Trompudo’s Tacos
Trompudo’s Tacos is a restaurant located in Oklahoma City’s south side that serves a variety of homemade Mexican delicacies. What drew me in was the fact that their Al Pastor is served shaved off of a spit, or trompo; hence the name Trompudo’s. They also have a type of meat with a cooking method unlike most others that you wouldn’t see at the typical taco shop or chain. These are Tacos de Suadero. According to delightedcooking.com, “Suadero is a cut of beef that lies between the lower flank and sirloin primal sections of a cow that Is often used in Mexican cooking. Suadero is sometimes referred to as rose meat because of its light pink color. Suadero meat is sometimes confused with hanger steak or brisket because each types of meat are all types of thinly cut beef.” Tacos de Suadero are traditionally prepared on a concave comal (I’ll put a picture at the bottom). It’s an incredibly interesting and effective way of cooking the Suadero because it basically confits the meat and you can warm tortillas on the concave part of the contraption. The texture of the meat is very similar to carnitas and even looks similar because of its lighter color.
I decided to try the Tacos Al Pastor, obviously, as well as the Tacos de Suadero on this visit. The Al Pastor was pretty solid, but at the same time, underwhelming. The meat was crispier than I expected and more so than most places. The tortillas were a bit of let down as well. I don’t think they were homemade and they were extra greasy. I’m thinking they might dip them in fryer oil to simultaneously warm them as well as crisp them up to maybe add a different texture than you’re accustomed to, but I could be wrong. I’m not saying the tacos Al Pastor were bad by any means, just not exactly what I was hoping for. The saving grace for these tacos might have been the salsa. Trompudo’s provides an array of salsas, 6 to be exact. 4 of them are labeled and made specifically for different kinds of meat. The salsa that they have paired for the Al Pastor is a spicy pineapple salsa that I’m thinking is made with Chile de arbol to give it that nice kick. Overall, I would give the tacos Al Pastor a 7.4. They get a little bit of extra credit due to the fact that they’re built on a trompo. I would definitely give them another shot, but not necessarily drive out of my way just for them.
The tacos de Suadero were super interesting. The texture makes you think you’re eating carnitas but with a beefy flavor. Once again the tortillas were prepared the same way as the others, greasy and underwhelming, but not terrible. The salsa Morita that they recommend for the Suadero is delicious. It packs just enough heat to not be overbearing, while still letting you know that it’s there. It might be a little too much if you’re a pansy, but at least dip your toe in the pool and test the waters. All in all I’d give the tacos de Suadero a 7.6. The tortillas might have held back from a higher score but ultimately these are solid tacos and I would definitely try them again. And who knows, maybe it was just an off day for the tortillas. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I’m accustomed to other varieties and maybe their target clientele appreciates the way they do their tortillas, but I’ll let you all decide for yourselves when you stop in, which I recommend you do. 6015 S May Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73159
Tacos Al Pastor
Tacos de Suadero
Concave comal cooker (not my image)