I think the best way to learn anything is to start simple.
I really do love tacos.
I’ve made breakfast tacos, fish tacos, shrimp, beef, pork, chicken, veggie, just pretty much whatever I can throw in there.
But I believe there is a basic structure that all tacos build from. When you break it down like that, your creativity can run free.
I always assemble my tacos in a lightly oiled, preheated cast iron skillet from the oven. You’re gonna wanna toast these tacos for about 10-15 minutes in a preheated oven at 400°. So keep that in mind ahead of time.
Tortillas
You have to choose your tortillas first. I love flour tortillas for wraps, tacos, quesadillas, and so much more. But corn tortillas have definitely earned it’s place in my tacos. The flavor of a lightly toasted corn tortilla mixed with everything else really is something magical.
Your preference here though.
If you wanna really set those tacos off, use my frybread recipe!!
The Meatz
Since this is a basic taco post, I went with some lean ground beef. I tossed a little Sazón in there instead of those boring taco seasoning packs.
Brown your ground beef in a preheated skillet on the stovetop. I don’t drain my meat until I’m assembling my tacos. I think it dries out too much if you do.
You can also throw chicken or anything else in there, just cook the meat first. Here’s my delicious Dutch oven chicken recipe for such an occasion.
Veggies
If you’re not a meat person, no worries!
I love veggies, especially in tacos. This time I sautéed a can of Rotel with green chilies in a touch of oil. You can sauté almost any veggies like that, in a hot skillet quickly. I like to give them a touch of char, it adds to the flavor.
I you wanna go veggie there are so many options. I love to lay a few sun dried tomatoes in my tacos. I also have a really great cream sauce I made with some fish tacos. If you toss an avocado in, it’s even better.
Basically don’t be scared to experiment!
Cheese
There isn’t much to say about cheese other than cheese is amazing.
I prefer block cheese because I like to grate my own. But just peruse the cheese section in your grocery store one day. I wanna try them all.
Sauces
You should really try to have a few different sauces on hand. The flavor options are really great these days, and they don’t have to be spicy either!
Tacos Assemble!
Now hopefully you have a nice seasoned cast iron skillet already preheated in an oven at 400° (like I mentioned earlier).
I live by the 7 P’s in cooking (thank you military):
- Proper
- Planning and
- Preparation
- Prevent
- Piss
- Poor
- Performance
Anyway, carefully pull out your hot skillet and set it on the stovetop. Drizzle a touch of oil and then start adding ingredients. You should be able to make 3 small corn tacos in one decent size cast iron skillet. Work with what you have though. When they’re ready pop them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (check it at 10 minutes and go from there).
That quick flash bake really pulls all the flavor in the tacos together!
