the breakfast burrito problem

[thunderbyrd]

well, these days i'm doing most of the cooking. since my wife has been sick, i have absolutely burned out every kind of fast food there is in this town. arbees, mcdonalds, hardees, frisches, captain d's, and whatever else there is. so, i'm trying to figure out how to cook stuff.

some may perhaps recall my monumental and masterful thread on how to properly fry potatoes. i'm sure many of your lives were improved in those days and i'm glad to help - but now i need the mighty TDPRI braintrust to step up and help me to achieve the zen of breakfast burritos.

here's what i want to accomplish: i want to make burrito that's as good as the mcdonalds breakfast burrito but without the nasty sausage. i will occasionally buy one of their burritos and then pick all the sausage off it. and that's every bit as unappetizing as it sounds and also tedious. but once the sausage is gone, i really like what's left.

but the mcdonalds burrito doesn't seem too complicated, so i trotted my chubby self to the grocery and got some tortillas, pepperjack cheese with jalapenos, some cayenne pepper, and bacon bits and some taco sauce. so that's what i put in my burritos so far. next time i'll dice up some tomatoes.


what suggestions do you have, to spice it up and dress it up? i have noticed most recipes for breakfast burritos have potatoes in them, but i don't like that. it does seem that some flavored brown rice could fit in somewhere.

 

[beanluc]

Ham and green pepper would be the next logical additions after the tomato.

Or a different/better kind of sausage. Can you get Mexican (not Portuguese) chorizo where you live? Classic combination with eggs.

I wouldn't do rice in a breakfast burrito. Maybe beans. Definitely wicked hot sauce.

Which brings me to mention where I thought this was going, based on the title...

 

[Timbresmith1]

Maybe try some tomatillo salsa.

A little Cumin can add a bit of flavor depth. Cilantro will liven them up a bit, too.

 

[dented]

Eggs, cheese, peppers of some kind, bacon, diced steak (carne asada) so many things.

I like mine with eggs, cheese and bacon or just eggs and cheese. I have diced jalapenos and Pico Pica on the side for dipping ........mmmmmmmm. Don't forget to get the tortilla nice and toasty on an open flame if you have a gas stove.

 

[Timbresmith1]

Maybe try some tomatillo salsa.

A little Cumin can add a bit of flavor depth. Cilantro will liven them up a bit, too.

Are there scrambled eggs in the MacDougal’s break bur? If not, egg and cheese make a fine breakfast burrito.

 

[buster poser]

Sounds like you're on the right track. I like things very spicey and have never had a McD's burrito, but my advice is always green chile; good for you, great flavor, not too spicy. The 4oz canned stuff is passable, just dole out a little stripe in the eggs before you roll it up. You could also just sub your favorite brand of chunky salsa. Taco sauce is good but red and/or green chile sauce may be better.

Don't neglect warming up the tortillas btw. Just set the heat to low and give 'em a few second per side in a skillet/pan.

 

[Digital Larry]

Just reading this thread is breaking my fast!

 

[pi]

i want to make burrito that's as good as the mcdonalds breakfast burrito

This is not a high bar.

 

[Tele-beeb]

a possible twist for those whose diet allow:
eggs scrambled in real butter or lard
chop the eggs
add the following chopped to the chopped eggs…
shredded mild cheddar (lots)
chopped green pepper (fresh for homestyle or frozen for fast food style)
real bacon bits from a bag (for convenience)
let the cheese bind the parts and put in the warm tortilla (browned in butter or lard)
grind a peppermill at any stage)

 

[rghill]

Try chorizo instead of sausage. To me breakfast burritos have eggs, cheese, sausage or chorizo, and good salsa wrapped in a good tortilla. You can add avocado or guacamole. Variation you can try: heat up the tortilla in a slightly oiled pan with the cheese. Cook until the cheese melts. Put the other ingredients and wrap it up. Easy and quick.

 

[beanluc]

Are there scrambled eggs in the MacDougal’s break bur? If not, egg and cheese make a fine breakfast burrito.

Egg is what makes a breakfast burrito a breakfast burrito.

 

[telleutelleme]

Cheesy Bacon Burrito. You identified everything but the bacon.

 

[beanluc]

the breakfast burrito problem

Don't neglect warming up the tortillas btw. Just set the heat to low and give 'em a few second per side in a skillet/pan.

Getting the tortilla right might be one of the most important parts of getting a burrito right.

It MIGHT come out ok with just skillet heating, but if you let it brown then it might crack when you roll it and be messy to eat, either from splitting open or just from the toasted brown parts flaking off all over you. And the tortilla might still taste like raw wheat flour after the skillet and the burrito might wind up with a big wad of stiff chewy tortilla at the bottom. There are other ways to heat them which make the burrito come out better.

I don't use a skillet, I just warm them directly over the gas burner on my stove top. You just want to heat it over the flame until it steams itself from the inside. It might puff up but that's when you turn it over or move the puffed part off the flame and make sure the rest of it heats up. Keep it moving, turn it over a couple of times, don't let it burn or toast, do not look or walk away from it thinking you'll catch it before it burns. You won't.

When I don't have a gas burner, I put one or more tortillas on a plate, cover them tightly with another plate, and microwave them till they're quite hot but not dried out (not even a little - this is important.) This makes them soft and makes them properly cooked, at this point I MIGHT put one in a skillet but only long enough to dry it a little, not to toast or brown it, because often the one which is touching the bottom plate comes out a little bit wet on one side.

This makes a burrito with a softer tortilla which doesn't taste raw.

 

[Bob Womack]

I can't help you with your burrito issue but I can sympathize. My lovely wife is chronically ill as well and has been going through a tough time in the last couple of months, so I, too, am sick to death of fast food of all stripes.

Bob

 

[buster poser]

Getting the tortilla right might be one of the most important parts of getting a burrito right.

It MIGHT come out ok with just skillet heating, but if the tortilla still tastes like raw wheat flour after that and/or the burrito has a big wad of stiff chewy tortilla at the bottom, there are other ways to heat them which make the burrito come out better.

I don't use a skillet, I just warm them directly over the gas burner on my stove top. Keep them moving, turn them over a couple of times, don't let them burn, do not walk away from it thinking you'll catch it before it burns. You won't.

When I don't have a gas burner, I put one or more tortillas on a plate, cover them tightly with another plate, and microwave them till they're quite hot but not dried out (not even a little - this is important.) This makes them soft and makes them properly cooked, at this point I MIGHT put one in a skillet but only long enough to dry it a little, not to toast or brown them, because often the one which is touching the bottom plate comes out a little bit wet on one side.

This makes a burrito with a softer tortilla which doesn't taste raw.

Good call. I have definitely put them right over the fire, but the flour tortillas we get here are thin enough that I don't have those consistency issues (they're made about two miles away as well, so it's always fresh/fluffy).

Corn tortillas I do in the microwave. Just wring out a clean towel and put the tortillas 'inside' it, folded on a plate. Always gets them nice and moist.

Sam's also has the uncooked, very thin flour tortillas lately and I really like those.

 

[Danb541]

Better than McDonald's. Easy peasy.
You said you already know how to make great potatoes. Make some.
Then scramble some eggs, throw in the cooked bacon and cheese. Maybe dice a little onion or jalapeno and throw in there. You really can't mess this up. Just put whatever you like in there. Cilantro, sour cream, salsa, pico.
Your first attempt will be better than McDonald's.
To soften the tortillas, wet some paper towels and wrap around the tortillas then microwave for 30 seconds.

 

[thunderbyrd]

I can't help you with your burrito issue but I can sympathize. My lovely wife is chronically ill as well and has been going through a tough time in the last couple of months, so I, too, am sick to death of fast food of all stripes.

Bob

i hope things get better for you.

the other day, my sister brought us a chicken and broccoli casserole and i laid into it like a starved hog. never liked casserole of any kind before but i was dying for anything that wasn't a hamburger.

 

[W.L.Weller]

https://www.redsallnatural.com/

Not what you asked, I know, (and I've never had a MacDonal's breakfast burrito) but I'm certain these are at least as good. And they're $2 in the freezer case at Target.

Keep working on your own though, it'll be cheaper and healthier in the end.

 

[Whatizitman]

Breakfast burritos are not far from breakfast tacos, due to flour tortillas. Just bigger versions.

If you must have meat, use chorizo. Fry the egg with the chorizo. And yes, potatoes are a must. As are pico and/or salsa. No lettuce. Yes to whatever veggies you want. Beans, too.

To be honest, breakfast tacos are better, anyway. Smaller means you can make different innards. Save burritos for a proper lunch or dinner. And proper burritos do not have any breakfast stuff on them.

 

[yegbert]

There’s a chain of stores here in the DelMarVa area called Taco Bamba. They make one I love called Huevos Rancheros. They start with a soft corn tortilla, and fry it a little crispy on the grill. Then fry an egg to taste,probably default is over easy, and add on top of fried corn tortilla. Add Crumbled Coteja cheese, the aforementioned chorizo sausage (can be swapped with whatever other meat if you prefer), and some hot chile peppers and other salsa kind of stuff.

When I’ve bought one there, I wash it down with a pink (guava a little grapefruit) Jarritos they sell there. And add some of one of their hot sauces.

When I’ve made it, that’s about it that I’ve used.

You can bake the corn tortilla in an oven if you want less oil or grease.

I'm not currently driving (health reasons) and the nearest Taco Bamba is an hour away. I’d kill for one now, haven’t had one in almost two years.