Lessons at Mixteco Grill

MEXICAN’T Rod O’Connor, right, wishes he had cooking chops on par with Mixteco chef-owner Raul Arreola.

Whether it’s old Italian ladies filling cannoli by hand or Polish grannies rolling pierogi, many food cultures entrust their most delicate and important jobs to their graying matriarchs. So, as a 37-year-old man, I’m a bit confused when my first assignment at Mixteco Grill (1601 W Montrose Ave, 773-868-1601), a popular Mexican BYOB in Lakeview, is to prepare the tamales.

When I arrive just after 1:30pm on a Tuesday, the basement prep area is a flurry of activity: Whizzing blenders transform tomatillos into bright-green salsa; a young cook mashes avocado for the evening’s guacamole. Chef-owner Raul Arreola instructs me to drop chunks of masa into a kitchen mixer already whipping butter to a velvety consistency. Next, we pour in fresh corn we’d cut from several cobs and pulsed in the food processor (we’ll add the remaining whole kernels to the mix later).

Turning off the mixer, Arreola plucks a ball of dough and dunks it into a glass of water. “If it floats, the masa is ready,” he says.

I’m handed a stack of moist corn husks, and Arreola shows me how to drop a masa dollop on the husk, then deftly twist and fold it closed—a maneuver I can’t quite crack. With each attempt, I either plop on too much masa and it shoots out one end, or not enough and the tamale resembles a flaccid cigar.

Once the restaurant opens, I’m assigned to the wood-fired grill alongside chef-partner Anselmo Ramirez. Earlier, I saw Ramirez marinating pork chops in a deliciously punchy-looking ancho-chile sauce. Now I’m helping to bring out every ounce of the meat’s flavor, letting the mesquite wood perform its magic. After a few hours, I perfect his high-heat/low-heat cooking technique; with a press of my index finger as a gauge, I’m fairly confident the rib eye I send out is indeed medium rare.

When I leave the restaurant after my eight-hour shift, I’m exhausted. But thanks to Ramirez, I just might realize my potential as a grill master. As for those tamales, I think they’re better left to the ladies.

TOP LESSONS LEARNED

• When dicing tomatoes for something that might sit awhile (like pico de gallo), gut the squishy insides—that liquid can water down the taste.
• Sear meat on the hottest part of the grill first, then move to lower heat to finish. Press your index finger in the center to determine doneness: Rare feels soft, medium offers a springy resistance and well done is very firm. Take the meat off the grill when it’s almost done—it’ll cook a little more after you remove it.
• Keep a container next to your stove or grill filled with two parts salt and one part pepper; use the mixture to add quick bursts of flavor.

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