Tacoman

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Everyday Recipes - Tacos Tacos Tacos

Tacos are huge in my house, particularly with my kids. We make tacos constantly so we usually free form it. For today I’ve included what we do on a regular basis along with some real recipes at the end.

First, a thought on seasoning. I like to make my own and use it on everything. Here’s my ratio:

• 3 parts ancho chili powder (¼ to ½ cup)

• 1 part ground cumin (proportional to the ancho chili)

• Large pinch kosher salt

• Large pinch mexican oregano

• Pinch of ground coriander

• Several healthy grinds black pepper

Once I have a jar of that going I use it everywhere:

• Pork tacos - cut a 4 lb (or so) pork butt into 2 inch cubes. Toss cubes in the seasoning. If you’ve trimmed off bunch of fat dice that and render it, if not, just use oil. Sear your pork butt lightly in batches in a dutch oven. Pour in a bottle of beer (preferably something from Mexico or Texas for the spirit of the thing). Cover and cook at 300 or so for a couple of hours, or until meat is tender and shreds with a little effort. Put back on stove top, uncovered, and cook until liquid evaporates and pork breaks up and crisps in the fat that’s left in the pot as you stir. Scoop into warmed corn tortillas and top as you like.

• Ground beef for hardshell tacos - dice an onion and saute until soft. Throw in ground beef and brown until it renders out a decent amount of fat. Drain most of the fat and then sprinkle beef liberally with taco seasoning. Mix and cook for a bit. Fill your hardshell tacos with meat and warm them all up in a 300 oven for 5 minutes. Top and enjoy.

• Grilled chicken and skirt steak tacos - toss 2 lbs (or so) of boneless skinless thighs or skirt steak with a few tablespoons of cumin, juice of a lime or two, some olive oil and a couple of healthy pinches of kosher salt. Let sit for 30 minutes give or take. Grill over high heat until cooked through and charred in spots. It’s hard to over do it. Chop into bit sized pieces, taste and toss with a bit of your taco seasoning if you want some of that flavor too. Grab your warmed corn tortillas and go for it.

If you want a real recipe, here are a few options:

• This is a recipe for classic carnitas that’s adapted for home cooking. Well tested and worth a try.

• These Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos are one that my kids won’t eat, given how vegetable centric they are, but we like to make every now and then when we get a good head of Napa cabbage. It’s weird conceptually, but really good.

• And just for good measure, if you’ve lost your Old El Paso hard shell taco box here’s their take on the easiest possible route to a meal.

Project Time

• If you want to go the extra mile you should go out and get a tortilla press (you can spend a lot or a little) and try making your own tortillas.

• My sister in law has figured this out and can crank them out almost as fast as my kid can eat them (which is scarily fast). She uses Maseca (which I’m sure is sacrilege in some circles, but it makes it a lot easier) and generally follows the instructions on the bag. They come out great!

Something Fun (or Interesting)

Not sure if this is fun, or interesting… or a failure of parenting, but tacos comprise about 80% of my son’s diet. Here’s what a “taco” means to him:

• Heat a griddle or cast iron pan.

• Working in batches of 3 or 4 to keep the clamoring hordes at bay, smear corn tortillas with refried beans straight from the can.

• Place on griddle and top with literally any leftover meat you have in the fridge. Note that the meat can be any variety of protein and flavor profile under the sun as once it’s been placed on the beans riding atop the tortilla it is magically transformed into “taco meat”.

• Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and cover to melt cheese.

• Serve open faced for topping with your hot sauce of choice.

Give it a try sometime… they’re pretty good!

Let us know what you tried (just reply)! More soon.

Your Salt Pig Pals