How to Make the BEST Taco Meat

 

If you follow this post, you will no longer wonder How to Make the BEST taco meat.  Following the directions that I have adapted from America's Test Kitchen, these tacos will put the supermarket kits to shame!  Since they are so easy to make, you can easily have your Tacos ready for any weeknight Taco Tuesday!

So, I think you all know that I am mildly obsessed with the science of food.

Yes...I love the taste of food but for me, the way ingredients come together and change the molecular structure is jaw-dropping.

Now even though you may not be a food science geek like myself, you can still appreciate the tiny little tweaks that can be done to take a boring recipe and make it over the top delicious.

And this is one such trick that I learned from America's Test Kitchen when it comes to making tacos or any other type of meat dish involving ground beef.

 

 

What is the trick on How to Make the BEST Taco Meat?

Baking soda!

By gently tossing a baking soda solution with the meat (about ¾ teaspoon baking soda to 2 tablespoons water for 2lbs of grind) and letting sit for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking, beef loses less liquid, browns faster and tastes better.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G right???!!

 

 

How does adding baking soda to ground meat work?

Baking soda helps meat hang on to its moisture.

Basically, it increases the pH of the meat, which has an effect on its protein strands. The heat from the cooking process makes these strands tighten up, but the increased alkalinity causes the strands to relax, making the meat more tender.

 

 

How much baking soda solution do you add to make the BEST taco meat?

According to America's Test Kitchen, they recommend using ¾ teaspoon baking soda and 1-½ teaspoons salt to treat 2 pounds. The beef is mixed with these dry ingredients, plus 2 tablespoons of water, before being used.

Allow the mixture to sit for about 20 minutes before proceeding.

For this recipe, since we are only using 1 lb of ground beef, I added ½ teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of beef (or chicken) broth.  We are not going to use any additional salt as the beef broth contains enough salt.

 

 

Does this trick also work for chunks of meat as well?

It sure does and it is what Chinese food restaurants have done for ages.

Soak your meat in a baking soda solution for 15 minutes, using 1 teaspoon of baking soda for each pound of meat, dissolving it in enough water to cover.

The meat should be sliced before soaking, and for optimal results, the slices should be no more than ¼-inch thick.

While a longer soaking time won't make the meat any more tender, neither will it really harm it. Cook's Illustrated tried this out, reporting back that a batch of meat treated with a 45-minute baking soda soak was nearly identical to one soaked for 15 minutes.

 

 

What ingredient do you need to make the BEST Taco Meat?

• ground beef, chicken or turkey
• baking soda
• beef or chicken broth
• onion
• garlic cloves
• spices - cumin, cayenne, coriander and oregano
• apple cider vinegar
• brown sugar substitute
• tomato paste
• salt

 

 

How To Make the BEST Taco Meat:

• heat the oil over medium heat
• add onions and cook stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes
• add in garlic, spices and ½ teaspoon salt
• cook stirring constantly for 30 seconds
• add the beef and stir to break it up 
• cook stirring constantly for 5 minutes
• add the tomato paste, broth, brown sugar substitute and vinegar - bring to a simmer
• reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring to break up any large chunks of meat
• continue to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened
• season with salt and pepper to taste

 

 

What type of meat should I use for tacos?

Lean ground beef is the best beef to use for making tacos because you don’t need to drain off any fat after cooking it. There is just enough fat in the beef to make it super flavorful, but not so much to make it greasy.  Skipping the step to drain the fat makes this a quick and easy taco recipe.

Of course, if you have ground beef with more fat, you can still use it in this recipe.  Just cook the beef and drain off the fat before you add the taco seasonings.

If you want to keep these tacos plant-based, simply use any plant-based ground "meat" or soy crumbles.

 

 

What are some topping ideas for these tacos?

• Shredded cheese
• Shredded lettuce
• Chopped tomatoes
• Diced onion
• Sliced avocado
• Sour cream
• Guacamole
• Salsa
• Hot Sauce

 

How do you know how much meat you need per person?

If you use the traditional size hard taco shell, Keto Cheese Wrap or small 6-inch flour tortillas, 2 tablespoons of taco meat per taco is the perfect amount.  

This recipe, using 1 pound of lean ground beef, will make 12 tacos.  I tend to serve 3 tacos per person.  So I use 1 pound of taco meat for 4 people.

If you are making this taco meat and serving it on a salad, you will need about ¼-1/3 cup of taco meat per salad.

 

 

 

What else can you use this taco meat for?

• use it as a salad topping
• make my keto Almond Flour Crepes and switch out salsa for the tomato sauce for a Mexican spin to my Italian Ricotta Stuffed Crepes
• Use the meat to stuff my Mini Taco Appetizers (Low Carb, Keto)
• Take a trifle bowl and make my Layered Keto Nacho Taco Party Bowl
• For a Whole30 meal, don't add the sweetener to the meat and use the taco meat to make my Taco Tortilla Bake (Keto, Gluten-Free, Whole30)
• For a family meal that is Paleo and Whole30 approved, make my Whole30 Spaghetti Squash Taco Pie

 

If you liked learning how to make the BEST Taco Meat, you may also enjoy:

 

How to Roast Winter Squash In the Oven, Air Fryer or Instant Pot

 

How to Bake the PERFECT Cheesecake

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