Make Taco Meat

Tacos are a classic part of Mexican cuisine, so knowing how to prepare flavorful taco meat is a culinary must. While ground meat tacos are the most common, tacos made with chicken, steak, and pork are also fairly popular. Here's what you need to know about preparing these different types of taco meat.

Ingredients

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Method One: Ground Beef Tacos

• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) chili powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) cumin
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) cayenne pepper
• Salt, to taste
• 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken broth
• 2 tsp (10 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp (5 ml) light brown sugar

Method Two: Chicken Tacos

• 1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 5 tsp (25 ml) paprika
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) chili powder
• 2 tsp (10 ml) sugar
• 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder
• 2 tsp (10 ml) salt
• 1 tsp (5 ml) onion powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml) ground black pepper
• 1 tsp (5 ml) cumin
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried oregano
• 4 cups (1 l) plus 4 Tbsp (125 ml) water
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) corn starch

Method Three: Steak Tacos

• 1 lb (450 g) skirt steak or other thinly-sliced steak
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil or lard
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) cumin
• 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) garlic powder
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Method Four: Pork Tacos

• 1 lb (450 g) boneless pork loin chops
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) onion powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) paprika
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) chili powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lime juice

Steps

Ground Beef Tacos

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Pour the oil into a medium skillet pan and heat over medium heat for several minutes.
   • The oil is ready when it appears to shimmer and can glide over the bottom of the pan without resistance.
2. Cook the onion. Add the minced onion to the hot oil and sauté it until it becomes soft. This should take roughly 5 minutes.
   • If you do not have fresh minced onion, you could use dried minced onion flakes or onion powder, instead. Add these dry seasonings to the skillet when you add the other spices. Use 1 Tbsp (15 ml) dried flakes or 1 tsp (5 ml) onion powder.
3. Add the garlic and spices. Stir the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper into the onions. Also add about 1 tsp (5 ml) salt. Cook for 30 seconds, or until the mixture becomes fragrant.
   • If you do not have full garlic cloves, you can use about 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of bottled, moist minced garlic instead. You could also use 1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) of dried minced garlic or 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) garlic powder.
   • The chili powder can be adjusted to taste. This amount will create a mildly spicy meat filling, but you can add more for a hotter flavor or less for something even tamer.
4. Brown the ground beef. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook until it is no longer pink. This should take about 5 minutes.
   • Break the ground beef up with a heavy spatula or wooden spoon as you cook it. This will ensure that it browns evenly and more quickly.
   • For a healthier version, you could use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
5. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour the tomato sauce, chicken broth, cider vinegar, and brown sugar into the pan. Stir it in and continue cooking until thickened. This should take about 10 minutes.
   • When possible, opt for a low-sodium chicken broth.
   • Make sure that the ingredients are well-blended. Stir them together continually as they cook.
   • Add more salt, if desired.

Chicken Tacos

1. Combine the seasonings. In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, chili powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, black pepper, cumin, and oregano. Whisk them together thoroughly to create a spice blend.
   • Use plain white granulated sugar for this recipe. Light brown sugar can also be used.
   • Alter the amounts of paprika and chili powder to vary the heat level of your blend. This will create a mildly spicy meat mixture.
2. Cook the chicken, water, and most of the spice blend. Place the chicken in a deep skillet and cover with 4 cups (1 l) of water and 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of your spice blend. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
   • Cover the skillet and let the chicken cook for 30 minutes, stirring periodically. #*The chicken should be fully cooked and tender when finished.
   • You can also use a Dutch oven or stockpot instead of a deep skillet. Simply make sure that whatever cookware you use is heavy-duty and equipped with a lid.
3. Let the chicken cool. Transfer the chicken from the liquid and let it cool on a separate plate.
   • Do not dump the liquid.
4. Reduce the liquid. As the chicken cools, turn the heat back up, bringing the liquid to a boil again. Keep it boiling.
   • Do not cover the pan with a lid during this stage.
   • As the liquid boils, much of it will evaporate off, reducing it down to a thicker, more concentrated consistency.
5. Shred the chicken. When the chicken is cool enough to touch, shred it by pulling the meat apart with two forks.
   • You could also use your fingers to shred the chicken, but doing so will be much messier.
   • Alternatively, you could use a knife to cut the chicken into rough cubes or strips instead of shredding it.
6. Return the chicken to the liquid. Transfer the shredded chicken back into the liquid.
   • Stir well so that the chicken is evenly soaked in the seasoned liquid.
7. Thicken the liquid. Combine the remaining 4 Tbsp (125 ml) of water, the remaining spice blend, and the cornstarch in a small bowl to form a paste. Add this paste to the skillet and continue cooking until the liquid thickens.
   • You will need to allow the liquid to boil after adding the cornstarch slurry.
   • Stir constantly until the mixture thickens.
   • Remove from the heat and serve or store the meat when finished.

Steak Tacos

1. Season the steaks. Sprinkle both sides of the steaks with salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder.
   • Note that many steak tacos simplify the process by eliminating seasonings other than salt or pepper, or by omitting the seasonings altogether. This creates a slightly more flavorful taco meat, but you can prepare steak for tacos even if you omit this step.
   • Skirt steaks work well, but rib eye or sirloin will also work as long as the steak is 1/2-inch (1.25-cm) thick or thinner.
   • If you are uncertain about how much salt and pepper to use, start with 1 tsp (5 ml) salt and 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
   • Give the oil a few minutes to heat up. It should be ready to use once it appears to glisten.
   • For a more authentic taste, use lard instead of vegetable oil.
3. Cook the steaks. Add the steaks to the pan in a single layer and brown them for about 4 to 6 minutes, turning once in the middle.
   • If you cannot fit all your steaks into the pan at once, cook as may as possible without crowding the pan and wrap them in aluminum foil once finished. Then proceed to cook your remaining steaks.
4. Let the meat rest. Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes before proceeding further.
   • As they rest, the steaks will continue to cook and the juices will redistribute themselves throughout the meat. As a result, the steaks will be juicier than they would be without this resting period.
5. Slice the steaks. Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut the steak into thin ribbons across the grain. Serve or store when finished.
   • The "grain" refers to the visible muscle fibers in the meat. Cutting across the grain will make the steak more tender, but cutting with the grain will make it tougher and harder to chew.

Pork Tacos

1. Cut up the pork. Chop the pork into bite-size pieces using a sharp kitchen knife.
   • Note that the pork might be slightly easier to cut if it is still cold and a little frozen in the center. The pork should be mostly thawed, however.
2. Marinate the pork. Place the pork into a large resealable plastic bag and add the spices, 1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil, and the lime juice. Turn to coat and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
   • The pork can be marinated with only the spices, rather than the oil and lime juice, but adding the oil and juice will allow the flavors to blend into the meat more thoroughly. Acidic lime juice breaks the meat down while the oil moistens it and distributes the flavors.
   • You could also let the pork marinate in a glass baking dish covered with plastic wrap.
3. Heat oil in a skillet. Heat your remaining 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of vegetable oil in a large, heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat.
   • Allow the oil to heat for several minutes until it begins to glisten.
   • You could also use corn oil, canola oil, or olive oil instead of vegetable oil.
4. Fry the meat. Add the cubed pork and marinade to the hot oil and fry until it begins to brown. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and let simmer until all the juices evaporate.
   • This could take 4 to 8 minutes, depending on how large your pieces of pork are.
   • Remove from heat once the pork has finished cooking. Serve or store the taco meat when done.

Tips

• Most taco meat can be prepared and stored ahead of time. Cook the meat with its seasonings, cool it, then tightly cover the container and refrigerate it up to three days. Reheat the meat on a skillet over medium-low heat, adding more water to restore the consistency, if needed.

Things You'll Need

• Medium to large skillet
• Heavy spatula or wooden spoon
• Knife
• Two forks
• Small bowl
• Tongs
• Aluminum foil
• Resealable plastic bag

Related Articles

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• Make a Layered Cheese and Meat Taco
• Make Taco Pizza
• Make a Taco Bell Beef Chalupa Supreme

Sources and Citations

See also

• Stuff Tacos
• Make Taco Ritos
• Make a Taco Casserole
• Make Original Mexican Tacos
• Make Spaghetti Tacos
• Make Frito Pie
• Make Taco Soup
• Make Taco Salad
• Make a Soft Taco
• Make a Doritos Taco Salad

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