Brisket enchiladas

This summer, after an afternoon of shopping at North Park in Dallas, a friend and I got into her car and realized we were hungry. As we pondered our nearby dining options, my friend suggested Mia’s. I agreed that was a fine choice and a decision was made.

For those unfamiliar with Mia’s, it’s a beloved Tex-Mex restaurant and a Dallas institution. It’s in a small, rambling structure on Lemmon that is comprised of several small rooms adorned with bright oil-cloth clad tables that quickly fill up with hungry and happy diners, eager to enjoy the kitchen’s simple yet well-made array of Tex-Mex classics.

While the menu has all the usual suspects such as nachos, tamales, and queso, the restaurant is most famous for its brisket tacos. The tacos, which are made with slowly braised shredded brisket that’s packed into warm tortillas, either corn or flour, with melted Monterey Jack, onions, and poblano chile strips, are perfection and that’s what my friend and I ordered that night.

That said, Mia’s and other Dallas-area Tex-Mex restaurants also use their tender, juicy brisket in another dish—brisket enchiladas. The first time I had these enchiladas, it wasn’t at Mia’s but instead at Manny’s Uptown, which is something of a spin-off from Mia’s, as owner Manny Rio is the brother to Mia’s owner, Anna “Mamma Mia” Enriquez. As such, there are some similarities in the menus.

Manny’s brisket enchiladas are stuffed with succulent braised brisket and smothered in a tomato-based salsa and a blanket of melted cheese. While classic Texas enchiladas are traditionally prepared with a dried-chile gravy, the fresh and flavorful tomato salsa used with the brisket enchiladas makes for a good foil to the rich meat and cheese since it’s both tangy and light.

When I returned to New York and was thinking about my Dallas Tex-Mex experience, I regretted not ordering the brisket enchiladas so decided to recreate some at home. Brisket is abundant in the early fall, so I grabbed a roast and then made a salsa with tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, garlic, and cilantro. I kept most of the salsa for the enchiladas but poured some over my meat along with a cup of beer, then slowly cooked the brisket until it was tender to the touch.

For the enchiladas, I shredded the meat and stuffed it into corn tortillas along with some diced onion. I bathed them in the salsa, covered them with cheese, and baked them until fragrant, molten, and bubbling. A handful of diced onions and tangy pickled jalapeños on top completed the hearty dish. While I made the filling from scratch, you could easily use leftover brisket for the enchiladas, too. If a chuck roast is more economical, that could be substituted as well.

The results were comforting and good and a fine way to celebrate brisket. While I was no longer in Dallas, my plate of enchiladas was a fine reminder of home.