Powerful Pepper Gringo Tacos

Name: Powerful Pepper Gringo Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Mexican, American
Ingredients: 1.5 lb Ground Chuck; 2.5 Tbsp Powerful Pepper Taco Mix; 18 Hard Taco Shells; ¼ Head Cabbage Sliced Thin; Juice of 1 Lime; 1 Large Chopped Heirloom Tomato; 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Cuisine

Mexican, American

Author:

Powerful Pepper Company

Servings

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Calories

553

Channel your inner crunchy taco with this super simple and delicious beef taco recipe. We spice things up with our Powerful Pepper Taco mix, one of the most delicious rubs out there with cumin that we toast and grind in house, cherry smoked salt, and earthy Chili de Arbol peppers for an authentic mellow Mexican spice.

For this recipe we can never leave well enough alone when we can make things better, so find yourself the best possible tomato to use. You only need one but the flavor of a great tomato will blow these tacos out of the water.

We also are using very finely shredded cabbage to really up our crunch game in these already crunchy tacos. We add some lime juice to the cabbage for another bright layer of flavor that will surely bring a tear to your eye.

These little tacos are so good we know you are going to love them, so make sure to give us a rating when you make these to let everybody know just how awesome these tacos are.

Cook Mode

Ingredients

1.5 lb Ground Chuck
2.5 Tbsp Powerful Pepper Taco Mix
18 Hard Taco Shells
¼ Head Cabbage Sliced Thin
Juice of 1 Lime
1 Large Chopped Heirloom Tomato
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar

View Cart (0) Checkout

Directions

Set your beef on a paper towel or 3 and let it drain while you prep the rest of the dish.
Prep the veggies into individual bowls and squeeze the lime over the shredded cabbage and mix to combine. Shred the cheese and set it aside as well.
If you get your taco shells from the store they are going to be a bit stale. They have been siting in a box for a few weeks at minimum after all. If you have an air fryer. separate the shells and cook for 1 minute at 350 to crisp them back up or you can use an oven, just go for 2-3 minutes until they are a bit shiny as the oil in them starts to fry again. This step is the key to ridiculously crunchy taco shells.
In a large wide cast iron pan, or whatever you got that has a wide bottom (wink, wink) surface area is key for this step. Heat over high heat with enough oil just to barely coat the bottom of the pan until it’s hot and starting to smoke and then start adding the meat just a bit at a time in small, loose, chunks. Don’t rush, the first pieces in will cook longer but it should take you 5-7 minutes to get all of the beef into the pan working slowly. This will produce a bunch of smoke so have a good hood vent or do this outside on a grill or have someone standing by with some cardboard to fan the smoke out a window or door. We do this because it has a big impact on actually browning the meat, adding a ton of flavor in the process due to the Maillard reaction. Like developing a nice crust on a steak.
Add the taco mix to the top of this volatile pan and start chopping and flipping the meat with a metal spatula if working with cast iron. This is where the real work happens. Chop until all the red is gone and the taco mix is incorporated into the mixture. Then we add a cup of water to the mix. Keep chopping until you reach the desired consistency, the water will help everything to combine and finish cooking the meat, making it more tender and helping to break up any remaining larger bits.
Time to stuff your taco shells. Now, unlike certain chains who shall not be named that add the cheese on top of the lettuce and tomatoes? We are going to go meat, cheese (so it can get melty), cabbage, and tomatoes. The cheese gets melty, the tomatoes stay fresh. What’s not to love. Enjoy with beans, rice, and maybe a watermelon margarita!