isn't located in the arid northern part of the country that's known for tripas prepared and served in the style we are concerned with here, Tacos Las Amazonas Estilo Jalisco makes an excellent version served soft, with some textured edges and loaded with grilled, sliced onions. Las Amazonas' salsa selection is some of the best in town – "Austin" (mild tomatillo), "Roja" (arbol), "Verde" (jalapeño), "Morena" (pasilla or chipotle), and habanero – all served in little twist-tied baggies. Jalapeño works well with their tripa: spicy, vibrant, but not overpowering. The tacos are accompanied by fresh radishes and cucumbers, and their tortillas are legit. Portions are a little smaller and you're going to pay around $4 per taco, but it's worth it. Open late, they have two locations, right down South Congress from one another. Always call for exact hours.
4811 S. Congress Ave., 512/210-6855.
4619 S. Congress Ave., 737/867-0078.
Cuantos Tacos
Cuantos Tacos in the Arbor Food Park, just east of I-35 on East 12th Street, offers quite possibly the best version of tripas in town on "Tripa Tuesdays." They offer four tacos for $9 in handcrafted, nixtamalized, yellow corn tortillas, with two salsas. The tacos are topped with chopped fresh cilantro and white onions accompanied by fresh lime wedges. The fresh lime wedges are the crucial acid component to most tacos of this sort. The pairing with the herbaceousness of the fresh cilantro is a marriage made in Mexico, and the salsa roja goes best with the crispy preparation. Finally, the tortillas are flavorful and sturdy while still being flexible enough to hold that savory filling. All of these components mingle to make the best tripa taco in town for my money. For as labor-intensive as a well-treated batch of tripas are, $2.25 a taco is a killer deal. Check their IG, @cuantostacos512, and/or website for specials and special hours.
1108 E. 12th, 512/903-3918.
