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Not Carne Asada

Wed, 12/09/2009 - 22:42 — Bryan Lambert

As has been painfully obvious since I started Forkbastard, I am on a quest. A noble quest. A quest to stuff as many different things into taco shells as I can. OK, it's a noble, filthy-sounding quest. But a quest nonetheless.

This is not carne asada. At least, I'm pretty sure it's not. However, a few years ago, at a Lake St. taqueria that may not even exist anymore, I ordered one carne asada taco, and what I got was lightly seasoned, very very browned ground beef and onions, and it was delicious. So I've been trying to make it for a while.

This is the version I served to the gaming group on Monday, which is somewhere between what came in that taco and more traditional taco ground beef. It's deep and dark and smoky and I love it. You'll need:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 large yellow onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle
  • 1/2 teaspoon Penzeys Bold Taco Seasoning or equivalent
PREP: Mince the onion and break up the raw beef. Combine all the seasonings in a small dish, except for the lime juice.
COOKING: This is the tricky part. What you want is very, very browned, but not burnt. I like a large cast-iron skillet for this job. Heat the pan over medium heat until it's good and hot, then add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the onions, turn the heat to low, and cook about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and partly caramelized. Turn the heat back up to high, add the ground beef and seasonings, and combine thoroughly. 
Cook the beef over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on heat and time. What you're looking to do is cook a lot of the moisture out of the ground beef, turning it gradually darker in the pan, almost like making a roux, only it's taco meat.
Once the meat is mostly dry, and it's a solid medium brown, add the lime juice and continue cooking until the juice has evaporated completely and the meat is a deep, dark reddish brown. Then stuff it in some taco shells with some sharp cheddar cheese, maybe some vegetables, maybe some guacamole, or just eat it straight. Yet another way to eat tacos, brought to you by the Taco Division of Forkbastard Labs.
Also, there's no picture because, well, it all got eaten before I remembered I should probably take one.

 

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quantity, not volume

Wed, 05/12/2010 - 13:16 — Burr (not verified)

I am a huge fan of taco trucks... just found your blog (great work, btw).. the meat you're describing sounds like Picadillo, not any picadillo, but bottom-of-the-plancha picadillo. Which I also love. I can't find it here in Ohio where I live now, but it was common in Chicago. You might try adding just a touch of palm sugar to help it brown.

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