This is not a local secret but I can guarantee that few visitors are aware of this information. There is a little village called Temazon just a few miles outside of Valladolid that is dedicated to the production of smoked meat, albeit, some of the best smoked meat we have ever tasted!
Temazon – The Smoked Meat Capital of the Yucatan
Many, many years ago I stumbled upon the smoked meat capital of the Yucatan, Temazon. In 2014 I revisited this little piece of heaven. On previous visits I just went to the front counter, picked out some smoked sausages, short ribs, and pork loin then headed on my merry way. My visit in 2014 had me stumbling into the depths of smoked meat production, a site that was truly amazing.
What I witnessed was this. A group of workers were stuffing large concrete smokers with Yucatan wood then filling rack upon rack with sausages, pork loins and short ribs. The smokers were unlike anything I had ever seen but obviously function beautifully, in fact better than beautifully. Alongside the smokers were a group of women making handmade tamales filled with pork and salsa. I thought I had reached heaven, truly.
My Favorite Smoked Meat from Carnes Concepcion
The store that has the best smoked meat in town (in my humble opinion) is Carnes Concepcion. My favorite, favorite smoked meat offered at this very popular smoked meat shop is the enchilada smoked pork ribs. The short ribs are covered in a dry rub and then smoked for the day using a special local hard wood. When I asked the workers what the enchilada rub consisted of and which wood they used to smoke the meat, I was politely told that this was their secret. They were happy to give me a tour of the smoking process, explain how they used the concrete smokers and provide me with time frames for the perfect smoked meat but anything more detailed than that was held close to their heart.
Carnes Concepcion in 2015
Since my numerous visits in 2014, Carnes Concepcion has opened a restaurant in the retail store. With a good group of friends we decided to have lunch and ordered the family platter of smoked meat. For 240 pesos, 6 of us dug into this platter filled with all smoked meat selections, rice, beans, salad, and each of us had a refresco. There was so much smoked meat on this platter we had to take the rest home! Folks that lunch cost us 20 USD with leftovers!
How to Get to Temazon in the Yucatan
Temazon is located just north of Valladolid en route to Tizimin and the Ek Balam Ruins. It is the second village just 6 miles/10kms on Hwy 295. Carnes Concepcion is located on the west side of the village. It is the most popular smoked meat store in the village so cars are constantly parked infront of the shop. I have tried other smoked meat in the village to check that this retail outlet is the best. The consensus is that Carnes Concepcion is by far the best. They do have a retail store on the outskirts of Valladolid, but they do not sell the short ribs at that location, which for me is a bust!
Check out Valladolid on this great day trip and see a great colonial city in the Yucatan.