What did the first burrito in Tucson look like? Among the earliest records, a diary from 1862 mentions pies “made of jerked beef & red pepper.” Tortillas were foreign and new, so “pie” was the word to used to describe the tortilla, according to a Borderlandia article on the subject. The jerked beef? Carne seca, also known as machaca with regional variations in preparation.
In early Tucson, settlers used rooftops to sun-dry seasoned strips of beef. Tucson’s dry desert air worked as a natural dehydrator. Families hung meat on mesquite racks or rooftops under screened covers. Flies stayed out. The sun did the work.
Fast forward to today and carne seca expresses versatility beyond its beef jerky origins. Traditional recipes stew it with tomatoes, onions, and green chiles. Wrap it in a burrito with some eggs or layer it with cheese on top of a giant flour tortilla for a cheese crisp. Or just eat it with rice and beans.
Tucson’s restaurants helped popularize carne seca in the 20th century. El Charro Café, established in 1922 by Monica Flin, helped lead the way. The restaurant remains a carne seca icon, drying beef on its rooftop above downtown.
Flin originally dried the seasoned beef on clotheslines in a shed in back of the restaurant. Now, they use a cage hoisted with a pulley for easy access. A special grandfather clause allows them to continue using this technique, according to an article from Happily Pink.
While carne seca originally grew out of necessity, its distinct flavor and texture keeps demand high. Gary Hickey, chef of Flores Concepts and Sí Charro Restaurants and partner at Charro Steak & del Rey, estimates that they go through over 3,000 pounds of beef every week just to make the carne seca.
For more information on El Charro Cafe’s history, read our article 100 years later, El Charro Café shows no signs of slowing down.
