Menudo

Menudo is Mexico’s legendary weekend soup, the one abuelas ladle out on Sunday mornings to cure what ails you after a long Saturday night. Honeycomb tripe simmers low and slow with onion, garlic, salt, and black pepper until it turns tender and gelatinous, giving the broth its signature silky body. The real flavor engine here is the ancho chiles: toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant, then seeded, ground fine, and stirred in so their raisin-sweet smokiness blooms through the pot.

A handful of cilantro brightens the long simmer, and canned yellow hominy goes in near the end so the nixtamalized kernels stay plump and chewy. A squeeze of lime at the table cuts right through the richness.

Chef Tips

• Rinse the tripe well and trim any ragged bits before cubing. A quick blanch and drain before the main simmer keeps the broth cleaner.
• Skim the foam and fat regularly during the first hour. This is the difference between a muddy broth and a glossy one.
• Toast anchos just until they puff and smell cocoa-sweet, about 10 to 15 seconds per side. Scorched chiles turn the whole pot bitter.
• Set out chopped white onion, dried oregano, crushed chile de árbol, and lime wedges so everyone can dress their own bowl.

Variations

• Menudo Rojo: Add two guajillo chiles alongside the anchos for a deeper red color and fruitier heat.
• Pata included: Toss in a split calf’s foot with the tripe for extra collagen and body, a common touch in northern Mexico.
• Pozole style: Swap the tripe for pork shoulder to turn this into a cousin pozole instead.