Guacamole starts to fade the second the avocado meets the air. That's the whole argument for making it in front of you: from mash to first chip, it's under a minute. At Iron Cactus, our servers roll a molcajete to the table with ripe Hass avocados, diced white onion, tomato, fresh jalapeño, chopped cilantro, kosher salt and half a lime.
The build
We start with the aromatics — onion, jalapeño, a pinch of salt — muddled in the molcajete so they release before the avocado goes in. Then the avocados: hand-mashed, not blended, so you keep that chunky texture. Tomato and cilantro fold in last. A squeeze of lime brightens the whole thing and keeps it green. Tell us your spice level and we'll dial the jalapeño up or down.
One tip for making it at home
Salt the onion and jalapeño first and let them sit for two minutes before you touch the avocado. It mellows the raw onion bite and pulls the heat out of the pepper into the mix — you get seasoning through the whole bowl instead of one hot bite.
Then come order the real thing in Austin or San Antonio.