A tlayuda is a Oaxacan dish made by toasting a large corn tortilla over an open flame or comal until crunchy and brittle. It can be served open-faced or folded in half. Some refer to the dish as Mexican pizza, but it arguably has more similarities to a sandwich. Common fillings include asiento, beans, cheese, cabbage, avocado, tomato, chorizo, and carne asada.

Asiento, the residual fat and crispy bits of meat left from frying carnitas or chicharrón, is an important ingredient in Oaxacan cuisine. Here, it is used to make the refried beans, imparting them with a meaty flavor. Look for tubs of yellow-tinted lard at Mexican grocery stores. In a pinch, you can use uninfused lard, but it will lack the depth of asiento. 

 The key to making a tlayuda at home is to start with the largest, driest tortilla possible. This recipe produces a mini tlayuda, which can be flattened in a standard-size tortilla press and cooked in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or comal. Make sure to flatten the masa into a thin, even layer to ensure it becomes crisp and cooks evenly. The masa should be hydrated just to the point that it can be mixed together without crumbling. Tlayudas get their smokiness and charred edges from an open flame, but at home a broiler will do the trick. -Octavio Pena

What’s the difference between a comal and a griddle?

Both a comal and a griddle are flat surfaces used for cooking. Traditionally, a comal is round or oval, and the size of a large frying pan. It’s primarily used in Mexico and Central America for cooking tortillas and other flatbreads. A griddle refers to a hot flat cooking surface that ranges in size from a square frying pan to a very large surface, such as the large, standalone Blackstone grill. 

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

If you cannot find asiento but want a similar pork flavor, finely grind one chicharrón into a fine powder using a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Stir two teaspoons of the chicharrón powder into 1 1/2 tablespoons of unrefined lard until evenly incorporated. 

Make ahead

You can make and cook the tlayuda through step 2 up to five days in advance. Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.