The Butcher At Lily's Mexican Market

Soft tacos with meat from Lily's

I need advice about how to use the butcher at Lily's Mexican Market.  I see great opportunity, but I don't know what to buy.

Lily's is a terrific market off Dobbin Road in Columbia.  I have gone for years to buy fresh tortillas, canned goods, cheeses, and even some fresh produce like avocados, tomatillos and cactus.  Now, I want to expand into the meat counter.

My last trip was successful, although not what I expected.  I bought fajita meat expecting to grill something that looked like a skirt steak from Laurel Meat Market.  Instead, I got four separate pieces of meat.  They were maybe a half-inch thick with ragged edges, halfway between what I expected and some paper-thin cuts for a Philadelphia cheesesteak.

Fajita meat from Lily's

I didn't grill the meat.  I heated a cast iron skillet and just touched pieces down for 60-90 seconds per side until they cooked through.  Then  I sliced them against the grain -- and there was a strong grain -- to serve with vegetables and cheese for soft tacos.

My dinner had a great beef flavor and a chew similar to skirt steak.  At a minimum, you could start with an order of fajita meat because good ingredients served with Lily's house-made corn tortillas will make a great dinner no matter what you do.  But I'd love advice about what else to buy and what else to cook.

Lily's butcher board

I can translate Lily's butcher chalk board -- oxtail, beef leg, leg of lamb, pork chops, pork chorizo, etc.  But I know very little about meat, and I know that cuts differ.  A pork chop isn't the same as every other pork chop.  I was trying to use a recipe from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday, but his recipe clearly wasn't describing the cut that I got when I ordered "fajita" meat.  What are the popular cuts at a butcher aimed at Mexican or Central American chefs?  What recipes work?

If you're looking for interesting butcher options, you're in luck around Howard County.  There are three full-service butchers in an American style heavy on beef and pork along with a growing group of halal butchers for lamb and the Korean-style packages at the Asian grocery stores.  For links to them all, click back to my collection of butchers, bakeries and groceries in the Welcome Home series.