Okay, so the other day, I decided to try something new in the kitchen. I was craving tacos, but not just any tacos – I wanted that perfect, crispy, fried taco shell stuffed with juicy meat. I pulled out my trusty Dutch oven, and let me tell you, it was a game-changer. Here’s how it went down.
First off, I gathered all my ingredients. I had about a pound of ground beef – I went with 80/20 because you need that fat for flavor, you know? Then, I got my seasonings together: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, a bit of smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
I set my Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Once it was nice and hot, I tossed in the ground beef. I love my Dutch oven cause it heated up evenly! I got the spatula and broke up the beef into small pieces, letting it brown nicely. This took about 7-8 minutes. You don’t want any pink left.
Once the beef was all browned, I drained out most of the grease, but I left a little in there for extra flavor. This is where the magic happens. I sprinkled in all my seasonings right into the pot. I give it a good stir, making sure the meat was evenly coated. The smell was amazing already!
I let the meat simmer in the seasonings for about 5 more minutes, stirring it once in a while. I didn’t add any water to the pan – that’s not needed here. This is where the Dutch oven really shines, it distributes heat so evenly, nothing got burnt or stuck to the bottom.
While the meat was doing its thing, I got my tortillas ready. I used corn tortillas because that’s what I prefer for fried tacos. I heated up a bit of oil in a separate pan – you could use the Dutch oven for this too, but I didn’t want to clean it out just yet.
Once the oil was hot, I carefully placed a tortilla in, frying each side until they were golden brown and crispy. This only took a minute or so per side, had to watch them closely so they didn’t burn. I made a small batch at a time so I didn’t over crowd the pan. Then, I set the fried tortillas aside on some paper towels to drain any excess oil.
By now, the meat was done. I took it off the heat and started assembling my tacos. I spooned a generous amount of meat into each fried tortilla, then topped them with my favorite fixings – shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, and a dollop of sour cream.
Let me tell you, these tacos were incredible. The shells were perfectly crispy, and the meat was so flavorful thanks to the Dutch oven cooking it just right. I have tried frying meat in other pans, and they always leave burned spots on the meat.
Final Result
- The Dutch oven was a total win for this. It browned the meat evenly and made the whole seasoning process a breeze.
- The seasoning mix worked well. But you can use any kind of filling, as long as you get it cooked evenly and seasoned well!
- Frying the tortillas was easy. Just keep an eye on them. Don’t over crowd the pan.
I’ll definitely be making these again. Frying taco meat in a Dutch oven is the way to go. I hope you enjoyed this little cooking adventure of mine!
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