Secret to Getting More at Chipotle Mexican Grill

When I'm in the mood for quick, fast food type unauthentic Mexican food, I don't go to Taco Bell nor Baja Fresh. No, I tend to go to everyone's favorite un-Mexican Mexican restaurant for Americanized tacos and burritos. Here's the backstory to Chipotle: Chipotle Mexican Grill which was founded in Denver, CO in 1993 (somehow the Mile High City just doesn't scream Tex Mex the way a more Southwestern locale would). Anyway, the word "chipotle" means smoked chili. The company is worth approximately 19 billion dollars and in fact McDonald's once held a majority stake in the company. Chipotle uses approximately 97,000 pounds of avocados a day which translates to a whole lot of guacamole. Now here comes the fun part.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

What I have to tell you can give you more food for the same price which could potentially mean more savings for you. In Chipotle, you can order a vegetarian, carnitas (Mexican pulled pork), steak (carne asada), barbacoa, or grilled chicken burrito (a) or a burrito bowl (b) for the same price (see below). The primary difference is that a burrito bowl does not include a flour tortilla as its vessel to hold food the way a regular burrito does. As its name indicates, it uses a bowl.

(a) Your standard burrito at Chipotle

(b) The burrito bowl at Chipotle

Okay, now here comes some math. The average weight of a chipotle burrito is .634 pounds whereas the average weight of a burrito bowl is 1.082 pounds with all else being constant (ie same proteins, toppings, etc in both the burrito and burrito bowl). You don't have to be a math major to see that 1.082 pounds of Mexican goodness is better than .634 pounds for the same price. This is huge since ordering a burrito bowl gives you at least 70% more food, and this is already taking into account the lack of tortilla in the burrito bowl too! This difference in weight is probably due to the fact that a burrito has a limited amount of space for its contents in the flour tortilla. So next time when you're feeling really hungry and have a hankering for some fake Mexican food, order a burrito bowl instead of a regular burrito to get more bang for your buck. Also, don't be afraid to ask for something on the side whether it's the salsa, sour cream, cheese, or guacamole. They're always willing to accommodate your request by putting a condiment in a small container for you. That and even though the line may be long, the Chipotle employees do a really good job moving the line along in a very efficient way. On a personal note, my standard burrito bowl configuration is the grilled chicken burrito bowl with brown rice (instead of the cilantro lime white rice), black beans (instead of pinto beans), extra fajita vegetables (onions and green peppers - they don't normally offer this to you but don't be afraid to ask), both mild tomato and medium tomatillo-green chili salsas (sometimes the hot tomatillo-red chili salsa on the side), cheese, sour cream, corn, and romaine lettuce. I do like guacamole, but I don't like having to pay extra for it. If I'm not terribly hungry, I would often just eat half of the bowl and save the other half for another meal which makes it out to be no more than $4 per meal. What you can also do is order from the secret menu. Just like In-N-Out, Chipotle has a secret menu where you can order a “Quesarito” (burrito made using a cheese quesadilla instead of a regular flour tortilla as the wrapping), nachos (chips with the usual Chipotle fillings and toppings piled on), or a single taco (instead of having to buy the standard set of 3 tacos).

Rick Bayless' Salsas

[skip to see: recipe (Chipotle Chili Salsa) | recipe (Quick-cooked Tomato-Chile Salsa)]

When we think of salsa, we often think of chips and dip. In Mexico salsa is used as a condiment: they put it on everything. They spoon salsa on tacos. They spoon salsa on enchiladas. They spoon salsa into burritos. They even spoon salsa on top of other salsas!...ok maybe not, but salsa is common in Mexican cooking as peanut butter is to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There's definitely some fun making your own salsa instead of going to the store and buying a bottle of Pace Picante sauce or Tostitos salsa.

I found a carnitas recipe from America's Test Kitchen, and I wanted to make homemade salsa that would complement it in a taco, enchilada, or burrito. I found several good recipes from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican cookbook. Rick Bayless is a world renowned chef known for cooking Mexican cuisine (and also the host of the cooking show Mexico One Plate at a Time on PBS) and his book has a lot of good recipes for traditional Mexican dishes - it even has a chapter dedicated just for salsas! There were 2 salsas I found in the book: Chipotle Chili Salsa and Quick-cooked Tomato-Chile Salsa. I made both salsas on two separate occasions making carnitas. These salsas are great anytime you're hosting some sort of gathering, party, or fiesta (particularly a Cinco de Mayo party).

Both recipes and comments are below and the video (coming soon) above shows Rick Bayless demonstrating how to make a salsa similar to the Chipotle Chili Salsa because he can show you better than I can explain. One thing he does is

he adds chopped onions to the salsa.

Chipotle Chili Salsa Recipe

Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless
YIELD: about ¾ cup

Ingredients

3 medium (about 4½ ounces total) fresh tomatillos, husked and washed
2 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 canned chiles chipotles, seeded
Salt, about ¼ teaspoon

Instructions

1. Roasting the tomatillos and garlic. Lay a square of aluminum foil on a griddle or skillet set over medium heat; set the tomatillos on top and turn regularly until soft and blackened in spots, about 10 minutes. While the tomatillos are roasting, toast the garlic on an uncovered spot on the griddle or skillet, turning frequently until soft, about 15 minutes; cool, slip off the skin and chop.

2. Finishing the sauce. Place the tomatillos, garlic, chipotles and 2 tablespoons water in a blender jar or food processor and puree. Scrape into a sauce dish, season with salt and stir in a little more water to give it a light, saucy consistency. If a smokier flavor is desired, stir in a teaspoon or two of the sauce from the canned chiles chipotles.

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FlavorFool's Notes (for Quick-cooked Tomato-Chile Salsa)

I did not use canned tomatoes - I used Roma tomatoes.

I cut the tomatoes in half and drained the water/seeds, chopped the onions into rings, and kept the garlic cloves in its paper-like wrapper. I put them along with the jalapenos in a rimmed baking sheet and broiled it in the oven. This got the skin of the tomatoes and jalapenos to blacken and blister. This lent a nice, roasted flavor to the salsa.

I put the tomatoes, garlic (now with paper wrapper removed), and jalapenos into a food processor. For this recipe, a food processor is your best friend.

The flavors really do come together if you chill the salsa in the refrigerator once it's done.

I added some lime to the salsa for a little bit of acidity.

Carnitas Taco with Homemade Salsa (underneath the cheese)

Quick-cooked Tomato-Chile Salsa Recipe

Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless
YIELD: about 2 cups

Ingredients

1½ pounds (3 medium-large round, 9 to 10 pear-shaped) ripe tomatoes, boiled or roasted, peeled and cored OR one 28-ounce can good-quality tomatoes, drained
Fresh hot green chiles to taste (roughly 3 to 5 chiles serranos or 2 to 3 chiles jalapeños), stemmed
½ small onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon lard or vegetable oil
Salt, about ½ teaspoon

Instruction

1. The tomatoes. For a more refined sauce, seed the tomatoes: Cut them in half across the middle and squeeze out the seeds and liquid. Roughly chop the tomatoes and place in a blender or food processor.

2. The puree. If you want a milder sauce, first seed the chiles. Then chop them into small bits and add to the blender or processor, along with the onion and garlic. If using a blender, stir to distribute the ingredients evenly, then process the mixture until pureed (but still retaining a little texture).

3. Frying the sauce. Heat the lard or oil in a medium-large skillet over medium-high. When it is hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add it all at once and stir constantly for about 5 minutes, as the puree sears and cooks into a thicker, more orangecolored sauce. Season with salt and remove from the fire.