“Are you going to come home this weekend and visit me?”, I asked my daughter, who lives in Houston. “Well, only if you promise to make beef tongue,” said my daughter. It is her favorite. It may seem ...

Editor's note: Originally published in November 2024. Updated November 2025. Also, this story has been updated to clarify when to add dried chiles in the recipe. This is an ingredient of extremes.

The best street food is often an exercise in taking whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand and turning them into something magical. This is true of street tacos. The finest are forged in fire ...