Ground Beef Taco Meat

This ground beef taco meat recipe takes a simple recipe and elevates it to another level of flavor. With just five everyday ingredients and a few preparation tips, your taco night will go from good to GREAT!

Every family loves taco night, and we love all sorts of tacos. But to keep everyone happy (i.e., the kids), ground beef is our meat of choice.

And with the meat being the most important ingredient of a taco, you need to get it right!

This recipe is so good that you'd better be prepared to field questions after serving it:

"This is really good, what did you do differently?"
"This is great Mom/Dad, when can we have it again?"
"Can we use this taco meat in burritos, too?"

This taco meat is simple to make and ready in 30 minutes. What are you waiting for?

This ground beef taco meat is great in burritos, enchiladas, taco pasta, quesadillas, in a taco salad, and more.

Ingredients for ground beef taco meat

Ground Beef	Taco Seasoning
Tomato Paste	Beef Broth
Baking Soda

BAKING SODA: OK, let's get into this right away. Baking soda helps brown the beef and keeps it juicier. I discuss this in more detail below.

GROUND BEEF: Use 80/20 ground beef. You can choose a leaner ground beef, but you will get better browning with fattier cuts.

The '20' represents the fat content percentage. This extra fat allows the meat to brown better and keeps the meat a bit more juicy.

TACO SEASONING: For the best flavor, I recommend using our homemade taco seasoning. It's simple to make and the fresher spices taste better.

If not, you can always use a taco seasoning packet.

TOMATO PASTE: This adds tomato flavor and a bit of umami.

BEEF BROTH: This enhances the beef flavor. You can always substitute water if you like.

How to make ground beef taco meat

First, add baking soda...whaaat?

Yes, you read that correctly. And don't worry, it doesn't change the flavor one bit.

Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of baking soda evenly over your one pound of ground beef. Then, with your hands, work it into the meat.

Then let the meat rest for 15 minutes. This allows the baking soda to work its magic.

What does the baking soda do?

Baking soda helps ground beef brown while also making it more tender.

There is an inherent problem when trying to brown ground beef: it gives off too much liquid during the process, making it virtually impossible to brown.

The baking soda helps with this issue.

Baking soda raises the pH value, so the meat releases less moisture, thus allowing it to brown more effectively. And remember, browning is where the flavor is!

This means more moisture is being retained in the meat resulting in a juicer, more tender, more flavorful bite.

Don't take my word for it, read about it here.

Next, brown the ground beef

After the 15 minute baking soda bath, it's time to brown the meat.

The key word here is 'brown'. This means we want to get a little sear on the meat.

Did you know that the sear is where most of the flavor is? This searing process is known as the Maillard reaction.

Even with the magical baking soda, there is still a process to follow if you want to do it right.

First, pre-heat your skillet

Let your skillet pre-heat on medium-high for 5 minutes. Do not add any oil. (Make sure to avoid non-stick skillets that can't be pre-heated without fat.)

Then, add the ground beef

Break the meat up into pieces using a wooden spoon. They will be relatively large at first.

Now, don't mess with it.

Allow the meat to cook, UNDISTURBED, for 2 minutes.

This time allows the flavorful sear to take place.

This is where most people get it wrong: they move the meat around too often, not letting the Maillard reaction happen.

Break the meat up into smaller pieces

Once the initial 2-minute sear is done, go ahead and use your wooden spoon to further break the meat up into smaller pieces.

Do your best to make sure the already cooked sides are now turned over.

You should notice some browning that has occurred.

After breaking up the meat, once again, let it cook another 90 seconds, UNDISTURBED.

Continue to break meat into smaller pieces until cooked.

Once no more pink appears, your ground beef is cooked and ready for the next step.

Don't worry about how big your meat pieces are at this point: you will have plenty of time to break them up further in the simmering stage.

Drain excess fat

The baking soda trick does not eliminate all the liquids and fat—it just reduces them. Now it's time to drain liquids that have accumulated in the pan.

Optional Additions: If your family is open to more vegetables, you could add in diced onion, green chilies, and/or green pepper at this point.

Add the taco seasoning, beef broth, and tomato paste

Make sure to thoroughly mix these ingredients into your meat mixture.

Feel free to further break this meat up into smaller pieces if you like.

Let it simmer

Allow the meat to simmer, covered, for at least 10 minutes. This allows the spices to fully permeate throughout the sauce.

If after 10 minutes you notice the...
Sauce is too thin? Simmer uncovered for a few minutes.
Sauce is too thick? Add a bit more broth until it's the consistency you want.

When it's done, your taco meat will look like this!

Time to serve

After simmering, just scoop it into your favorite taco shells, add your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Those pre-made fried taco shells are easy to deal with (no judgement here!), or use corn or flour tortillas.

For toppings, we love cheese (cheddar or pepper jack are favorites), hot sauce and/or salsa, pickled red onions, shredded lettuce, chopped onions and tomatoes, and a squeeze of lime over the top.

How to store ground beef taco meat

In the Fridge:

Store your leftover meat in an airtight container. It will be good in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.

In the Freezer:

Seal the meat in a good-quality freezer bag, making sure to press out as much air as possible. Then place it your freezer.

It will be good for up to 3 months.

How to re-heat leftover ground beef taco meat

If your meat is frozen, be sure to thaw it first.

Microwave method

Microwave ovens make reheating easy and fast.

Just add your taco meat to a microwaveable bowl, and cover it loosely with the lid or plastic wrap.

Then microwave it on high for 1 minute. Stir the meat and repeat, heating it 30 seconds at a time until it reaches your desired temperature.

But pay attention to the liquid level: if the meat seems dry, add some beef broth or water during the re-heating process.

Stovetop method

Add the taco meat to a skillet set to a medium-low temperature. Then cover the pan.

After 3 minutes, check the meat. Stir and evaluate the consistency of the sauce.

If it's too thick, add a bit more broth or water and continue to warm the meat up until it reaches your desired temperature.

That's it! We hope this recipe sends your Taco Night to a whole new level of awesome.

—Enjoy!