Monday’s Bread Bowl: Homemade Taco Meat

Ground up goodness and the right stuff

The Mixed Stew doesn’t use or add a brand name dry (or premade) taco seasoning mix in this rendition for taco meat. Therefore, the mild and authentic flavors stand out in each serving of this Mexican favorite. We also like controlling the salt content, which can be overpowering in canned tomatoes and some dry mixes. Our recipe also makes enough for the whole family. Here is our recipe:

What you will need:

1 wooden spoon
1 large fry-pan with lid
1 teaspoon butter
½ yellow onion, diced
4 or 5 cloves garlic, chopped
½ red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1-2 medium sized jalepeno, seeded and diced
2 lbs ground beef
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
½ teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 ½ teaspoon cilantro
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder

Optional: Bottle of beer or chicken broth

Cooking and Directions:

Heat fry-pan over medium-high heat. Throw in butter to melt. Add onion while stirring. Let onion turn translucent, then toss in garlic to cook a bit before adding ground beef. Place pan cover over most of top but leaving a little opening for venting. Let meat cook and brown. This will take some time. Drain most of the rendered fats and let remaining liquid reduce. Add jalepenos, red bell peppers and continue stirring. Add between half a cup of broth, or between half to ¾ of a bottle of beer, to the mixture. Add cilantro, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and tomatoes. Cover (leaving a slight opening again) and reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Let flavors blend. There should be very little juice in the finished taco meat.