- yes, it s meat and carne asada - yes, that s what the people think. - everybody has a grill, so why do i need you? - totally, totally. - so it s not just about taste. - that s right. yeah. - okay, so are you putting me to work now? [laughter] okay. what are we making? - well, let s do it. - okay, let s go to the kitchen. - are you guys working? - yes. - okay. all right. just making sure. so to understand this recipe, we need to go back in time. like, way back to when a giant meteorite struck the yucatán peninsula, wiping out much of life on earth, but triggering the growth of the flora and fauna of the modern world. this dish is rodrigo s tribute to the meteorite that made mexico. is it, like is it beef or deer?
- it s like beef jerky. it s very common right here. - dried beef was one of the original survival foods of nuevo león, and rodrigo uses it as the base for a local stew known as atropellado. in mexican stews, more time, more flavor. - the finished product is this pot of tender, herb-infused beef. - looks like a meatball. - yes. yes. - 12 grams. - each one have to be 12 grams. - exact? okay. - yes, exact. - flour tortilla. - you want bitter. - okay. so why tempura? - and is this how you normally do it?
[speaking spanish] - sí, sí. - cooking over fire goes all the way back to the nomads, the first people to live in this harsh terrain, constantly moving camp in the hunt for food. but it was the spanish in the 1500s who introduced hardy breeds of cattle that thrived in nuevo león. and for the regios, beef has been king ever since. oh, my god, look at that. - these are most traditional cut of beef. - what s that called? - oh. - okay. are you making filets right now? - but look at the marbleization. - you got marble. that s why you love it, because it has a lot of flavor. we re gonna grill it, really high heat. - high heat? - 650 to 700 fahrenheit. - oh, wow. how do we season these now? - we use salt.
- that s the best part of cooking is spoiling your family and people you love. like, i think cooking is a form of love, and so that s why i love to do it. - yes. - after my nuevo león meat feast, the freshness of this bittersweet concoction is just what i m craving. - oh, my gosh, look at that. this is so soft. [speaking spanish] i mean, you have to cook it a long time. mmm. it s like candy, but not as sweet, even though it has all of that i wanna drink it up. just drink it. the oranges of montemorelos
- machacado. i know. i had this when i was little, in texas. - i love this. so we get the salsa. - [speaking spanish] there you go. - this is so delicious. - it s really nice. - these are the best tortillas i ve ever had. - muy salado? that s good, that s - i love it. - part of the dry meat. - yes, in the north, in nuevo león, is one of the only places that has tacos for breakfast,