Best Ground Beef Taco Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best ground beef ratio for tacos? ›

What ground beef lean-to-fat ratio is best for tacos? For tastier tacos, use a ratio between 80/20 and 90/10. A higher percentage of fat produces more moist and flavorful meat.

Put the ground chuck in a large pot or Dutch oven and add seasonings. Add just enough water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about an hour. Every 15 minutes or so break up the meat with a large spoon or a potato masher so that it isn't lumpy.

Boiling ground beef is the best way to cook it so that it comes out in small, fine crumbles. Trust me, this is the secret to all those amazing tacos and pasta sauces at your favorite restaurant! It's also a healthier option, because the boiling process helps separate the fat from the meat, and it comes out quite lean.

No one should eat a taco without a wedge of lime. The acidic tang complements the meat - whether it's fried fish or carnitas. When Mexicans marinate carne asada, they soak the beef in orange juice to tenderize the meat and boost the flavor profile.

Each taco shell or small soft taco-size tortilla fits about 2 ounces or 1/4 cup of meat. If you add diced onions, you could stretch a pound of ground beef to make about a dozen tacos. With just the meat and spices, you can make about 8 tacos from a pound of meat.

Optional Instructions for Cooking Taco Meat:

Add seasoning to ground meat and incorporate spices into meat, using your hands. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard to pan, let it melt, and swirl to coat the pan. Add seasoned meat to pan and spread meat out into a thin layer.

Americans love their tacos filled with ground beef, but it is not a standard authentic filling. When it comes to tacos, nearly anything can be used to fill a tortilla and still be called a taco. In Oaxaca, Mexico, fried grasshoppers are still a popular filling!

Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease. Pour water and seasoning mix over beef; stir to combine.

Potatoes!! The potato skin to be exact. I asked the waiter about this and he said that's what gives it its creaminess and that his mother used to add potatoes (and sometimes pinto beans) to their ground beef to make it go further.

What does adding water to taco meat do? ›

Turns out it's essential for giving the proper consistency to the taco meat because those seasoning mixes contain cornstarch, which requires water and heat to create a sauce.

Salsa: Salsa and sauces are the soul of your taco, tying all other ingredients together.

Hot, spicy, tangy or sweet, whatever your specialty, make sure the meat falls apart and melts in your mouth. No one has yet raved about a taco with tough meat. Simplicity — There aren't too many ingredients in a taco: meat, spice, some sort of vegetable, all held together in a tortilla.

Ground Beef– we recommend using a 80/20 ground beef for taco meat (80% lean, 20% fat). It has the best flavor and is super juicy. You will drain off excess grease.

Ground Beef – When it comes to ground beef for tacos, I like to use 80-85% lean beef. That little bit of fat goes a long way with the flavor in tacos. That said you could also use ground turkey or even ground chicken in this recipe.

Ground Beef that is not less than 70% lean (usually a 73/27 or 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio) is used for burgers and in recipes calling for browning (crumbles) and pouring off drippings, such as chili, tacos and spaghetti sauce. When properly cooked, it is moist and juicy.

And on this, experts concur — the most popular and flavorful ratio of lean to fat comes in at 80/20. Paul Vaccari, owner of New York City's Piccinini Brothers, which sells to restaurants as well as individuals, says his most popular mixture for hamburgers is an 80/20 ground chuck.