Fried Beef Tacos with Fixings | Living By Design
- Recipe Yield: 6
Source: Powerhouse Productions / Powerhouse Productions
Recipe courtesy of Jake Smollett
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 1⁄4 cup red onion, small diced
- 3 tablespoons rough chopped jalapenos
- 1 pound 93% ground beef
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 quart vegetable oil
- 8, 6-inch corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- *Guacamole (recipe follows)
- 1⁄2 cup pickled jalapenos
- *Pico de Gallo (recipe follows)
Instructions
- Set a large cast-iron pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot and starts to smoke, add the garlic then the red onion to the pan. Cook the garlic and onion, stirring occasionally for about 2-3 minutes. Add the jalapenos to the pan and continue to cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the ground beef to the pan and season with the salt, cayenne, chili powder and cumin. Continue to stir and cook the beef, being sure to break up the lumps of meat that form to ensure even browning and cooking. Continue to cook the beef until it starts to caramelize, and all the pink has been cooked out, about 5-6 minutes.
- In a separate large cast-iron pan, add the vegetable oil and heat up over medium-low heat.
- When the oil gets hot, use a pair of tongs to fry the tortilla shells by dipping half the shell in the oil for about 10-15 seconds-or just long enough to make them start to color but not to get fully crispy-then fry the other half, for another 20 seconds. The tortillas should form a shell that is still pliable without becoming too crispy.
- To make the tacos, add about 1⁄2 cup of the cooked beef filling into the fold of the tortilla shell, and place about 1⁄4 cup of the Monterey Jack cheese on top of the beef. Press the edges of the shells together to close and use 3 or 4 toothpicks to keep the shells shut. Once you have formed at least 4 tacos, return them to the oil and fry.
- Place the stuffed tacos in the hot oil and lay on one side. Fry the tacos until the shell gets crisp and the cheese starts to melt, about 2 minutes. Turn the tacos over and fry on the second side for another 2 minutes. Remove the tacos from the oil and drain on a paper towel lined plate. To serve, put a dollop of sour cream on each taco, and a sprinkling of the chopped cilantro. Serve with the guacamole, pickled jalapenos and Pico de Gallo on the side.
- This recipe should yield about 12 tacos.
For the Pico de Gallo:
- 3 tablespoons rough chopped jalapenos
- 1cup rough chopped cherry tomatoes
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion Salt
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir well. Set aside as you prepare the rest of the dish.
For the Guacamole:
- 1 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed
- Juice of half a lime
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapenos
- 1 teaspoon salt
- In a Medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well until smooth. Set aside as you prepare the remainder of the dish.