Tasajo, Cecina & Chorizo: Traditional Meats of Oaxaca

Walk into any Oaxacan market and you will see them hanging in curtains of red and brown: thin sheets of tasajo and cecina draped over wooden racks, and coils of dark chorizo piled in bowls. These three meats — tasajo (salt-cured dried beef), cecina (thin-sliced marinated pork), and chorizo (fresh chile-seasoned sausage) — form the trinity of Oaxacan grilling. They are the meats that go on tlayudas, the proteins that fill market-stall tacos, and the centerpieces of the Pasillo de Humo, the legendary smoke corridor in Oaxaca City’s Mercado 20 de Noviembre.

For international travelers, understanding these three meats is essential to navigating Oaxacan food culture. This guide covers what each one is, how it is made, where to find the best versions, and how to eat them.

Tasajo: Oaxaca’s Salt-Cured Dried Beef

What It Is

Tasajo is beef that has been sliced into paper-thin sheets, salted, and hung to dry in the open air. The result is a concentrated, savory meat with a firm but tender texture when grilled. It is not jerky — tasajo is much thinner, less dried, and meant to be cooked before eating rather than consumed as a dried snack.

The word tasajo likely comes from the Quechua word ch’arki (the same root that gives us “jerky”), reflecting the deep history of meat preservation techniques across the Americas. In Oaxaca, tasajo has been produced for centuries as a method of preserving beef in a hot climate without refrigeration.

How It Is Made

The production of tasajo follows a deceptively simple process that requires considerable skill:

Cutting: A butcher selects lean cuts of beef — typically from the leg or shoulder — and slices them into extremely thin sheets, often just 2 to 3 millimeters (about 0.08 to 0.12 inches) thick. This requires a very sharp knife and a practiced hand. The best tasajo butchers can produce sheets so thin they are nearly translucent.
Salting: The thin sheets are rubbed with coarse salt on both sides. The amount of salt is critical — too much produces an inedibly salty product, too little allows spoilage.
Drying: The salted sheets are hung on wooden racks or clotheslines in open air, typically in a covered but ventilated space. In the dry climate of the Central Valleys, the meat dehydrates within 12 to 24 hours. The drying concentrates the beef flavor and firms the texture without making it brittle.

What It Tastes Like

Good tasajo has a deep, concentrated beef flavor with a pleasant saltiness and a slight chew. When grilled over charcoal — which is how it is almost always served — it develops smoky, caramelized edges while remaining tender at the center. The flavor is bolder and more complex than a regular steak, with an almost umami-like depth from the salt curing and drying process.

Where to Find the Best Tasajo

Mercado 20 de Noviembre (Pasillo de Humo): The smoke corridor is ground zero for grilled tasajo. Vendors grill it over wood and charcoal, and you can buy a plate of freshly grilled tasajo with tortillas, grilled onions, nopales (cactus paddles), and salsa for 80 to 120 MXN ($4.40 to $6.60 USD).

Central de Abastos: The wholesale market has an extensive meat section where you can buy raw tasajo by the kilogram — 180 to 250 MXN ($10.00 to $13.70 USD) per kilogram — to cook yourself if you have access to a grill or kitchen.

Tlacolula Sunday Market: The weekly market in Tlacolula, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Oaxaca City, has excellent tasajo vendors and a lively grilling section.

Cecina: Thin-Sliced Oaxacan Pork

What It Is

Cecina in the Oaxacan context is pork that has been sliced very thin, lightly cured, and sometimes marinated with dried chiles and spices. It is different from the cecina found in other parts of Mexico (which is often beef) and entirely different from Spanish cecina (which is air-dried and eaten raw like prosciutto). Oaxacan cecina is a fresh or lightly cured product that must be cooked before eating.

How It Is Made

Cutting: Pork loin or leg is sliced into thin sheets, similar to tasajo but typically slightly thicker — about 3 to 5 millimeters (0.12 to 0.20 inches).
Curing: The sheets are lightly salted and sometimes rubbed with a paste of dried chiles (often pasilla oaxaqueno or chilhuacle), garlic, and herbs. The chile paste gives the cecina a reddish hue and a subtle warmth.
Brief drying: Unlike tasajo, which is dried until firm, cecina is only lightly air-dried for a few hours. It remains more moist and tender than tasajo.

What It Tastes Like

Cecina is milder and more delicate than tasajo. The pork has a clean, slightly sweet flavor that is enhanced rather than dominated by the chile and garlic cure. When grilled, it cooks quickly and develops a light char on the edges while staying juicy inside. It is the most approachable of the three meats for visitors unaccustomed to strongly flavored cured products.

Where to Find the Best Cecina

The same markets and vendors that sell tasajo also sell cecina, and it is almost always offered as an option on tlayudas and at grill stalls. Prices are similar to tasajo: 70 to 120 MXN ($3.80 to $6.60 USD) for a grilled plate in the market, or 160 to 220 MXN ($8.80 to $12.10 USD) per kilogram raw.

Chorizo: Oaxaca’s Fresh Chile Sausage

What It Is

Oaxacan chorizo is a fresh, unsmoked pork sausage seasoned with dried chiles, vinegar, garlic, and spices. It is softer, moister, and more intensely flavored than the Spanish chorizo most European travelers know, and it is always cooked before eating — never sliced and served cold.

Unlike the commercially produced Mexican chorizo found in supermarkets across the country, which often contains filler ingredients, Oaxacan artisan chorizo is made with pure pork and dried chiles, with no artificial colors or preservatives.

How It Is Made

Meat preparation: Pork shoulder and fat are ground or finely chopped. The ratio of meat to fat is important — too lean and the chorizo will be dry, too fatty and it will be greasy. A good ratio is approximately 70% lean meat to 30% fat.
Seasoning: The ground pork is mixed with a paste made from dried chiles (typically ancho, pasilla, and guajillo), vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and cloves. The vinegar acts as both a flavoring and a preservative. The chile paste gives Oaxacan chorizo its deep red color and complex heat.
Stuffing: The seasoned meat is stuffed into natural pork casings and tied into links or coils. Some producers skip the casing and sell the chorizo as loose ground meat.
Resting: The chorizo rests for 24 to 48 hours, allowing the flavors to meld. It is then sold fresh, without smoking or drying.

What It Tastes Like

Oaxacan chorizo is rich, spicy, and deeply savory. The dried chiles provide warmth without overwhelming heat, and the vinegar adds a subtle tang that cuts through the richness of the pork. When cooked, it crumbles into loose, flavorful pieces that release a fragrant, reddish oil. That oil — infused with chile, garlic, and spices — is considered a delicacy in itself, and cooks use it to flavor beans, eggs, and salsas.

Where to Find the Best Chorizo

Mercado 20 de Noviembre: The grill stalls in the Pasillo de Humo serve chorizo alongside tasajo and cecina. You can order a mixed plate (surtida) to try all three meats for 100 to 150 MXN ($5.50 to $8.20 USD).

Central de Abastos: Raw chorizo is sold by the kilogram in the meat section, typically 120 to 180 MXN ($6.60 to $9.90 USD) per kilogram.

Tlacolula Market: The Sunday market has excellent chorizo vendors, and you can often watch the sausage being made fresh on-site.

The Pasillo de Humo: Where All Three Meats Come Together

No discussion of Oaxacan meats is complete without the Pasillo de Humo — the “Smoke Corridor” in Mercado 20 de Noviembre in the center of Oaxaca City. This narrow passageway is lined with grill stations, each tended by a vendor wielding tongs over a bed of glowing wood coals. The air is thick with smoke, the sound of sizzling meat fills the corridor, and the aroma is irresistible.

How It Works

Walk the length of the corridor and choose a grill station. Each vendor has a display of raw meats — tasajo, cecina, chorizo, and often other items like longaniza (a longer, thinner sausage), costillas (pork ribs), and nopales.
Point at what you want. The vendor will weigh it and give you a price. A generous plate of mixed meats for one person costs approximately 100 to 160 MXN ($5.50 to $8.80 USD).
The vendor grills your meat to order and hands it to you on a plate.
Take your plate to one of the communal tables nearby, where another set of vendors sells tortillas, salsas, grilled onions, nopales, and drinks. These sides are sold separately — expect to spend an additional 30 to 50 MXN ($1.65 to $2.75 USD) on accompaniments.
Assemble your tacos and eat.

Tips for the Pasillo de Humo

Go hungry. The portions are generous and the temptation to over-order is real.
Bring cash. Most vendors do not accept cards.
Order the surtida (mixed plate) on your first visit to try all three meats.
Ask for nopales (grilled cactus paddles) as a side — they provide a fresh, slightly tart contrast to the rich meats.
Early afternoon (1:00 to 3:00 PM) is the best time. The grills are at their hottest, the meat selection is fullest, and you avoid the heaviest tourist crowds.

How These Meats Are Used in Oaxacan Cuisine

On Tlayudas

The classic use. Tasajo, cecina, or chorizo (or a combination) is grilled and placed on a tlayuda with black beans, quesillo, avocado, and salsa. The smoky meat against the crispy tortilla and melted cheese is one of the great flavor combinations in Mexican cuisine.

In Tacos

Simple market tacos filled with grilled tasajo or cecina, topped with salsa and a squeeze of lime, are among the most satisfying and affordable meals in Oaxaca. A taco costs 15 to 25 MXN ($0.80 to $1.40 USD).

With Eggs

Chorizo scrambled with eggs (huevos con chorizo) is a staple Oaxacan breakfast. The chorizo crumbles into the eggs, coloring them with its red chile oil and infusing them with smoky, spicy flavor. Served with tortillas and black beans, it is a morning meal that will carry you through a full day of exploring.

In Empanadas and Memelas

Small corn masa pockets (empanadas) and thick oval tortillas (memelas) are filled or topped with these meats throughout the markets. They make excellent portable snacks.

Practical Information

Shelf life: Tasajo keeps 3 to 5 days refrigerated. Cecina should be consumed within 2 to 3 days. Chorizo keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated.

Taking it home: These meats are perishable and will not survive international travel without refrigeration. Enjoy them in Oaxaca.

Dietary restrictions: All three meats are pork- or beef-based and not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or those who observe halal or kosher dietary laws. For plant-based alternatives at the grill stalls, ask for nopales (grilled cactus) and queso (cheese).

The Culture of the Grill

In Oaxaca, the grill is more than a cooking method — it is a social institution. The evening grill stalls where tlayudas and grilled meats are served are gathering places where families, friends, and strangers share food, conversation, and the warmth of the fire. The grill master — whether a grandmother tending coals at a market stall or a young vendor at a street corner — holds a position of respect and skill.

When you eat grilled tasajo, cecina, or chorizo in Oaxaca, you are participating in a tradition that connects pre-Hispanic meat preservation techniques with contemporary street food culture. The meats themselves are bridges between past and present, rural and urban, necessity and pleasure.

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