# What is authentic mexican ground beef seasoned with?



## humpty99

When I go to an authentic-style mexican restaurants, their ground beef tastes NOTHING like a taco seasoning pack or even my homemade taco seasoning that is probably derived from a seasoning pack. 

Most, if not all, from this style of restaurant pretty much tastes the same so I think it must be pretty standard for their style of cooking. There are subtle differences between establishments, but not much.

I would say the meat is well seasoned, but not overpowering and the flavors that mainly come through do not seem to be the chili powder and cumin punch that you get from a packet.

Anyone know what I'm looking for?


----------



## boar_d_laze

To answer the direct question: Probably no one does.

"Taco seasoning," or even "chile powder" per se are alien concepts to Mexican cooks. The usual combinations are pretty similar though. Here's a very basic example: Salt, pepper, a couple or three kinds of ground dried chilis, granulated garlic (_ajo molido_), cumin (_comino_), a little Mexican oregano (_oregano_), and a little thyme (_temillo_). Most American chile powders have a fair bit of cumin powder and rely on New Mexcio, California or both types of chilies. Your homemade seasoning has whatever cumin is already in the powder, plus whatever you're adding -- no wonder the cumin is overpowering.

Before I give you proportions for a blend, answer a few questions so we can nail down something that you'll really like.

You're asking about "ground beef," seemingly within the context of _tacos_ Are you talking about the meat in a hard-shell _taco_ (_taco dorado_)? Or is it meat used in some other dish? Are you sure the beef is ground and not shredded? Beef that's been cooked and shredded or chopped is more typical for most dishes like _tacos, sopes, gorditas, tortas enchiladas_, etc., than meat that was ground and browned. Not that ground meat is unknown in Mexico, there are lots of exceptions.

Can you tell if the meat you like is cooked with fresh onions? Garlic? Chilis?

Are there any Mexican markets easily available to you? What varieties of dried chilis do you see when you shop? What varieties of fresh?

"Authentic-style Mexican" covers a lot of ground. What part of the country do you live in? Tell me a little about the Mexican restaurants you like in general especially if they qualify as being regional at all. What is the clientele like. Mostly Mexican or Anglo? What brands or types of bottled hot sauce are on the tables?

What's your tolerance for "hot?" Will you be feeding other people? How would you describe the tolerance of the person who frequently eats your food, but has the lowest threshold?

Lots to ponder,
BDL


----------



## humpty99

Thanks for the response. I am from Indiana, so I'm quite positive that what I am talking about as authentic style mexican is far different that someone from other parts of the country. The restaurants that I am referring to are mostly family owned and operated usually with one or two of the employees speaking passable English while the rest can recognize words from the menu and not much else. More and more of these restaurants have been popping up here in the last couple years, as the Fresh-Mex boom has FINALLY made its way to the mid-west. At least here, ground beef is far more popular than shredded. You can order shredded at most places, but most dishes coming out of the kitchen with beef are definately the ground variety except for carne asada tacos and such. And that goes for tacos, burritos, enchilades, etc. It is a very very fine grind though. Almost mushy in texture. I would assume it is ran through a food processor, but that is just a guess.

There are no visible signs of fresh onions, garlic, or chilis although the flavors are all there with garlic being the lightest of the three. One explanation could be that they are cooked with fresh, then processed though. A peppery, possibly chile punch are there, but it is not so overpowering like a packet. Its deeper, which would maybe make you think fresh chilis?

There are virtually no ethnic fresh food markets around my area. Limited varieties of chilis are available, but I honestly don't know what I could find because I do not shop for peppers often. Most of my dried stuff, I buy online. The restaurants I frequent are about 75/25 white to mexican. Reason being most likely because we do not have a large mexican population. There are a few tex/mex restaurants that my wife likes, and I've never ever seen a mexican person in one of those joints. Finally, I've never paid much attention to the hot sauces on the tables because I don't really use it much.


----------



## deltadoc

Watch Rick Bayless on "Mexico: One plate at a time". Even in Mexico dishes differ regionally from one another.

Also, check out the guest appearance of Rick on Chef Talk.

Or try the Frontera Grill in Chicago, which is owned and run by Rick.

Try differentiating "carne molida" from "carne picada". 

doc


----------



## even stephen

When we cook ground beef for, say, tacos or rellenos, my wife calls it
a Picadillo.....I prepare it just like my mother in law.....she's from the Acapulco area and earlier in life...Ciaucingo...bad spelling....I use a blend
of pork and beef....medium grind.....toss with black pepper, cumin, and salt.
Cook at pretty high heat in a saute pan.....till browned...then add a blended mixture of onion, garlic, fresh tomato, salt, and serrano or jalepeno pepper....
a couple of vine ripe tomatoes, although any tomato will do....put all in the blender till smooth....add it to the hot saute pan....cook until the liquid is consumed......at home I add, diced sweet potato, diced onion, and diced carrot.....perhaps a bay leaf or two.....good luck....perhaps not traditional, but the way they do it in guerrero.


----------



## boar_d_laze

Let's start with deeper. Fresh chilies taste "brighter" rather than "deeper." The two most popular Mexican chilies that qualify as "deeper" are _chipotle_ and _mulato_. Since you didn't say "smoky," I'm guessing you're tasting _mulato_. There's a very popular trinity of chilies throughout most of Mexico which is _mulato_, _cascabel_, and _jalapeno._ You might want to think about ordering some dry _mulatos _and _cascabels._ You can either reconstitute them in warm water, seed, de-vein, chop and use as you would fresh. Or, do your best to seed and de-vein dry, and grind. The _jalapeno_ you may mince and use fresh. If you've never used fresh chilies there are some technique issues we should discuss before you start.

The ground, cooked and ground-again theory may be right, but it seems like an awful lot of trouble.

Oh well.

In the meantime get some powdered California chili and see if you can't score a few cans of _chipotle en adobo_. A _chipotle_ is a dried smoked _jalapeno_. Canned _chipotle_ are reconstituted and marinated in _adobo_. _Adobo_, in turn, is Spanish for marinade. In this case the marinade has a fair bit of garlic, cumin Mexican oregano, and thyme. Plus, it's mighty hot on its own.

I'm going to suggest this mild preparation for two pounds of 80/20 hamburger.

_Ingredients:_
2 pounds 80/20 hamburger
1 medium brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs salt
1 tbs ground California chili (it's a mild chili)
1 chipotle chili from a can of _chipotle en adobo_, minced
1 tbs _adobo_ from the can 
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp thyme

_Technique:_
Mince the onion, garlic and chipotle very fine.

Start the hamburger to brown in a hot, dry skillet. When the fat starts to render add the onion, garlic and chipotle, and stir to distribute. When the meat is about half browned, rub the oregano and thyme to crumble them, then add them along with the remaining spices to the browning meat and stir to distribute. Continue to cook the meat until all surfaces are browned, reduce heat and cook through if necessary. Drain off any extra fat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Let me know how this works for you,
BDL


----------



## boar_d_laze

Bayless has a very interesting take. If 200 regional cooks make a dish, and 195 make it pretty much one way; Bayless will take one of the five remaining recipes and tweak the heck out of it. His approach is scholarly but his cooking is original. I don't mean this as a criticism, but perspective. If you're looking for typical (as in "of the type," not as in "average") Mexican, Bayless is not your man.

Again, no "dis" intended. Bayless is great. _Frontera_ is a kick; fun, delicious and very creative.

By my lights, the difference is mostly regional language usage. In Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador, what any American would recognize as ground hamburger is almost always "carne picada," but in most of northern and estern Mexico and throughout most of _el Norte_ (the US), it's usually _carne molida_. It varies around the rest of Latin American. Sometimes, but not usually, the difference might be the quality of the grind. Sometimes, _picada _might actually be minced or chopped.

Spanish varies a lot by region. To put some perspective on my opinion... If not perfectly bilingual, I'll do until something better comes along. My Spanish comes partly from Spain where I went to school for a little while, partly from the California educational system, and partly from the streets of Southern California -- which makes it about 30% Mexico, 30% Spain, 20% Cal/Spanglish and 10% Central America and 10% "around" (other traveling and people I meet).

BDL


----------



## deltadoc

Actually, my friend in Madrid says they speak Castellano, not Spanish. To them ground beef, is as you pointed out, carne picada (literally chopped meat).

In Central/South America, he pointed out that they speak a derivative of a more ancient form of espanol (don't have the ability to type an "n-yay").

My Bariquan friends (Puerto Rico) agree. They call it carne molida, but would understand what one meant if they used carne picada.

They also told me that when they worked in Spain, they gave up pretty much trying to communicate in Spanish, and instead, learned Castellano!

My Madrid friend, interestingly, told me that 1000 years ago, the Portuguese and Spaniards spoke the same language. Until a Spanish King came along that had a "lisp". He demanded everyone speak as he did, and that is how the languages diverged.

Apparently 1000 years ago, the Polish and Russians spoke the same language. He didn't elucidate on how their mutual languages diverged.

doc


----------



## humpty99

Thanks for the responses, and thanks for the recipe boar d laze. I will give it a try. I have cooked with chipotles in adobo before, and also with jalepenos. Past that I don't have a lot of pepper experience. I may try to use half of one with no adobo sauce because I have used these before and the seasoning I'm looking for it a little less spicy than I think it would be with a full pepper and some sauce.


----------



## boar_d_laze

Doc,

Long post deleted. My apologies for being so pedantic. Too much pressure at work. 

BDL


----------



## deltadoc

Not being truly bilingual or a language expert, I only repeated what my friend in Madrid told me. 

However, when I take Spanish subtitles from movies like "Blow" and send them to him for translation, he almost always is unable to tell me what it means.

However, his description of the food at El Bulli makes my mouth water whether he's speaking Polish, Castellano or English! 

doc


----------



## psycho chef

Try a bunch a finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and a few dashes of cholula or tabasco sauce. Cook the cilantro for a bit to mellow its flavor and push it into the background.


----------



## oregonyeti

I'm in Oregon, and a friend from Maine thinks Mexican food here is way too spicy. He also knows that what he was used to was nowhere near authentic.

Most Mexican food here in Oregon is not very close to authentic, either, but maybe a step closer to _some _version of authentic.

It is almost impossible to predict any version of what some consider Mexican food in Ohio or New Brunswick or anywhere outside Mexico, imo, just because many are not even close, or may be somewhat close to some regional Mexican food, though who knows which. At least that's the conclusion I come to. I had a good friend whose wife was Mexican and she made great food. My next door neighbors are Mexican and they make great food. They are neither similar to each other or similar to the local Mexican restaurants. You confused? I am too :^)


----------



## oregonyeti

I think some of the taco vans (street vendors) must be doing something right, since a lot of our Spanish-speaking population eat there for lunch. Cilantro, fresh chopped onions and tomatoes, fresh lime, mostly soft corn tortillas, pickled veges (carrots, jalapenos, cilantro, a bit of onion), and very tender meat. Fresh radishes and cucumbers. Tasty stuff, though maybe just a common denominator version. For meat, I especially like the lengua (tongue), chicken, and shredded beef.


----------



## maryb

Commercial taco seasoning frequently has masa flour in it as a thickener. I worked with someone from Mexico and he brought in taco fixings once a month. The suggestions for less spice all around would be right especially the hot chili's. You ca get dried chipotle (my spanish is terrible forgive the spelling) from Penzey's, Pendery's, and several other online spice shops.


----------



## lindat

The description of the texture of the meat, plus the taste makes me wonder if the meat isn't all or part chorizo.


----------



## humpty99

I've wondered that myself and I probably should just ask, but very few of the employees speak much English and all. I've had straight chorizo in the past, and am fairly certain that it isn't all chorizo. It could be a percentage, but then again that seems like it would be against some sort of law to not disclose that somewhere on the menu. If you order ground beef, it should be ground beef.


----------



## phatch

You can get all beef chorizo so it would still be accurate as "ground beef".

Phil


----------



## lindat

We raise our own beef and I make chorizo from that ground beef. It's really good.


----------



## oldschool1982

What ever the particular cook for the home it was being prepared in was taught to use. Kinda like most peasant/working class ethnic cooking where every family/mom/cook had a different list of ingredients.

Although There have been some very tasty suggestions so far. :beer:


----------



## boar_d_laze

Ground beef chorizo is too high-tone for me. I think of Mexican style (as opposed to Spanish) chorizo as being about half glands and whatnot. 

BDL


----------



## lindat

Now you're talking about the kind of chorizo I grew up on. The original mystery meat.


----------



## davidm

These observations, while fascinating, are, I'm afraid, entirely incorrect.

What is universally known as "Spanish" is, in fact, castellano. In Spain, there are four official languages, catellano, catalán, vasco and gallego. Castellano refers to the language of the region of Castilla. In most of Spain, Spanish (AKA catellano) is spoken. In addition, in the regions where Spanish (AKA castellano) is spoken as the first (and usually only) language, the people refer to the language as "Spanish" (español). However, in the regions where Spanish is not the first language, it is considered politically incorrect to refer to Spanish as "español" since catalán, for example, is also a language of Spain and, therefore, Spanish. In these regions, it is polite to use the term "castellano" instead of "Spanish" in order to distinguish it from catalán while recognizing that catalán is also a language of Spain.

So, long story short, castellano = Spanish.

As for the lisp, I'm afraid Castillian Spanish (in Spain) contains no more lisps than the English language. The letter "z" is pronounced like the English "th" in the word "think". The letter "c" when followed by a soft vowel (i.e. "e" or "i") is also pronounced like "th". However, the letter "s" is always pronounced just like the English "s". To pronounce it otherwise (in Spain) is to pronounce it incorrectly.

Spanish and Portuguese are significantly more different than just the pronunciation of z and c. If they were ever the same, it was only as Latin.


----------



## boar_d_laze

DavidM,

Yes. You're right.

I'd posted most, if not all, of the same information but deleted the post because I get tired of being a handy-dandy encyclopedia, plus in addition to information it had too much attitude, so... 

It's nice to see pervasive mis-information corrected, especially as nicely as you've done it. There's more to the stories of the birth Portuguese and the cedillo; but you stopped at the right time. Had you told them more completely, you'd have ended up agonizing about being too pedantic. Trust me.

Latin Americans tend to either ignore the issue of the cedillo, or have fallen for the Fernando myth, while non-Spanish speaking Americans love the myth. Deduction says you're most likely Spanish or a major. 

Mucho gusto,
BDL


----------



## deltadoc

Well hombres, from my friend Artur in Madrid:

I'm not a linguist and what I told you I've read and heard from my Spanish friends.


I did not exactly said the Portuguese and the Spanish spoke the same language, their languages were so similar that were almost the same. 
the same happened to the Slavs, Polish and Russian were very similar ages ago but then they went their own ways.


Castellano is the most pure version of Spanish. we, in Madrid, make this distinction because there are as many variants of Spanish as of English. the same words mean different things in, for instance, Ecuador, Mexico or Spain.


there are four official languages in Spain: Español, Catalán, Gallego and Eusquera. there are also various dialects, one of them is "andaluz" which is quite difficult to understand for foreigners as they tend to "lisp" and cut off the endings of the words.


whereas Español is spoken in all Spain, Catalán is known only in Catalonia (and I think everybody there can speak it), Eusquera is "spoken" (I use brackets as this language is mostly artificially created by the nationalists and very few really can speak it in everyday's life - I know that this point of view will be attacked but reality is reality) and gallego (very similar to Portuguese). Those three languages are now being taught in schools so today's kids will hopefully be able to speak them.


I hope this short answer is enough to maintain the discussion 


un abrazo,
artur 

doc


----------



## dillonsmimi

My fave street food is a picadillo puffy taco served by an ancient Mexican lady in the mercado in San Antonio. So savory and a three napkin 'stoop' treat. I asked her son for the recipe and this is what I got....ground chuck, salt, pepper, cumin, mexican oregano, onion, cubed potato. I make it all the time now using the pinch of this a handful of that method....


----------



## mugshot

humpty99 - I know exactly the ground beef you're talking about. The reason the taco meat seams like it is finely ground is that they start out with raw ground beef and enough water to cover the meat (for 2 lbs. of meat you need about 4 cups of water). Add your seasonings (salt, minced fresh garlic, minced fresh onion) and let it simmer until the water has evaporated and your taco meat looks like you want. You can add a little chili powder, but they don't use enough to turn it dark brown like the packages you buy in the store.


----------



## oregonyeti

Deleted. I was being a know-it-all and off track. I hate when I do that.


----------



## mikelm

Well, in the language department, I've been fascinated about the Basque language.  Nobody seems to know where that came from.

It isn't Indic, Latin, Germanic or anything else.

Has there been linguistic research that has added to knowledge of this?

Mike


----------



## oregonyeti

They somehow kept an old language from being overtaken. I find it fascinating that their language remained independent. They must have resisted outsiders, been very proud, were just ignored, or something. They do stand out.


----------



## aprildb

Look into Mexican Cookbooks by Dianne Kennedy. She describes numerous types of chiles as well as wonderful photos and illustrations of what she's describing. As far as authentic, these are important. The combinations are endless and every single one is delicious in its own right. You just have to find the taste you like best.

My favorite regional cuisine is So. Mexico, Yucatan,and Guatemalan. More bordering on the mole variations, tons of flavor and not as much heat. Fire roasted chiles and ingredients, pepitas and sesame seed are a major role, masa flour in the sauces.

Also there's a huge variation in "mexican" restaurants. You have the commercial chains or the hole in the wall (much preferred) family places that have the more authentic flavors. Not as pretty but OH so much better. When all else fails, ask.

Our Guatemalan family was more than happy to explain about the Guajillo, cascabel, ancho and whatnot that went into the traditional Christmas paches tamales. Este y este y este...lovely.

Hope this helps.

April


----------



## lupillo mex

First what i call ground meat is only meat passed trough a grinder, no spices, no salt, nothing but meat. You choose which meat you like and then you ask to be grinded. Then with this meat you can cook many mexican dishes or mexican varieties of foreign dishes, like chorizo: for chorizo in Mexico we add chilaca chili, onion, dried tomato, oregano, cumin, pepper, garlic, salt, vinegar, clove, almonds and pine nuts. If you want picadillo, you add onion, garlic, chopped tomato, salt, oregano, potato, carrot, peas and a little bit of lime juice or vinegar. If you want to make mexican bolognese sauce, follow the bolognese sauce instructions but add chilpotle chili to the mix, the result is amazing. If you want meat to fill chilis and make chiles rellenos, then mix the ground meat with garlic, onion, cinnamon, clove, salt, peppes, raisins, parsley, english walnut and peaches in syrup. If it is commoni would say it was picadillo.


----------



## greg wells

I have to say that if you are attempting to eat an authentic taco,,its not made from ground beef,,,,but shredded  beef  carne asada , lengua,carrbaso    pork or  chicken usually shredded or even chorrizo ,,,please excuse my attempted mexican spelling,,  when you go to a ( authentic mexican restaurant  )  and order a taco it quite often comes on a hard shell, ( because they assume thats how a ****** wants it ),,however when you order an authentic mexican taco it comes on a hot sometimes doubled soft corn tortilla,,,,sorry I never answered your question but I wanted to address authentic first !!!

 the best food comes from somewhere deep within a latin neighborhood,,a little corner tienda  ,, I have had as many as 250 spanish employees at a time,,,,and they have changed the way i enjoy mexican food !!!


----------



## Iceman

[h2]What is authentic mexican ground beef seasoned with?[/h2]
Simple ..................... _authentic Mexican seasonings. _


----------



## donjuane

Don't you love the forums?  What did we learn here? 

Hey world ... what are some good Mexican ground beef recipes?   Different regions have different recipes.   A famous chef I know always makes his differently.   He has a restaurant in land XYZ.   My mother is from XYZ.   She doesn't speak Spanish there but a derivative of it.  I speak German.  Well my aunt speaks French, isn't that amazing?

Where is my friggin' taco meat recipe?  Guests are coming in a few hours and mine tastes like Taco Bell (has NO taste in other words).


----------



## chefedb

I use cumin ,s and p, paprika, hot pepper of some kind, thyme, oregano, or california spices, cilantro, some smoked paprika. Everyone has their own way to do it. I use for taco or any other mexican dish. I chop meat coursley not fine.


----------



## jgemmerling

The irony!!!!  I just so happened to ask a Mexican Waiter (?) the other night, how they cooked their ground beef and what they put in it spice wise...

He told me basically peppers, tomatoes, onion, salt.....I do not recall him saying cumin or garlic specifically.  That doesn't mean they are not in there.  He also told me that the ground beef and spice (list above and whatever else) is not cooked on the stove.  It is put in a crock-pot and cooked for time unknown.   

A few hours at least.  The ground beef does basically fall apart-so to say.

When making chili, I personally like to brown my ground beef in a skillet and thoroughly rinse it and then put in crock-pot with other ingredients and let it cook on low for a few hours.  Excellent!


----------



## boar_d_laze

Nothing says "Mexican" like a crock pot.

BDL


----------



## french fries

jgemmerling said:


> I personally like to brown my ground beef in a skillet and thoroughly rinse it


Why rinse it?


----------



## michaelga

After browning the meat in a skillet it is sometimes rinsed to remove any excess fat, the same thing can be done by leaving it in a fine mesh conical strainer for about 20 minutes or so.

Not exactly the best idea, but it is done with the intention of reducing fat content.

I like a few others believe it's not the fat content of food so much as total number of calories of the consumed food that is the issue, but that is harder to explain i guess, so long live the 'low' fat fad.


----------



## michaelga

For that ultra-tender beef that you sometimes find.

Start the finely ground beef in ample water, add about 1/4 tsp baking soda per pound of beef, stir, simmer and stir lots more until well cooked and almost all of the water has been driven off.

Don't let it brown at all during this time - browning will cause lumps to form.

Once the beef is very fine, leave the fat in but use a binder (Masa, oat meal or rice flour any low gluten flour) to soak it up, then add your spices and brown it a bit. 

This will start you well onto the way to a 'taco-bell' type of juicy, meaty mush that so many people love!

(they simply add more things at the end to get their 'brand' of flavour profile)


----------



## ed buchanan

When I ate them in L.A. and Mexico meat was shredded nt ground beef; Rinsing it just takes out all the flavor of the meat where as draining in a China Cap leaves at least some.


----------



## steve tphc

I marinade a two pund top sirloin cut thin in:

2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of cumin
1 teaspoon of ground New Mexico chilies
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
White pepper
juice from 1 lime
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

for an hour the cook it medium rare over a very hot grill. Let it rest for ten minutes, the chop it into small pieces,

Garnish with chopped cilantro, Pico de Gallo, roasted onions, roasted Jalapenos, avocado slices,  and lime slices. Serve with freshly steamed  4 inch white corn tortillas, 2 per taco.


----------



## rmullins

Just for giggles thought I would throw this in.

I add about a tablespoon of fresh ground coffee in the mix for a bit added depth.

Grind it really fine and use dark roast. Italian, or French roasts.

Use sparingly or you muddy the flavors.


----------



## donjuane

No offense but Taco Bell has to be the least authentic Mexican taco meat I have ever tasted.   I only only gag them down when I can't find anything else to eat.   This comes from someone who is a native Texan and travels Mexico extensively.  I am curious why anyone would want meat to taste like that.   Tasteless, but that is my opinion.  Again no offense but I just don't get that someone would want to duplicate Taco Bell.


----------



## michaelga

DonJuane said:


> No offense but Taco Bell has to be the least authentic Mexican taco meat I have ever tasted. I only only gag them down when I can't find anything else to eat. This comes from someone who is a native Texan and travels Mexico extensively. I am curious why anyone would want meat to taste like that. Tasteless, but that is my opinion. Again no offense but I just don't get that someone would want to duplicate Taco Bell.


I absolutely agree.

While the title of the thread is "authentic" what the OP is actually referring to is found in his second post where he clarifies the details.

I have highlighted the important bits.


> Thanks for the response. *I am from Indiana, so I'm quite positive that what I am talking about as authentic style mexican is far different that someone from other parts of the country. *The restaurants that I am referring to are mostly family owned and operated usually with one or two of the employees speaking passable English while the rest can recognize words from the menu and not much else. More and more of these restaurants have been popping up here in the last couple years, as the Fresh-Mex boom has FINALLY made its way to the mid-west. At least here, ground beef is far more popular than shredded. You can order shredded at most places, *but most dishes coming out of the kitchen with beef are definately the ground variety* except for carne asada tacos and such. And that goes for tacos, burritos, enchilades, etc. *It is a very very fine grind though. Almost mushy in texture.* I would assume it is ran through a food processor, but that is just a guess.
> 
> *There are no visible signs of fresh onions, garlic, or chilis although the flavors are all there with garlic being the lightest of the three. *One explanation could be that they are cooked with fresh, then processed though. *A peppery, possibly chile punch are there, but it is not so overpowering like a packet. *Its deeper, which would maybe make you think fresh chilis?
> 
> There are virtually no ethnic fresh food markets around my area. Limited varieties of chilis are available, but I honestly don't know what I could find because I do not shop for peppers often. Most of my dried stuff, I buy online. The restaurants I frequent are about 75/25 white to mexican. Reason being most likely because we do not have a large mexican population. There are a few tex/mex restaurants that my wife likes, and I've never ever seen a mexican person in one of those joints. Finally, I've never paid much attention to the hot sauces on the tables because I don't really use it much.


What he seems to be describing to me is ground meat that has been tenderized by raising it's PH.

Which isn't just a TacoBell thing - it is simply the most recognizable use of the process.

Thus the entire point of my post.


----------



## johannie

Boiling the ground meat down method will result in something more like Taco Bell - when I was growing up back east, it was the way we made "steamers" or sloppy joes by boiling this way -- the kind of consistency many people seem to like in a taco.


----------



## mhatter-1

Try a combo of salt, pepper, sugar, chili powder, beef granules or base, paprika, flour,dried minced onion, onion powder, garlic powder, and, to your liking, cayenne pepper.


----------



## antilope

deleted.


----------



## paezalicious1

Mexican Chorizo is a type of sausage. It is made with a combination of beef and ground pork, unlike sausage in the U.S., which is made mostly from Pork alone. That is why the texture is softer. The red color comes from Annato seeds that are crushed into a paste called Achiote. Flavor comes from the Achiote paste as well as other herbs and spices. Actually, in the area where my family lives (Veracruz) they sell pre-mixed ground beef/pork. It is more expensive to buy only beef so it is rare to see.


----------



## sandraglo

Hold on a secund!!!! I am an spanish speaker and there is not such a thins as two different languages between spanish and castellano. It is just barely as brittish and american english or as French from France and french from Quebec. Is mustly a matter of accent and vocabulary use. Some people in Spain dont use the Spanish as a regular language if you go to Barcelona for example where they speak Catalan, if you go to Anadalucia they also have a dialect or if you go to Galician Province where they speak a dialect cold gallego. But Spanish and Castellano are THE SAME........


----------



## rueclerk

Sandra Glo, my mother's name was Glo, confounded people of course, because they wanted to spell it Glow.  Is it a family name?


----------



## sandraglo

Hello Rue Clerk. Sorry for my delay in the answer but I've being very busy lately. I can imagine the confusion about he last name lolololo but this is just a nick composition for my 2 last name..... Anyways nice to keep in touch. Have a great day:

Sandra


----------



## chefboyog

OregonYeti said:


> I'm in Oregon, and a friend from Maine thinks Mexican food here is way too spicy. He also knows ...
> 
> It is almost impossible to predict any version of what some consider Mexican food in Ohio or New Brunswick or anywhere outside Mexico, imo, ...
> You confused? I am too :^)


I worked for a Mexican in New Brunswick for a bit, that was Mexican food to me, haven't seen a Mexican here since but I'll never get sick of Tacos. Had to go because i couldn't understand him when he was mad.

If a Mexican is cooking the beef its Mexican. Otherwise its just another delicious taco filing to me. I miss Carlos yelling at me, best tacos ever.


----------



## odellcv

I grew up in San Diego and was only served ground beef tacos at Taco Bell. Dont get me wrong tho I love Taco Bell but authentic tacos to me  have shredded beef, pork or chicken.


----------



## jackiemcmackie

I think this is what you are looking for? Seems like the secret is In the boiling... Going to give it a try tonight...
http://mrsquartermaster.blogspot.com/2012/03/restaurant-style-ground-beef.html?m=1


----------



## aprildb

Don't think there is an authentic Mexican ground beef. Are you referring to US tacos, enchiladas, Taco Bell type beef? Then it's not Mexican. As many other posters have said, you use slow cooked chunks for burritos, shredded for tacos, tostadas, enchiladas. Ground beef is for Taco Bell. There are a number of recipes for Taco Bell ground beef burritos and such. Not the same as 'authentic'. 

As in living in Central America or whatnot. 

You could look into 'copycat' websites if you are looking at the Taco Bell type stuff. Authentic is much more complex. Flavors range all over the map. So you need to be a tad more specific as to the flavors, really picante/spicey, or more towards Central America (which I love because it's wonderfully flavorful but won't burn your face off like New Mexico will. NM is REALLY OVERRATED!!!!) 

So, just saying...

April


----------



## aprildb

OK, wait...are we talking Taco Bell, Chili, or real Mexican Food?

Taco bell mixes water, flour and such and then simmers with the typical "taco" spices. Makes it into a thick paste-ish stuff. 

Chili isn't really "Mexican". It varies all over the map.

What are we talking about?

So confused....

April


----------



## oregonyeti

Man, I've posted a lot of stupid stuff in the past. I hope I'm getting more un-stupid as time goes on.


----------



## jeff warren

hey guys ill tell ya what....I found this forum by searching for authentic Mexican taco seasoning and I gotta tell ya first of all that I have to agree,when it comes to authentic Mexican,any Mexican place(restaurant)that ive been to used shredded meat not ground.anyways I was wanting to do the Mexican thing for supper tonight so I used the seasoning recipe at the beginning of this thread and used a couple of striploins that I had kicking around.first grilled them super slow then chopped themtill they had the consistency of ground beef,then I added it all to a pan and cooked until the moisture content was very low and......voila!1! best damn tacos ive ever had!!! thanks for the recipe and ill never cook tacos with a packet of store bought crap again!!!,lol    thanks again!!


----------



## steve tphc

knowing how each chile tastes is helpdful getting a well seasoned taste that leverages their multiple charisterictics. I ofter blend these:
1 part Ancho powder
1 Part Guajillo powder
1 Part Mulato powder
1 Part Morita powder or use Chipotle for added smokiness
1 part aji amarillo powder
2 Parts hot New Mexico ground chile powder
2 parts beef bouillon
2 parts garlic powder
a pinch of white pepper, cumin to taste. Add a tablespoon of double tomato paste and a spooful of apple cider vinegar.


----------



## capricciosa

Another decade old thread dug up, but here goes my take as both someone who works with mostly Mexicans and whose semi-native language is Andalucian Spanish:

As far as terminology (carne picada vs carne molido), the regional difference is only linguistic from my experiences. The meat itself is the same. The only difference is what it's called in different countries. We use carne picada in Spain, as do other European-influenced cultures (Argentina, etc.) Carne molido is more associated with Mexican/mestizo cultures in my experience.

The following is based on my experiences in the Mid-West/South. I'm sure it's different in Cali/Southwest, but the OP wanted to know about what I call ******-style Mexican food, so here's how to cook the meat.

If you're talking your typical family-run Mexican restaurant catering to Americans, it's almost always ground beef (70/30) Chorizo costs more money, so few use it for their ground meat base. For the technique, it's usually cooked at a VERY high heat in a skillet with extra oil/lard added to prevent sticking. It's also usually scrambled excessively to prevent sticking due to the high heat, so the texture tends to be softer from the high fat and very fine from the hard scrambling.

The seasoning used is usually minimal, which is why people usually have a hard time replicating it at home - they try to add too much stuff. Forget adding masa to tighten the meat. Masa makes the dish cost more, and these are family-run businesses trying to make the most of their profits. Cumin is an Indian spice that made its way into Texas/border cuisine, but it's absent in Mexican cuisine, so you usually won't find it in the restaurants the OP was describing since they're usually run by recent immigrants. No fresh chopped onions/garlic/peppers - again, like masa, all they do is cut into the restaurant's margins. They also mess up the texture of the meat which is supposed to be very fine. At most restaurants, it's going to be either salt & pepper or Goya sazon.

So, what is Goya sazon? Well, it's actually Puerto Rican, and is more or less the Puerto Rican version of season salt. It's got salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc - but no chilis. As one of the original Hispanic products in the USA, probably because it's technically an American product, it was often one of the first Hispanic brands that Mexican immigrants would have had access to back in the days when the ethnic aisle at most stores consisted of some stale boxes of Manischewitz, ramen noodles and Goya sazon. As such, it's what most used when they adapted their recipes to their new country.

If chilis are used, it's mostly for the sauces. The meat itself is usually pretty plain.

All of this being said, there's not really such a thing as authentic Mexican ground beef. In Mexico, it's usually shredded or grilled meat.


----------



## Theovanikan

humpty99 said:


> Thanks for the response. I am from Indiana, so I'm quite positive that what I am talking about as authentic style mexican is far different that someone from other parts of the country. The restaurants that I am referring to are mostly family owned and operated usually with one or two of the employees speaking passable English while the rest can recognize words from the menu and not much else. More and more of these restaurants have been popping up here in the last couple years, as the Fresh-Mex boom has FINALLY made its way to the mid-west. At least here, ground beef is far more popular than shredded. You can order shredded at most places, but most dishes coming out of the kitchen with beef are definately the ground variety except for carne asada tacos and such. And that goes for tacos, burritos, enchilades, etc. It is a very very fine grind though. Almost mushy in texture. I would assume it is ran through a food processor, but that is just a guess.
> 
> There are no visible signs of fresh onions, garlic, or chilis although the flavors are all there with garlic being the lightest of the three. One explanation could be that they are cooked with fresh, then processed though. A peppery, possibly chile punch are there, but it is not so overpowering like a packet. Its deeper, which would maybe make you think fresh chilis?
> 
> There are virtually no ethnic fresh food markets around my area. Limited varieties of chilis are available, but I honestly don't know what I could find because I do not shop for peppers often. Most of my dried stuff, I buy online. The restaurants I frequent are about 75/25 white to mexican. Reason being most likely because we do not have a large mexican population. There are a few tex/mex restaurants that my wife likes, and I've never ever seen a mexican person in one of those joints. Finally, I've never paid much attention to the hot sauces on the tables because I don't really use it much.


This is going to sound crazy but hear me out. Try boiling your taco meat. As if you where making a large pot of pasta fill that sucker up and throw in your ground beef and whatever seasonings you want. Simmer for about 30 to 45 mins. strain the meat into a strainer over a bowl and reclaim your seasoned taco soup water. Set the water in freezer for about 15 min and when you remove it you will be able to skim all the fat off the top leaving the yummy seasonings behind. The meat after being boiled now has that mushy texture you described and I believe some restaurants boil their taco meat in order to make large quantities of it faster. That's all it is......the texture comes from cooking beef in water and it's super easy to do. Your welcome everyone! lol.


----------

