Making tacos at home

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What is the trick to make home made tacos taste like what you get at the restaurant? I'm using all the same basic ingredients, but places like Taco Bell and Del Taco seem to do something to the meat that makes it much finer and tasty without being overpowered.

I usually buy the McCormick taco beef seasoning packets, cook it with some 90/10 ground beef, and then use regular taco shells, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheddar.

It just doesn't taste the same man!
 
You probably have to keep breaking up the meat with a metal spatula and cook it in a cast iron pan on high medium heat. Then let simmer for a while on low heat. Maybe that's where the issue is letting simmer for a long time to let the flavors meld. Maybe even try a crock pot to cook it all day. Kind of like chili.

Maybe trade your Taco in for a burrito. Sorry.
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I've never heard 'Taco Bell' and 'tasty' mentioned in the same sentence before.
 
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Originally Posted By: Geauxtiger
I thought it had been established that Taco Bell didn't use real meat?
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Add sand, baby, sand!
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It could be their seasoning blend...

but, when you're cooking the ground beef....ignore the part about draining the liquid juices. Keep cooking until the juices evaporate and then caramelizes and leaving a fond. THen you can drain the excess grease. When you add the seasoning packet.... then the water separately, you get to deglaze the pan and release extra flavor.
 
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
You probably have to keep breaking up the meat with a metal spatula and cook it in a cast iron pan on high medium heat. Then let simmer for a while on low heat. Maybe that's where the issue is letting simmer for a long time to let the flavors meld. Maybe even try a crock pot to cook it all day. Kind of like chili.

Maybe trade your Taco in for a burrito. Sorry.
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That's usually how I do it. Put the ground beef in at med/high temp, let it brown while I mash it up with my spatula. Once it is cooked well enough, add in the spices and let it simmer until most of the moisture is gone. The resulting beef tastes fine, but it doesn't taste anything like the restaurant stuff.




Originally Posted By: Old Mustang Guy
I bet your using leaner ground beef than they are. Maybe try 80/20.


I've tried all types. If I go with a high fat % ground beef, it just means I end up draining off more grease at the end. I settled on 90/10 because it means I get slightly more usable product once it is all cooked.

Originally Posted By: earlyre
they probably don't use that lean of beef.
and the cheese is likely not cheddar.

try making your own seasoning packet, recipes are all over the web, and most people usually have all the ingredients in their spice cabinets already.

in fact, here's one from my favorite TV Chef, Alton Brown:
Taco Potion #19

and if taco bell is your gold standard:
http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/clone-taco-bells-meat-aka-taco-meat-filling-0124399/


I'll give that a shot.
 
Originally Posted By: mpersell
I have had much better luck since getting an electric pressure cooker for the meat.


Generally pressure cookers cook quicker, give better flavor and release more nutrients.

Anytime you want the most out of your meat/spices, use one. You'll be amazed at the quality and flavor.
 
You can buy Taco Bell kits at the grocery store. Even comes with their taco sauce. The reason Taco Bell tastes so good (and is probably so bad for you haha) is that their meat mixture probably has a really high fat content.

If you want some delicious tacos,get some from Dairy Queen,they're delicious!!
 
I use the flavoring packets or jar/liquid adds. I often add some salsa in with the meat mixture or some fresh finely chopped peppers and onions. I use chicken instead of ground beef sometimes as well.

More often than tacos or burritos, we'll make taco salads. A little layer of tortilla chips first on the plate, sprinkle some meat mix on that, then some re-fried beans, a little sprinkle of cheese, then salad greens w/ some salsa on top.
 
I have learned to make tacos at home that are pretty darn close and everyone really, really likes them. Here's what I do:

McCormicks - I have tried a lot of spice blends and this one is good. We get large 1lb+ bottles at Costco and it is cheap. The envelopes are not as effective because you can't tailor the amount of spice to the taste you want. Trick is to use MORE spice than the bottle says, grind the meat fine, and simmer a little longer. I think it says something like 1/4c spice per 1lb beef, then 3/4c. water and simmer 5 to 8 minutes. I do this:

a) brown the meat (80/20)
b) dump meat in food processor and pulse to get very fine and regular sized
c) return to pan and add 3/8c spice and the water. Simmer 10 minutes and add a little more spice mix if needed.

Doing that, it comes out very good, very close. Processing the meat down to fine chunks is important to get the surface are exposed to more spice/water mix as it simmers.

For a neat variant, use a lb of ground lamb sometime instead of beef. We tried that last month and it was really popular, too. The kids and I call them BaaaCos.
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I have also tried it w/ground pork and it's not as good and I won't do that again.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
What is the trick to make home made tacos taste like what you get at the restaurant? I'm using all the same basic ingredients, but places like Taco Bell and Del Taco seem to do something to the meat that makes it much finer and tasty without being overpowered.

I usually buy the McCormick taco beef seasoning packets, cook it with some 90/10 ground beef, and then use regular taco shells, lettuce, tomato, and shredded cheddar.

It just doesn't taste the same man!
Taco Bell and Del Taco aren't exactly good tasting Tacos.
 
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