Taco Meat - Restaurant Style Recipe - Food.com (2024)

• 2 lbs ground chuck
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₂ bell pepper, finely chopped
• ¹⁄₂ onion, finely minced

directions

• Put the ground chuck in a large pot or Dutch oven and add seasonings.
• Add just enough water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about an hour.
• Every 15 minutes or so break up the meat with a large spoon or a potato masher so that it isn't lumpy. Be sure always to keep just enough water to cover the meat.
• After an hour add the onion and bell pepper and simmer another 20 minutes. The meat should be very finely textured at this point.
• Remove from the heat, pour into a strainer over a large bowl, and let the meat sit in the strainer for 10 or 15 minutes to make sure all grease drains away, pressing it a few times.
• After the meat has drained as much as possible, place the bowl of liquid (which you want to keep) and grease in the freezer for a while. When grease separates and hardens on top, take a spoon and remove all of it. Retain about a cup of the degreased liquid.
• Place reserved liquid in a pan and bring to a boil. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of corn starch in 1/4 cup of cold water and add to the liquid, simmering 4 or 5 more minutes. Add reserved meat into the pan and mix liquid well into meat.
• Serve in taco shells or tortillas, or mix into a taco salad or casserole.
• Leftovers freeze well.