Recipe: Smoked Tripe Menudo
My mom used to make menudo on New Year’s Eve in anticipation of a hangover as hearty as the beef feet enriched broth that signifies this classic Mexican stew. Cooking it overnight would perfume the house and my dad would complain about the “nasty” smell of tripe, hominy, and oregano. I can definitely see how some gringos might be turned off by the smell, especially since he was most likely nursing a hangover of his own, but to me it smells like pure nostalgia. This year I made some for the truck (and a Patreon video) and took some over to my parents’ house so my mom could have some and my dad didn’t have to smell it.
Smoked Tripe Menudo
2 lb honeycomb tripe
2 lb beef feet
2 lb beef stew bones, oxtails, or shins with attached meat
2 TB beef bullion
1 onion
6 cloves garlic
1 #10 can hominy corn, strained
1 C whole Mexican oregano
1/4 C crushed epazote leaves
Smoke the beef feet, bones, and tripe for about 3–4 hrs or until they have taken on some color. It’s not necessary to cook them all the way, we just want to get a little bit of smoke flavor on them.
Dice the tripe into bite-sized chunks and put them in a pot with the beef feet, beef bones, and bullion and cover with water. Once simmering, add a whole diced onion, garlic, hominy, oregano, and epazote. Cover and cook on the lowest setting overnight, make sure there is enough water in the pot so it doesn’t evaporate and burn the bottom.
In the morning fish out the beef feet and bones and check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper and a little squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with fresh cilantro, onion, and queso fresco. Hot sauce if you like.
