A woman discovered what appeared to be teeth in a Barbacoa taco she ordered at El Rincon Mexican Restaurant in Pflugerville, Texas. She shared the photo of her meal with the suspicious teeth, and the post, which has been made private now, received over 2,000 shares, according to KYTX.
Courtney Aguilar headed to the Mexican restaurant on March 19 and says that when she found the teeth, her waiter told her that it was just baby teeth. Aguilar posted a photo of the so-called baby teeth, and by the next day, the restaurant had contacted her.
“I just received a phone call from the Owner of El Rincon and he assured me what was in by Barbacoa was not teeth,” posted Aguilar on Facebook March 20. “He stated tomorrow the vendor will be coming from San Antonio to discuss the issue with documentation. However, either way I will not be back, due to the experience. El Rincon has taken full responsibility for this incident.”
The ‘teeth’ were in fact beef lips
El Rincon Mexican Restaurant, which has been open for over 26 years, also posted a statement on its Facebook page, claiming that they were aware of the situation and that Barbacoa is one of the few items they buy pre-made from an approved FDA vendor. They stated that they won’t be buying any more meat from the supplier and that Barbacoa will not be sold in the restaurant until they find a suitable provider. El Rincon noted that Barbacoa is cooked with several parts from the cow, but mostly from the head or cheek of the cattle.
Roger Baza, El Rincon owner, asked the meat vendor Laxson, a meat distributor based in San Antonio, to visit the restaurant with the proper documentation. On Thursday, El Rincon posted an article from My San Antonio, which finally unveiled the truth about the Barbacoa teeth. Laxson clarified that the “teeth” were in fact “beef lips,” and that it is an USDA-approved and inspected product for human consumption.
“We admit cow lips are not the most attractive food item and can resemble teeth. Unfortunately, it made its way into this customer’s dish,” said Laxson in a statement sent to CBS. “This part of the cow is not traditionally associated with barbacoa but is certainly edible. We meticulously scan our product prior to packaging. In this instance, an edible-but-unexpected part of the cow made its way into the packaging of our 100% Cheek Meat Barbacoa.”
El Rincon restaurant hopes to sell Barbacoa soon
After the Laxson’s statement was released, Aguilar told CBS News that knowing what cow lips look like is not common knowledge and that the waitress she asked about the cow lips should have been a reliable source.
Baza told CBS News that the last few days have been tough for the El Rincon family, as this issue with the so-called cow teeth had negative repercussions on the restaurant. Baza stated that they have been in business for 26 years and that do not take this issue lightly. They hope to have Barbacoa back on the menu soon, and although they had stated they would no longer deal with Laxson for the Barbacoa meat, they will explore if the decision is sustainable for the restaurant.
Source: CBS News