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Mince Tacos
Weeknight mince tacos when dinner needs to happen, or slow-cooked smoky beef when you've got the afternoon to make something considerably better.
BASIC
Beef mince, beans, packet Mexican seasoning and a fresh chunky salsa. This is exactly the sort of job seasoning packets are good at.
Method
Make the salsa
Mix the tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado together. Squeeze over the lime or lemon, add coriander if using and season with a little salt. Put it aside while you cook the mince.
Cook the onion
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–5 minutes until softened.
Brown the mince
Add the beef mince, turn the heat up and break it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until there is no raw beef remaining and you have some proper browned bits rather than a pan of grey steamed mince.
BrownLet the food develop actual brown colour. Grey meat can be cooked, but it is not browned. If liquid pools in the pan, use more heat or cook in smaller batches.Cooking words →Season it
Add the Mexican seasoning and water. Stir well and cook for a few minutes until the seasoning coats the mince and most of the loose water has disappeared.
Add the beans
Stir through the drained beans and cook for another 2–3 minutes until they're hot. Add a splash more water if the mince has become dry.
Warm the tortillas
Warm the tortillas according to the packet, or give them a few seconds per side in a dry frying pan.
Build tacos
Add mince to each tortilla, pile on the salsa and add sour cream, cheese or hot sauce if you want them. Fold as successfully as circumstances permit.
UPGRADE
Chuck slow-cooked in a roasted capsicum, chilli and chipotle sauce until it pulls apart. More work, but this one genuinely earns it.
Method
Char the capsicum and chillies
Heat the grill as hot as it will go. Put the capsicum, long chillies and jalapeño if using onto a tray and grill until the skins are blistered and dark in places, turning as needed. Give the capsicum about 10–15 minutes; the chillies may be ready sooner.
We're deliberately getting some blackened spots here. That roasted flavour is doing some of the work that a more traditional dried-chilli sauce would normally provide.Let them steam
Put the charred capsicum and chillies into a bowl and cover for about 10 minutes. Rub or peel away any loose, heavily blackened capsicum skin. Don't become emotionally invested in removing every last piece.
Brown the beef
Heat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Season the beef with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe pot over high heat and brown the beef in batches. Give the pieces some space so they actually develop colour, then remove them to a plate.
BrownLet the food develop actual brown colour. Grey meat can be cooked, but it is not browned. If liquid pools in the pan, use more heat or cook in smaller batches.Cooking words →Cook the onion
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion to the same pot and cook for 5–8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano and cook for another minute.
Blend the sauce
Put the roasted capsicum and chillies into a jug with the chipotles in adobo, vinegar, brown sugar if using and about half of the beef stock. Blend until reasonably smooth.
A stick blender is ideal. It does not need to become restaurant-level velvet; we're making something that will spend several hours attached to shredded beef.Start the slow cook
Return the beef and any juices to the pot. Pour over the blended chilli sauce and enough of the remaining stock to come most of the way up the beef without completely drowning it. Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
SimmerKeep the liquid gently bubbling. It should be active, but not rolling and splashing like a full boil.Cooking words →Slow cook
Cover the pot and put it into the 150°C (300°F) oven for about 3–4 hours. Check it after 3 hours. The beef is ready when you can pull a piece apart easily with a fork.
The clock is only a guide. Chuck becomes useful when its connective tissue has had enough time to soften, so tenderness decides when this is done.Make the salsa
While the beef is cooking, mix the tomato, cucumber, red onion and avocado. Add the lime or lemon, coriander if using and a little salt. Refrigerate until you need it.
Shred the beef
Lift the beef onto a tray or large plate and pull it apart with two forks. Remove any large pieces of fat that haven't rendered nicely.
Reduce the sauce
Put the pot back over medium heat and simmer the sauce uncovered until it has reduced and thickened. Return the shredded beef and stir until it is thoroughly coated and juicy without swimming in liquid.
ReduceCook a liquid so some of its water evaporates, leaving less liquid with a stronger flavour and usually a thicker texture.Cooking words →This last reduction matters. The cooking liquid has plenty of flavour, but wet shredded beef will pour straight through a tortilla and onto whatever shirt you decided was safe to wear.Taste it
Taste the beef and adjust with salt, a little more vinegar or lime for acidity, or a little extra adobo sauce if you want more smoke and chilli.
Warm the tortillas
Warm the tortillas according to the packet or briefly in a dry frying pan.
Build tacos
Pile the smoky shredded beef into the warm tortillas and add plenty of the fresh salsa. Add sour cream or hot sauce if you want it.
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