Reviewed: Mar. 22, 2012

I used a red bell pepper instead of green and I increased both the amounts of the bell pepper and the onion to whole instead of half. I also did NOT use the full amount of salt, just enough to taste. Authentic or not, our family liked this "taco" meat. I made a Make-Your-Own-Taco-Bar last night, using this meat and with the other toppings, I also added more chopped onion, avocado, and homemade salsa. There wasn't much left over.

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17 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Sarah Jo

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Living In: Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, USA

Reviewed: May 20, 2011

This is a much better way to prepare tacos! I was taught by a friend how to make it a similar way years ago and haven't gone back to those packaged taco seasonings since. Instead of just water I use canned tomatoes (diced, crushed or whole) with all the liquid. If I have fresh tomatoes then I use a blender to liquefy it before adding it to the meat. I add water as needed to cover the meat if there's not enough liquid from the tomatoes. If I don't have a bell pepper on hand sometimes I use a small can of diced chiles that work just as well.

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

JEANIEBEAN16

Reviewed: Apr. 11, 2011

I am the original poster of this recipe.. an addition would be to simmer the ground meat.. whether it be a combination of turkey/beef/or pork in fat free Swanson chicken broth and definitely add 3 to 5 bay leaves to the meat/broth mixture.. adjust the seasonings to you liking.

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8 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

RHONDA35

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Rio Hondo, Texas, USA

Living In: Austin, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Mar. 24, 2011

My kids won't eat taco meat seasoned with grocery store packets. This recipe, especially the technique, makes the meat a totally different texture, and much more pleasing to my family overall. I'm curious to try it seasoned different ways, but have made it several times this way. The crumbly, salty cheese is delicious!

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5 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

MOELASSES

Reviewed: Feb. 19, 2011

I am giving 5 stars for the method! I was recommended to this recipe after posting an inquiry as to how I could get my cooked ground beef the same fine texture as Mexican restaurants serve. I use this method all the time now to cook hamburger up ahead of time (without the spices except the onion) and freeze it for future use. It is wonderful, so soft and good. Be sure to reserve the broth and add it back in when you continue on with your recipe - I chill it overnight, discard the fat, and put divvy it into the bags with the meat for freezing. I use this meat for chili, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, tacos - anything that needs browned ground beef. We love this!

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Reviewer:

dzm388

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Flint, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2010

I thought these were just okay. They were very soft but they just didnt have much flavor to me. I added about a 1/4 teaspoon extra of the seasonings which helped a little but not much. We ate them the first night and had lots of leftovers so I made chili out of the meat and it turned out great.

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Living In: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 14, 2010

I thought this recipe was delicious .....I didnt use the boiling method though...I cooked the ground chuck,then added the spices and I didnt have bellpepper so I use 2 poblano peppers and 1/2 a white onion. And instead of lettuce and tomatoe I used shredded cabbage and chopped tomatoe mixed together to garnish my tacos. Two thumps up!......Rhonda35. Keep up the good work! :)

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6 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

char9567

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Stilwell, Oklahoma, USA

Reviewed: Jul. 26, 2010

Excellent, excellent way to cook taco meat. I have hated the packaged seasoning for so long and never use up a whole batch if I make my own, so this makes sense for us. I halved the recipe and there was still enough meat for three meals for two of us. Simmering in water is just the *perfect* way to make the meat tender and tasty! Thanks for a great recipe.

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9 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

TwoSweetPickles

Supporting Member (Click to learn more about Supporting Membership)

Reviewed: May 14, 2010

Thank you so much for posting this! I've been trying for years to figure out how [real] mexican restaurants prepare their ground beef, and man, this is pretty much it! The secret is the TEXTURE. I've tried so many frying methods, and nothing was right. You have to simmer - slow cook! It makes sense now. It's kind of a 'duh' moment, but now that I have it, I'm looking forward to tweaking this to my Mexican delight :)

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Reviewer:

johnnyribcage

Reviewed: Mar. 10, 2010

Terrific easy ground beef taco meat! We make a double batch and use leftovers in chili, a enchilada stack casserole, ect. Only addition was a minced jalapeno. Thank you for a cheap alternative to packaged taco seasoning!

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5 users found this review helpful