We’ve all been to that neo-Mexican restaurant with the minimalist décor and insanely overstuffed burritos. If you’ve been to this particular restaurant chain (not naming names, but it’s named after a smoked jalapeno), you’ve probably watched in horror as your overstuffed burrito gets cracked, seeps, tears, or splits under the shaky hands of an inexperienced burrit-ista. As soon as I see this happen, my heart melts. From here, you can A – double wrap the burrito, B – slide the contents into a new tortilla, or C – transfer into a bowl. You don’t want to do any of these things. You just want your burrito rolled right the first time. Should you wake up one morning saying, “hey, I can make my own burritos. Screw (insert name of burrito-chain here),” then be sure to read this. I’m going to walk you through the burrito rolling process step by step.Both science and art, this crucial step in the burrito manufacturing process could very well make or break your entire burrito-eating experience. Follow these steps to ensure that your burrito will be rolled to perfection.
Step 1 – Make sure that you have the appropriate sized tortilla for the job.
If you’re rolling rice and beans, chances are an 8” tortilla will do. If you’re rolling rice, beans, meat, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions, salsa, corn, squash, cole slaw, and whatever else you people will put in a burrito these days, then you probably want to go for the big boy, the 10” burrito-sized tortilla. Now that you’ve got the right tool for the job, let’s talk strategy.
Step 2 – Know your stuff(ings).
If you are going to be piling this burrito high with toppings, make sure you layer accordingly. Cheese should always be the first layer; on top of that should go your main ingredients, your rice, beans, and meat. Then you deal with the extras. But be wary of these extras, any wet toppings - salsas, sauces, even sour cream or guacamole - could be the downfall of your beautiful wrap-job. Be sure to drain salsas of any extra juices, and be sure to place the wet stuff closest to you as you stand in front of your tortilla, ready to roll.
Step 3 – The tortilla itself
Whether it’s spinach, white flour, whole wheat, sprouted grain, or sun dried tomato, you’re going to want to warm that wrap up before rolling, otherwise, you suffer a greater risk of cracks and tears. To do this, you can simply warm the shell up in a pan at low heat, or, if you like the steamed effect that you get at the restaurant, I suggest dampening two paper towels, placing your burrito between the two, and microwaving it for a minute. This replicates the steam-press effect that you’ll get at most major burrito chains.
Step 4 – The roll
Place your warm tortilla on a clean, flat surface in front of you. Pile your toppings near the middle, but slightly closer to yourself, and make sure you have them in the correct order! Now, you’re going to slide both of your hands under either side of the tortilla, like you’re doing the Macarena. Sticking with the dance analogy, feel free to give the burrito a little shimmy to slide the contents toward the center (seriously). First, make a small fold towards the center with the side of the tortilla closest to yourself - this will form the bottom of your burrito. Now, with one hand on the fold you just made, grab one side of the burrito and fold it in towards the center, then spin the burrito and continue rolling it in on itself from the fold you just made. A warm tortilla shouldn’t split on you, but be careful not to over-tighten your burrito. The end result should be a tubular burrito, with one closed end and one open one.
Congratulations, you’ve rolled a perfect burrito!
Now bite into that soft, warm tortilla and enjoy!
-Eric