How to Make Mexican Tacos With Ground Beef
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12/25/2006
Wonderful recipe for ground beef taco meat! This is indeed how it is made in mexico.. although in the states we are more used to browning the meat first and then adding packaged seasonings (which are always high in sodium). If possible, drain the meat really well and chill the broth. You will get the best separation of fat, broth and ...well...sludge. Toss the fat, gently scoop out the broth that has set up (kinda like jello) and toss the rest. I returned all the chilled broth to meat and simmered it on med. high to reduce the amount of liquid.. there is no sense tossing all of that flavor infused broth that adds to much to the taste! Thanks for the great authentic recipe! Love the flavor of this dish!
07/02/2005
This was VERY good. I've eaten many times in Matamoros and Progresso Mexico (Garcia's and Angel's restaurants) and this IS what it tastes like. I doubled the recipe for a party of 7. Everyone loved it! Will try it in taco salad next time. Pay no attention to the bad review. It's worth a try!
10/11/2007
I would have given this a five star, if I didnt have to change it so much. I added 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1 large roma tomato chopped, 1/3 cup of corn (our personal fav version), and salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. put in fried tortilla shells, topped with tomato, salsa, lettuce, and sour cream and it was delicious, I guess I can say thanks for the inspiration, the recipe as written wasnt that great though.
03/06/2008
uh, no, this is *not* authentic-tasting. i grew up in deep south texas, then lived in laredo for 5 (long) years. with all the rave reviews, i thought i was in for a treat and ditched my own way of making taco meat. i was so dissappointed last night that i made another batch today using way more spice, since the orig. is quite bland. it was better, but not great. i sooooo disagree with the boiling method and cannot ever remember eating a taco with this consistency in matamoros, reynosa, progresso, nuevo laredo, mexico city, monterrey, san miguel, etc, etc, and all points in between. i honestly thought the second batch would be a huge hit, but even with the zippier spices (jalapenos, way more garlic, oregano, cayenne, diced tomatoes, potatoes, etc), no cigar. authentic taco meat *is* supp. to be soft, just not soft and slightly rubbery. we'll eat this pot full o' mush cuz anything is pretty much edible wrapped in a tortilla heaped with sour cream, cheese and salsa.
03/22/2012
I used a red bell pepper instead of green and I increased both the amounts of the bell pepper and the onion to whole instead of half. I also did NOT use the full amount of salt, just enough to taste. Authentic or not, our family liked this "taco" meat. I made a Make-Your-Own-Taco-Bar last night, using this meat and with the other toppings, I also added more chopped onion, avocado, and homemade salsa. There wasn't much left over.
04/11/2011
I am the original poster of this recipe.. an addition would be to simmer the ground meat.. whether it be a combination of turkey/beef/or pork in fat free Swanson chicken broth and definitely add 3 to 5 bay leaves to the meat/broth mixture.. adjust the seasonings to your liking.
12/02/2010
I thought these were just okay. They were very soft but they just didnt have much flavor to me. I added about a 1/4 teaspoon extra of the seasonings which helped a little but not much. We ate them the first night and had lots of leftovers so I made chili out of the meat and it turned out great.
03/02/2007
Very authentic! I didn't realize it when I started this recipe that it's time consuming so I started it one night & finished the next. Used lean ground beef. It's delicious. Use the authentic cheese which is saltier than we are used to. It goes perfect with the less salty meat.
07/26/2010
Excellent, excellent way to cook taco meat. I have hated the packaged seasoning for so long and never use up a whole batch if I make my own, so this makes sense for us. I halved the recipe and there was still enough meat for three meals for two of us. Simmering in water is just the *perfect* way to make the meat tender and tasty! Thanks for a great recipe.
05/14/2010
Thank you so much for posting this! I've been trying for years to figure out how [real] mexican restaurants prepare their ground beef, and man, this is pretty much it! The secret is the TEXTURE. I've tried so many frying methods, and nothing was right. You have to simmer - slow cook! It makes sense now. It's kind of a 'duh' moment, but now that I have it, I'm looking forward to tweaking this to my Mexican delight :)
05/20/2011
This is a much better way to prepare tacos! I was taught by a friend how to make it a similar way years ago and haven't gone back to those packaged taco seasonings since. Instead of just water I use canned tomatoes (diced, crushed or whole) with all the liquid. If I have fresh tomatoes then I use a blender to liquefy it before adding it to the meat. I add water as needed to cover the meat if there's not enough liquid from the tomatoes. If I don't have a bell pepper on hand sometimes I use a small can of diced chiles that work just as well.
07/24/2005
Very moist and tasty! I added 4 cloves of fresh garlic along with the garlic powder. I added most of the juices back into the meat after the fat was removed and the spices were perfect! My husband who really doesn't care for tacos thinks this one is a keeper! Thanks!
04/06/2011
Mmmmm...these are authentic TexMex tacos indeed. They were very very good. These aren't spicy or not at all like the dried package taco mix tacos, this is more subtle, just like you'll get in any South Texas Taqueria when you order the crispy taco. Don't expect Taco Bell as this is definitely not it. This is real mexican home cookin'! This is easy to spice up to your preference. The second time added 1/2 t. chipotle chili pepper powder, and doubled the chili powder. Easy to fix, very tasty, definite TexMex flavor here. Thanks Rhonda35, I love all your recipes, I wish you had more to share, they are good home cooking! I use ground round or sirloin and don't have any grease to drain. I also use chicken broth in addition to the water when cooking the beef. I don't drain any juice, I just simmer it until it has reduced adding more broth (chicken or beef whatever is handy) as needed.
02/19/2011
I am giving 5 stars for the method! I was recommended to this recipe after posting an inquiry as to how I could get my cooked ground beef the same fine texture as Mexican restaurants serve. I use this method all the time now to cook hamburger up ahead of time (without the spices except the onion) and freeze it for future use. It is wonderful, so soft and good. Be sure to reserve the broth and add it back in when you continue on with your recipe - I chill it overnight, discard the fat, and put divvy it into the bags with the meat for freezing. I use this meat for chili, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, tacos - anything that needs browned ground beef. We love this!
11/14/2010
I thought this recipe was delicious .....I didnt use the boiling method though...I cooked the ground chuck,then added the spices and I didnt have bellpepper so I use 2 poblano peppers and 1/2 a white onion. And instead of lettuce and tomatoe I used shredded cabbage and chopped tomatoe mixed together to garnish my tacos. Two thumps up!......Rhonda35. Keep up the good work! :)
03/24/2011
My kids won't eat taco meat seasoned with grocery store packets. This recipe, especially the technique, makes the meat a totally different texture, and much more pleasing to my family overall. I'm curious to try it seasoned different ways, but have made it several times this way. The crumbly, salty cheese is delicious!
02/17/2015
I halved the recipe for just the two of us and it was perfect. I think I may leave out the bell pepper next time and up some of the spices. Made wonderful tacos with my Mexican Rice II from this site.
03/10/2010
Terrific easy ground beef taco meat! We make a double batch and use leftovers in chili, a enchilada stack casserole, ect. Only addition was a minced jalapeno. Thank you for a cheap alternative to packaged taco seasoning!
06/30/2005
We LOVED this recipe!!! Delicious! I substituted the ground chuck with lean ground beef, spiced it up a bit with jalepenos and also served it with limes.
02/06/2008
very good! i used it to fill gorditas. next time i think i'll add some diced potato to the mix. authentic mexican flavor--thanks!
11/27/2009
Best taco meat ever! I've made this several times and am just getting around to rating it. I've recommended the recipe to family and friends and they all love it too! I use ground turkey and always save the liquid I drain off to season pinto beans. Just cook the dry pinto beans as directed and add the reserved liquid once the beans are tender. If you chill the reserved liquid you can easily remove the layer of fat from the top. Helps to save a few calories. Thank you for the great recipe RHONDA35!
07/06/2014
I made this for a large group of 30+ increased to over 10 pounds of beef. I added more spices and jazzed it up a bit. Kept meat warm in Dutch Ovens setting on bed of coals. Set it up on large outdoor tables in a taco bar style with soft corn and hard taco shell choices with bowls of additional chopped onion,tomatoes, shredded lettuce,grated cheeses, sour cream, avocados,olives and jalapenos. How could you go wrong? Everyone fixed theirs the way they preferred. Not one spoonful was left.
07/10/2009
With a few adjustments to the seasonings, this turned out great. I browned the meat a little before adding the water. I debated whether or not to add a can of tomato sauce to the mix. I didn't, but probably will next time. Nice recipe. Thanks!
11/26/2009
very good. i just threw in all spices, chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper, and enough water to cover. let it boil for 45mins to an hour, drain and save about a 1/2 cup of liquid to keep moist. bring to a boil again and serve with hard and soft shells. beats the packaged stuff any day!
09/19/2014
I was quite pleased with this recipe. I didn't read the directions before starting and just assumed I should brown the beef. So I browned & drained the beef, then added the seasonings, peppers, onions and water. Simmered for 30 minutes. I did end up adding a little more of the seasonings due to it being a little bland for my tastes. I will use this recipe again, maybe next time I can follow the directions.
07/23/2014
These were so much better than your average homemade tacos. A little more time consuming to make, but worth it.
02/23/2008
I love this recipe, it is very authentic. it is sweet, not very spicy. If you want spice, add some. Otherwise very easy to make. I only sauteed the meat for about 15 minutes in the pan once i added the water. I added the water by eye as i was mixing, just enough for the meat to absorb the liquid and the sauce would be thick. I did that so the meat would be done faster, it's up to you. Either way they'll taste great!
07/24/2009
This turned out great! If you think the seasoning is on the bland side, just up the amounts a bit. I made this a day ahead of time and let the meat soak in the broth and fat. I wouldn't recommend skimming the fat off since that's where all the flavor is!
10/21/2006
This taco meat is really, really yummy. My whole family loved it! My 3 year old ate 3 tacos and wanted them for lunch the next day! Will absolutely make these again!
07/23/2014
These were so much better than your average homemade tacos. A little more time consuming to make, but worth it.
10/04/2007
This was amazing! I only made 1 lb so I halved all of the ingredients. I added the juice of half a lime to give it that extra mexican zip. Also, I used extra lean ground beef and didn't drain it. At about 45min in, I cranked the heat up to medium and let the liquid reduce on its own. (I like the beef a little saucy :) Thank-you for this recipe - I will never make tacos any other way again!
10/07/2014
These tacos got me motivated to make my own.
05/09/2014
Made this recipe for my Bunco Group's Cinco de Mayo party. Did cut down on the chili powder and paprika by half and used ground turkey. It was a hit. Everyone loved the taco bar.
08/02/2012
Very easy to prepare but isn't very special. Tastes ok.
02/20/2010
good...I added ALOT more of the spices just based on my preference...I love the idea of the simmering...gives it great texture and really lets the flavor set in...I won't be buying taco seasoning anymore!
10/11/2008
I thought this was ok.
03/19/2014
For the amount of spices I put in, it was very bland. I did like the texture of the meat simmering in water. I think this could be a very good recipe with some adjustments.
12/28/2008
This was a good recipe though I had to add extra seasoning and a little salsa too it to bring flavor to it
09/10/2014
What a great alternative to "the packet"! I love the seasonings for this beef filling. I use an entire onion and pepper and do add a little chipotle powder for smokiness, along with 2/3 cup low sodium beef broth. Thanks for sharing your recipe with AR, outstanding.
05/09/2014
So good it should be illegal. I used twice the onion, which worked great.
02/05/2010
This will be my new go to taco meat. tasted like some of our local mexican restaurants. thanks i will be making these again.
05/18/2015
Very boring. I like the consistency, but the meat had very little flavor. I even use quality spices from Penzey's. I won't bother to try it again.
01/03/2009
Great addition to our Mexican feast! Will definitely make again.
12/16/2007
This makes the best taco meat ever. My Family loves it as I have searched for just the perfect authentic recipe forever. I think by cooking the meat for so long makes the texture and flavor combination perfect. The flavors are that of Abuelos restaurant. Great!!!
06/27/2007
I finally figured out how restaurants get their taco meat so yummy-boiling it!! I've always cooked mine in the pan with blah results. I love the fine, soft texture of the meat cooked like this. I used lean ground beef, and also used about a cup of the liquid, b/c we like it a little juicy. Nice flavor! I never had to add extra water, either.
03/19/2008
Well my son said its the "BOMB" so do I need to say anymore. It does take some more time, but worth it. I am trying to get away from the prepackage items, because of sodium. I will make this again. I used my potatoe masher to break up the meat. My meat was also still a little frozen I cut into four pieces. I also had time to drain the fat and put the juice in freezer to skim off the fat. I am thinking next time of doing the whole batch, so I can freeze some for quick tacos. I even took some of the spice juice and put in the rice I made. There were just like we get at the restaurant, very authentic. O I did let mine simmer longer than an hour. That is why I gave 4 stars, because I think the spices need to mesh with the meat. O and my tomatoes for topping I squeezed lime juice and pepper on them. Thanks so much!!
08/31/2008
This was okay, but not worth all the time it took to cook the meat, skim the fat, etc. It was somewhat better than making tacos with the packaged taco seasoning, but for what little difference there was in taste between the two, I think I will stick with the packaged stuff and keep searching for something a little more authentic tasting.
02/05/2009
Very Good. I will have to do some tweaking next time. As it was a little bland. I am thinking it could use some chipotle peppers in it while cooking.
08/11/2014
I have been searching for a recipe for the Taco John's taco meat and this is the best I have found. I added a little more spice, some oregano, and I threw in a couple tablespoons of tomato paste. The cooking method is what gives it the texture I was looking for. Thank you, I will never buy packaged mixes again!
02/20/2007
I really loved this! Im not a fan of the seasoning packets for taco meat and have been looking for a recipe that doesn't taste like it...well I have found my new taco recipe! Very good!!!!!
09/26/2008
This was OK. I liked simmering the beef mixture all day, but felt like the spices weren't enough and ended up adding another Tablespoon of taco seasoning to give it enough flavor for my tastes. I did like the addition of the green peppers and onions.
11/22/2007
This recipe was awesome ! I used extra lean ground beef thus saving the time to remove the fat after cooking. The added onions and bell peppers made for a delicious taco dinner. We are from the southwest but I have never tried boiling the ground beef. What a difference this makes. The meat does not become dried out and retains all of the spices. Kudos on this one !!!
12/05/2009
Really delicious. So much better than a taco seasoning packet. My whole family devoured it. They definitely want it again. I have high blood pressure so making something so flavorfu and not super salty was an added bonus. I am not a fan of corn tortillas so we subbed flour tortillas and they tasted great.
01/07/2008
Needed a lot more seasoning. Had to add salt,pepper and hot sauce. Like the broth however. Used it the next day.
02/23/2009
Fantastic meat for Tacos! WOW, no more taco seasoning packets for us! I put this in the crock pot, and cooked for 2 1/2 hrs. I wanted more heat, so I added 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper. This recipe is better than any I've ever had in a Mexican restaurant! You control the heat and the salt in this recipe! I love it!!
07/21/2005
If this is what "authentic" tacos taste like, then I will stick with the fake ones because I like flavor. When the meat and seasonings simmered in water for an hour, all of the potential flavor evaporated. I guess I just expected this dish to be better, but it just didn't impress me.
06/13/2014
Made exactly per the recipe and it is wonderful. I personally would omit the garlic powder, but other than that it is a winner. Authentic version of a classic American dish- my mom is from New Mexico and didn't have a taco until she was a teen visiting California.
06/23/2013
Excellent and easy.
01/21/2008
These tacos tasted just like my favorite Mexican restaurants! I'll be making them again!
12/22/2007
Awesome...I just recently moved to Canada from the States, and there are no Mexican restaurants to be found. Thank goodness I can get my fix anytime, right in my own kitchen!!
03/26/2017
I had really high hopes for this recipe, and wished that the other reviews were just written by picky people...unfortunately, I was disappointed. After reading the reviews, I decided to use only 1.5 lbs of beef and increase the spices by 1 Tbs. each. I also used all of the broth (minus the fat) for the last simmer stage, with the hopes that it would allow the meat to retain more flavor. the texture was great, but the meat wasn't very flavorful. I will use the meat again later this week for another taco night, but will buy a taco seasoning packet to simmer the meat in.
07/14/2007
Good, but flavor is nothing special.
04/12/2007
Some of us thought it needed more pizazz. Some loved it.
06/25/2019
I wish Ronda posted more recipes!
11/06/2007
This is a great recipe for ground beef tacos. The beef got so soft. I served with mexican rice and refried beans recipes that I got here too. It was a very good meal.
05/14/2009
I thought this was a decent way to make taco meat. Someone else on this site talked about cooking your ground beef in water for some other recipes. I will probably make this again. Thanks for sharing.
04/15/2020
My fiancé drew me a bath and said I deserve a gift after eating these. Even happily did the dishes lol. But seriously, I have been looking for an authentic taco recipe and these came out so delicious. I will be making tacos this way from now on.
06/23/2013
I use this now instead of packaged taco seasoning. We love it!
08/09/2018
Delicious! Nice blend of spices, will be making this again.
06/27/2008
Good, but REALLY mild. I'm not a fan of hot, spicy food, and it was even too mild for me!
04/04/2017
Amazing dish. I used the ingredients as a base with ground turkey, and added/replaced a couple things. I also eyeballed the seasonings, I didn't measure out anything. It came out great. I like my meat with a little kick, so I added minced jalapeno. I didn't have paprika, I used a little cayenne pepper. I also used a little Lawry's seasoning salt and lastly, half a fresh lime.
02/16/2008
Bland, bland, BLAND! Also hated the texture of the meat. Followed the recipe exactly and couldn't get myself to eat seconds. I threw the rest away.
12/31/2015
The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of a million is that it takes SO LONG... but totally worth it!! my family LOVES it - and so do I which is why I keep making it!
04/12/2007
This is so yummy! and just like the taco meat I used to eat as a kid. I have been wanting a taco meat recipe like this for a long time. I made it with half beef, half venison and used 2 tsp of Kosher Salt instead of the 1 tsp listed - which made the sesoning perfect. The ONLY reason I gave this 4 stars is because I didn't like watching over it for 1.5 hours to continue adding water. I'm going to try a crock-pot version and see if it works. I'll let you know!
04/06/2008
Made this for dinner a few nights ago and had to throw the rest away! This was ok, but very bland. Tacos are usually very popular in my house, but no one wanted seconds of this. I'll stick to my own recipe.
08/04/2013
SO good! My hubs requested tacos for dinner tonight. I remembered stumbling upon this recipe a couple of week's ago, thinking the preparation method seemed unique and wanting to give it a try. I'm so glad I did! These were the tastiest (albeit basic) tacos I've made in a long while! Queso asadero, tomato, onion and a dash of taco sauce made these extra yummy. Mexican rice and frijoles rounded out our casual meal. Thanks SO much for sharing your recipe, Rhonda! You made taco night extra special. :-)
01/05/2017
Poured all the flavour out with the juices. Bland and tasteless.
05/29/2022
We enjoyed the flavors in this recipe.
I didn't drain the juices. But it was very good:)
01/25/2008
Exactly what I wanted in a taco meat--I'd only had the dry-fried, packaged-seasoning kind before. This is so much better! And since I was only feeding myself and my husband, I had plenty leftover to make enchiladas with the next night, which I highly recommend!
12/27/2019
Yummy recipe! Easy to make, great consistency of texture, and large amount of food. Great for a crowd!
09/14/2017
It was a hit with the family. I used beef broth instead of water, adjusted the spices. I served it with Kraft Mexican cheese, tomato, green onion and avocado.
09/10/2008
Very good liked the flavor.
04/21/2017
As it is written I would rate it 3 stars (I'm not a fan of the boiling method). What I actually did was brown the beef and added the spices and onion as called for. I also added lemon and lime juice. It was actually excellent!
05/28/2020
So so good! I HATE it when people say that then tell you the 10000 things they did differently but here it goes. I didn't have ground beef so I used turkey and no green bell peppers, used red. It was still amazing!
07/18/2013
Closest thing to authentic I have yet found plus it taste great.
03/25/2008
LOVED the results of this cooking method! I don't usually like ground beef but THIS is delicious! Not sure how to explain it but it turns out kind of like the texture of Taco Bell's gound beef. I was afraid to cover it in water so I started with less, then added more water as needed. I also left out the green pepper. I agree, if it's bland, spice it up but this cooking method rocks!
05/18/2017
Made a little change! just added Jalapeños and it was great!
10/20/2017
10 16 17 ... http://allrecipes.com/recipe/86347/tacos-de-matamoros/ ... Somewhat-unfair-but-I-have-to-review-it alert! Here goes: I made these, but didn't follow the directions. I browned, drained some of the fat, spiced, simmered, drained, tasted & added taco sauce. Pre-taco sauce, it didn't have much flavor. Yes, no, I didn't follow directions; but, wouldn't ya know it - E, 20, said I should make them more often. I questioned this because he usually turns them down; said I didn't make them like I did this time. Zoinks. In my mind, "Okayyyyy, but wish me luck with re-creation. Now, I have to review it so I'll know this is the one you like." Ya see, Bookie said, I don't mind that much when someone doesn't follow the recipe exactly - fair or not - as long as it's stated & details are given ... yada yada yada ... I had to leave a review ... for E. I ended up adding packages of Taco Bell taco sauce.
09/11/2020
Tacos De Matamoros by Rhonda35. Browned & drained. Simmered & drained. 'Didn't really follow the recipe, but saving this for technique.
05/10/2008
Pretty awesome tacos right here! I tried this recipes a few times, and it's amazing every time! I love it, and I just followed the recipe word for word. ^^
02/15/2012
I love this recipe! I make this at least once a month!!!!!
10/02/2016
good recipe except it needed more salt - we put Adobo seasoning in it. Not sure if that means we are a salt-addicted family, but it needed it. Everything else was great.
09/11/2018
My husband is from Monterrey and could not stop "mmmmmm" sounds the whole time. Thank you!
09/14/2007
Great! Very flavorful. My rent smelled wonderful while the meat was simmering. Fresh tomatoes from my garden topped it off.
02/05/2019
Pretty great starter recipe! Don't use chilli powder or you'll get chili! Use ground pasilla,ancho,california and new Mexico blend of chilies. Definitely tweak recipe quite a bit now but awesome way to begin!
10/18/2016
I have finally found THE recipe for ground beef in tacos. Throughout the years, I have made tacos using ground beef and one of those seasoning packets. The results weren't awful, but it wasn't really very good either. I always felt like something was missing. For myself, it was ALWAYS a texture thing; I could never get the ground beef to come out "right". NOT anymore! I LOVE the way the texture of the meat was so balanced and flavorful. It is ABSOLUTELY nowhere close to what I used to make. I tried a tip from Rachael Ray, letting the meat brown longer in order to develop the depth of flavor and that nice brown color it takes on when allowed to brown this way. While it was nice and flavorful, it just didn't have the same taste, or texture that this did. The spices called for in this recipe were in my pantry and really, didn't take all that much effort to put in. I no longer need to go to the store to purchase a packet, that, let's be honest, has a lot of unnecessary sodium and chemicals I can't even pronounce in it . I like being in control of what goes into the food I feed my family. I learned something new today. I used to only make tacos on rare occasions, (because I didn't care for them) but not anymore. I will be making these ALOT more often now. My husband is happy and so am I. Thank you for this recipe and for sharing it with the rest of us.
02/08/2021
Super Taco Meat
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/86347/tacos-de-matamoros/
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