EPIC Taco Night That’s 100x Better than Taco Bell!

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is lower in fat, while ground pork is often less expensive.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil has a higher smoke point and is more nutritious, while vegetable oil is typically cheaper.

Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy bottom pot.

Add 2 lbs of 90/10 ground beef and a strong pinch of salt.

Brown and crumble the beef thoroughly as it cooks.

Once browned, add 2 small diced white onions and 5 large cloves of minced garlic.

Stir and sweat the onions and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant.

Add 40 g of chili powder, 10 g of paprika, 10 g of ground cumin, 2 g of chili flakes, and 2 g of dried oregano to the meat.

Stir the spices into the meat for about 20 to 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add 500 g of chicken stock, 200 g of tomato sauce, 20 g of brown sugar, 30 g of apple cider vinegar, and another pinch of salt.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and reduce over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until thickened.

Prepare taco sauce by blending 400 g of tomato sauce, 4 softened guo chilies, 300 g of water, 20 g of sugar, 10 g of paprika, 10 g of garlic powder, 3 g of cumin, 2 g of oregano, 10 g of onion powder, 10 g of salt, and 100 g of apple cider vinegar until smooth.

Shred 2 heads of romaine lettuce finely.

Grate 8 oz of pepper jack cheese and 8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese using the largest holes of a box grater.

Fill a 3-quart saucepan with neutral oil about 75% full and heat to 325°F.

Use taco frying tongs to fry corn tortillas for about 90 seconds until lightly golden brown.

Transfer fried shells to a sheet tray in a 185°F oven to keep warm while frying the rest.

For an alternative method, heat about an inch of oil in a 10-inch pan to 325°F and fry tortillas using two pairs of tongs.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: