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4 tacos that are ready to eat.
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Easy Restaurant-Style Taco Meat Recipe

Here's a taco meat recipe that has all the right spices you would love in a perfect homemade taco. There's no need to buy one of those $1.25 packs of taco seasoning at the grocery store. It's made with a taco seasoning mix of spices you probably already have in your pantry.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican flavors
Keyword taco meat, taco meat recipe
Prep Time 0 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
food processor time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people
Calories 293kcal
Author Joe Boyle

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lbs. ground beef, 80/20 or 85/15
  • 1/2 lbs. ground pork
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Using a large skillet on medium to medium-high heat, add the ground beef and pork to brown. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat. This should take 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat and push the meat to one side then tilt the skillet at an angle and let the rendered grease pool in the bottom of the skillet. Use a spoon to scoop out the liquid and discard it. Then carefully place the browned meat into a food processor and pulse the meat 5 or 6 times to make small granules of ground meat.
  • Place the meat back into the skillet on medium-low heat and stir in the tomato paste and the seasonings. Then add the water and continue to fold the meat to combine the seasonings well. Simmer until most of the water has evaporated. This will take about 10 minutes.
  • Taste the meat and adjust the seasonings as desired.
    Then assemble your tacos with your choice of fixings.

Notes

  1. Level spoon measurements were used for all of the spices.
  2. The nutrition facts are for the taco meat only using an 80/20 blend for the ground beef. That is 4 people getting 2 tacos each. A taco shell and fixings will add 125 to 150 calories per taco.
  3. Leftover taco meat can be stored refrigerated in an air-tight container for 3 days. You can also freeze the leftover meat in a sealed, air-tight container for up to 3 months.
  4. Make additional taco seasoning mix and store it in a shaker container to season hamburgers, pork chops, or chicken. It is especially good for grilling.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcal