Chef Lupita
Birria Tacos with Consome
Jalisco's goat birria, born around Cocula and carried into Guadalajara's markets, slow-braised in ancho, guajillo, cascabel, and chile de arbol, then tucked into corn tortillas crisped in its own red fat.
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Torta de Pierna Culiacanense
Created by
Sinaloa's torta de pierna, slow-roasted pork leg pulled into shreds and tucked into a toasted bolillo with avocado, crema, pickled chiles, and refried beans. The lunch counter classic of Culiacan.
Sandwiches & Wraps
Mexican
Weeknight
Comfort Food
Picnic
30 min
Active Time
3 hr 30 min cook•4 hr total
Yield6 tortas
This torta is from Culiacan. Sinaloa, the northwest, the state of shrimp boats and tomato fields and lunch counters that have been making the same sandwich since their grandfather opened the place. The torta de pierna is what you order at noon when you have an hour, ten pesos heavier than a taco and twice as serious.
The pork leg is the dish. Pierna, slow-roasted with garlic, orange, and a splash of vinegar until the meat surrenders and the jugo turns into a glossy syrup that you pour back over the shreds. This is not carnitas. Carnitas belongs to Michoacan and it is fried in lard. Pierna belongs to the north and it is braised. Different state, different technique, different sandwich. The bolillo has to be fresh and it has to be toasted on the cut side. A soft bolillo goes to mush under the jugo and the crema and you have a wet napkin instead of a torta.
My mother did not make tortas de pierna. She was from Jalisco and she made tortas ahogadas, which is a different argument for a different day. I learned this one in Culiacan, standing at a lunch counter on Avenida Obregon, watching a senora pull pork off a leg the size of a small dog while she told me in two sentences what mattered: pierna con jugo, frijoles refritos, aguacate, crema, y chiles en escabeche. Bolillo bien tostado. Nothing else. Saber cocinar es saber vivir, and in Sinaloa, knowing how to build a torta is part of the same knowledge.
The torta as a Mexican format dates to the late 19th century, when French-influenced bolillo and telera breads from the Porfiriato era were paired with native fillings to create a working-class lunch that did not require utensils. Sinaloa's torta de pierna emerged as a distinct regional version in the early 20th century, building on the state's pork-raising tradition and the northwestern preference for braised rather than fried meats; the practice of dressing the shredded pork in its own reduced jugo before assembly is the Sinaloa signature that distinguishes it from Mexico City's drier tortas de pierna. The use of refried pinto beans rather than black beans on the bolillo reflects northern Mexico's bean geography, where pinto is king from Sinaloa through Chihuahua and Sonora and black bean barely registers.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
bone-in pork leg (pierna de cerdo)
Quantity
4 pounds
skin on if you can get it
head of garlic
Quantity
1
cloves separated and peeled
white onion
Quantity
1 medium
quartered
bay leaves
Quantity
2
dried Mexican oregano
Quantity
1 tablespoon
whole black peppercorns
Quantity
1 teaspoon
ground cumin
Quantity
1 teaspoon
kosher salt
Quantity
2 tablespoons
manteca de cerdo (pork lard)
Quantity
3 tablespoons
fresh orange juice
Quantity
1 cup
white vinegar
Quantity
1/4 cup
water
Quantity
2 cups, plus more as needed
fresh bolillos or teleras
Quantity
6
ripe Hass avocados
Quantity
2
sliced
Mexican crema
Quantity
1 cup
large white onion
Quantity
1
sliced into thin rings
pickled jalapenos en escabeche, with carrots
Quantity
1 cup
large red tomatoes
Quantity
2
sliced thin
shredded green cabbage or romaine
Quantity
1 cup
refried pinto beans
Quantity
about 1 1/2 cups
for spreading
salsa de chiltepin or salsa verde (optional)
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| bone-in pork leg (pierna de cerdo)skin on if you can get it | 4 pounds |
| head of garliccloves separated and peeled | 1 |
| white onionquartered | 1 medium |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| dried Mexican oregano | 1 tablespoon |
| whole black peppercorns | 1 teaspoon |
| ground cumin | 1 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 2 tablespoons |
| manteca de cerdo (pork lard) | 3 tablespoons |
| fresh orange juice | 1 cup |
| white vinegar | 1/4 cup |
| water | 2 cups, plus more as needed |
| fresh bolillos or teleras | 6 |
| ripe Hass avocadossliced | 2 |
| Mexican crema | 1 cup |
| large white onionsliced into thin rings | 1 |
| pickled jalapenos en escabeche, with carrots | 1 cup |
| large red tomatoessliced thin | 2 |
| shredded green cabbage or romaine | 1 cup |
| refried pinto beansfor spreading | about 1 1/2 cups |
| salsa de chiltepin or salsa verde (optional) | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 6 to 8 quart Dutch oven or wide cazuela
- •Sharp boning or chef's knife for the pork leg
- •Two forks for shredding
- •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for toasting bolillos
- •Fine-mesh strainer for the jugo
Instructions
- 1
Season the pork leg
Pat the pork leg dry. In a molcajete or small bowl, mash the garlic cloves with the salt, peppercorns, cumin, and oregano until you have a rough paste. Rub the paste over every surface of the pork, working it into the seams and under the skin if it is on. Let the meat sit at room temperature for thirty minutes. The salt needs time to wake up the muscle. Skip this and the seasoning sits on the surface instead of going inside.
Ask your carnicero for the leg cut from the rear, the pulp side, with the bone in. Boneless pierna will cook faster but the broth runs thinner and the meat is less forgiving. - 2
Sear in lard
Melt the manteca in a heavy Dutch oven or wide cazuela over medium-high heat. Lay the pork in fat side down and let it sit. Do not move it. After five or six minutes, when a deep mahogany crust has formed, turn it to the next side. Repeat until every face is browned. La manteca es el sabor and this is where the torta starts to taste like Sinaloa and not like a boiled sandwich.
- 3
Build the braise
Pour the orange juice and white vinegar into the pot. Scrape up the brown bits stuck to the bottom. Add the quartered onion, the bay leaves, and two cups of water. The liquid should come about a third of the way up the pork. Not more. This is a braise, not a soup. Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- 4
Slow-roast covered
Cover the pot tightly and slide it into a 300F oven. Cook for three hours, turning the pork once at the halfway mark. Check the liquid every hour. If it falls below half an inch, add a splash of water. The meat is ready when a fork slides into the thickest part with no resistance and the bone wiggles loose. No me vengas con atajos. Pierna takes the time it takes.
- 5
Rest and shred
Lift the pork onto a cutting board and let it rest for twenty minutes. The juices need to settle back into the meat. While it rests, set the pot back over medium heat and reduce the cooking liquid by half until it turns into a glossy, intense jugo. Strain it. Shred the pork with two forks, pulling along the grain into long, irregular strands. Discard nothing but the bone. The fat goes back in. Pour the reduced jugo over the shredded meat and toss until every strand is dressed.
If you are not eating immediately, store the shredded pork in its jugo. The meat drinks the liquid as it sits and tastes better an hour later than it does the moment it comes out of the oven. - 6
Toast the bolillos
Slice each bolillo lengthwise without cutting all the way through. Pull out a little of the soft interior crumb to make room for the filling. Toast the cut sides on a dry comal or under a broiler until they turn golden and crisp at the edges. A bolillo that is not toasted goes soggy under the meat and the jugo. Asi se hace y punto.
- 7
Build the torta
Spread a generous layer of warm refried pinto beans on the bottom half of each bolillo. Pile a fistful of the shredded pork on top, letting some of the jugo soak into the bread. Layer on tomato slices, shredded cabbage, white onion rings, and avocado. Drizzle the crema in a heavy zigzag. Tuck pickled jalapenos and carrots in along the edges. Close the torta and press down with the palm of your hand to compact it. Cut on the diagonal. Serve with salsa de chiltepin on the side for the ones who want more heat. Cada estado, su propia cocina, y esta es de Culiacan.
Chef Tips
- •The bolillo is not a hamburger bun and it is not a baguette. It is a Mexican roll with a thin crisp crust and a soft chewy interior. If you cannot find a fresh bolillo at a panaderia, a fresh telera will work. A grocery store hoagie will not. The bread is half the torta.
- •Mexican crema is not sour cream. It is thinner, less tangy, and pourable. If you cannot find it, thin sour cream with a little whole milk and a pinch of salt. It is a compromise, not an upgrade.
- •The pickled chiles en escabeche should include carrots and onion. Buy a jar of La Costena or La Morena, or pickle your own with jalapenos, carrots, white onion, garlic, and a splash of vinegar. They cut the richness of the pork and the crema. Without them the torta sits too heavy.
- •If you can get pierna with the skin on, render the skin separately into chicharron and crumble it on top. That is how the lunch counters in Culiacan stretch one leg into something that tastes like more.
Advance Preparation
- •The pork leg can be braised one day ahead, shredded, and stored in its jugo in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of water before assembling.
- •The refried pinto beans can be made two days ahead and reheated with a little lard.
- •The bolillos should be bought or baked the same day. Day-old bolillo loses the crust contrast that makes the torta work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 590g)
Calories
1130 calories
Total Fat
59 g
Saturated Fat
22 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
33 g
Cholesterol
175 mg
Sodium
2350 mg
Total Carbohydrates
82 g
Dietary Fiber
9 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
62 g
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