Experience the smoky flavor of home-cooked pork fat flour tortillas made on your gas grill! Learn from Chef Tom and make your own delicious tortillas with ease. It's never been easier to cook up something special!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Using room-temperature (not cold) lard lets it incorporate smoothly into the dough during mixing, rather than clumping or resisting the water and flour the way cold fat would
- A two-stage rest, once after mixing and again after portioning, relaxes the gluten twice, making the dough far easier to roll thin without snapping back
- A grill press smashes each dough ball directly on the hot griddle until it "squeals," creating an ultra-thin tortilla in seconds rather than relying on a rolling pin beforehand
- Multiple flips on the griddle let steam build inside the dough, which is what makes the tortilla puff before it's done
Flour Tortillas
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
Mexican
Servings
30
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Calories
49
Chef Tom fires up the Napoleon Phantom 500 gas grill to show us how to make pork fat flour tortillas on the grill!
Ingredients
-
600 g (4 cups) Caputo “00” pizza flour
- 350 g (1 1/2 cups) warm water
-
120 g (9 tbsp) Pork Fat (lard), melted or room temp (not cold)
-
16 g (4 tsp) Jacobsen Salt Co. Habanero Infused Sea Salt
Directions
- Combine the water and lard in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the Jacobsen Salt Co. Habanero Infused Seas Salt and Caputo “00” pizza flour. Mix on third speed with the dough hook for five minutes. Remove from the bowl and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic. Let rest 20-30 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Divide into 30 (35 g) portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Cover and rest another 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat your Napoleon Phantom 500 with a Napoleon Reversible Cast Iron Griddle in place on the left side of the grill. Turn the burners under the griddle to medium and the burners on the right side of the grill to low.
- Preheat a Finex Flat Cast Iron Press on the infrared side burner of the grill over medium heat.
- Place a dough ball on the griddle. Using a grill glove or towel, pick up the grill press and smash the dough ball into the griddle until you hear a little “squeal” and the tortilla is very thin. Immediately remove the grill press and return to the side burner.
- Using a spatula, flip the tortilla and move to the back of the griddle. Flip again when beginning to lightly brown, and again to to allow the tortilla to puff up. The tortilla is done when the surface is lightly browned on both sides and the steam has caused the tortilla to puff. Remove from the griddle and hold warm for service or cool to store for later use.
Repeat this process with the remaining dough balls until all 30 tortillas have been cooked.
- The tortillas may be served warm immediately, or cooled, then packaged to freeze for later use.
- If serving the tortillas at a later date, first thaw them in the refrigerator, then reheat them over open flame or on the cast iron surface.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why use room-temperature lard instead of cold lard straight from the fridge?
Room-temperature or melted lard incorporates smoothly into the dough during mixing. Cold lard resists blending with the water and flour, leaving streaks of fat instead of a uniform dough.
Why rest the dough twice once after mixing and again after portioning?
Each rest relaxes the gluten that develops during mixing and shaping. Skipping either rest leaves the dough elastic and prone to snapping back when rolled, instead of staying thin and pliable.
Why smash the dough with a hot cast iron press instead of rolling it out?
Pressing a dough ball directly onto the hot griddle until it "squeals" flattens it into an ultra-thin tortilla in seconds, using the heat itself to help spread the dough rather than relying on a rolling pin beforehand.
Why flip the tortilla multiple times instead of cooking each side just once?
Repeated flips let steam build up inside the dough, which is what causes the tortilla to puff. A single flip per side wouldn't give the steam time to fully develop that lift.
How do I know when a tortilla is actually done?
Look for light browning on both sides and visible puffing from trapped steam those two cues together are the doneness test here, rather than a fixed time per side.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
4 out of 5 a stovetop cast iron skillet or comal can replace the griddle, and a heavy skillet or tortilla press can substitute for the grill press; the technique translates directly indoors.
Recipe Highlights
Room-temperature lard: Blends smoothly into the dough instead of clumping.
Double rest: Relaxes gluten twice for easier rolling and shaping.
Press-smashed dough: Flattens each tortilla in seconds directly on the hot griddle.
Multi-flip cooking: Builds steam that puffs the tortilla as it finishes.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 1.45 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 49
- Carbs
- 3 grams
- Protein
- grams
- Fat
- 4 grams
- Sodium
- 207 milligrams
