Sonoran carne seca is beef sun-dried on the roof, then shredded and quickly sauteed with onions, green chile and tomato for tacos, burritos and chimichangas.
Carne seca is the original Sonoran preserved beef, dried on rooftops in the Tucson desert before refrigeration. The Sonoran method uses thin strips of top round seasoned with salt and lime, sun-dried 4-6 hours, then shredded by hand. El Charro Cafe has run carne seca since 1922, drying beef on the roof of the Court Avenue building. The dish is the canonical filling for El Charro chimichangas and tacos and remains a Tucson signature today across El Charro, Mi Nidito and family-run Sonoran kitchens.
2 editor picks for Carne seca in Tucson, ranked by editorial score. All Tucson signature dishes · Carne seca across every city.
El Charro Cafe ★ 4.6
el-presidio · 311 N Court Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701
El Charro Cafe on Court Avenue in Tucson is the United States' oldest family-run Mexican restaurant (1922), and the claimed birthplace of the chimichanga.
Mi Nidito ★ 4.5
south-tucson · 1813 S 4th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85713
Mi Nidito on South 4th Avenue in Tucson runs the same family kitchen since 1952; the President's Platter recalls Bill Clinton's 1999 dinner stop.