Yeah, but the standard tacos at TexMex restaurants aren't spicy. I'm not looking to make spicy tacos at all. Just standard TexMex Restaurant tacos. None of the instant packets that I've tried taste anything like 'em. I will try the recipe that Fatty gave, but I'm skeptical.
Gosh...I haven't had a taco since the Pandemic began as I haven't eaten out. But, I do have it on my list to make as I bought the taco kit and ground turkey meat. I couldn't do an authentic one, though. Right now...I'm big on enchiladas. I put two frozen chicken breasts in a slow cooker covered in water and on low for 8 hours. Perfect and easy to shred chicken is the result. Then, I do the enchiladas. Last time...I made my own white sour-cream based enchilada sauce. Today, I'm making it with the green sauce in the can.
Chili powder (not all chili powder is created equal, I'm assuming this is your problem), cumin, paprika, salt, minced garlic, diced tomato (I like a little roasted green bell pepper or poblano, some don't)....I'd add serranos but you don't want 'em spicy? Don't put spicy **** in them. Toss ground meat in baking soda solution (1 t baking soda dissolved in 2 T water per 2 lbs meat) and let sit for 20 mins or so (changes the pH and helps the meat retain moisture and brown better/faster). Brown meat and remove. Brown onions (and peppers), halfway through add tomatoes (drained if canned) & return meat to pan. Add spices for a couple of minutes and then enough broth (chicken or beef, could use water, or if using canned tomatoes, use the liquid as well) to cover bottom of pan to help scrape up fond. Cook until mostly evaporated and thickened. Eat.
By basically taking the ingredients listed here, you can adjust the amounts to get the desired flavor of your local Tex Mex joint. They all use these same ingredients in slightly different amounts.
Right? It's trial and error, not rocket science, I don't even use measurements. And frankly not that much trial and error, it's just taco meat, not mole or such. I also don't really know what TexMex restaurant taco meat tastes like, I just know what I like, it's one of the things that's so simple to do at home that if I'm eating out I'm getting something else. Cooked up some last week and had taco salads and tacos for a couple of days.
Why is Tex Mex one of the most slept on cuisines outside of Texas? It’s fantastic, but it really does not have the reach as other southern foods. I used to go Tony’s on Ella a lot growing up.
Oh it's everywhere, it's just not that good. You can get all kinds of good regional Mexican all over the US thanks to decades of immigration, but Tex-Mex is sketchy at best, and I don't know why.
I make a mess of taco meat about once a week, and as far as cooking goes, I never thought I'd learn anything new here.........or just about anywhere. I'm fairly well versed in most things culinary. You just taught me something new.
Maybe not many that are familiar with Tex-Mex are moving to Mississippi,, Georgia, Alabama, etc. People that immigrate to the Southern US from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador etc are going to cook the way that they are used to.
Learned that from Cook's Illustrated a few years ago and started using it when cooking chili, now it's for anytime I'm browning ground meat. You can honestly tell the difference.
There was a Tex-Mex place in Mar del Plata, Argentina that was tolerable, but an enchilada godsend for a homesick Texan. Got pretty good at making flour tortillas and fajitas at home. Finding hot peppers was the biggest challenge.
This. There are some variations but this is the standard (but good) recipe. I have seen some changes over the years, for example I have seen some add cilantro or lime over the years.... and a lot skip the baking soda step.... but this is a very solid recipe everyone will enjoy.
that cooking technique has crossed cultures. i do little of that to tenderize tripe for my wonton noodle soup, learn that from my mom to make tripe stew, dim sum cooks use that technique to tenderize the tripe; dad was a dim sum cook
I didn't go into toppings, but for basic tacos (not dressed with pico and lettuce and beans and cheese) you can't beat diced white onion, cilantro, serranos, salt and lime juice, tossed and let to sit for a while.
I see “TexMex” all over the country. They just suck at it. Which I don’t get. Land-o-Lakes American is available everywhere.
That's what I keep finding. "Here's a great recipe for TexMex tacos! ingredients: olives, avocado, sour cream..." Honestly, why don't they just call it Cal-Mex or something else? What makes them think that crap is TexMex?!?
Idk I found it in Silver Spring Maryland. Made the in-laws some queso, Guac, and fajitas and they were blown away. And it was just the recipes I knew from working at Pappasitos. Skirt was difficult to find. At least at grocery stores. Idk how their wholesale is up there. I may have ended up making the fajitas with flank.
