The Late Night Gourmet
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- 30 Mar 2017
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- Detroit, USA
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After the uneven results trying to make taquitos for the Cinco de Mayo lunch at work, I decided to try it again, applying what I learned. The filling is what I'm most interested in here. I had 2 pounds of brisket in the freezer from St. Patrick's day. When I made corned beef from this Kroger brand beef, the results were...okay. This was not a high quality brisket. But, what if I season it so I don't notice the quality? This is how I ended up jamming the brisket through a meat grinder to create ground beef. I cut the brisket into chunks and seasoned with cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, file powder (the sassafras is unique to Cajun dishes, but it worked well here), and salt. I then cooked it in a skillet and drained it. After seasoning, the results were...good. I was pleasantly surprised.
The next thing I did that worked incredibly well this time was that I decided to use toothpicks, which are a traditional method used when making taquitos. But, deep frying most certainly is not traditional. I had been concerned that the toothpicks would burn, but they were unaffected. Note the taquitos on the right-hand side and the lack of any sort of burning on the toothpicks.
NOTE: nutritional value is from inputting my recipe into Food.com (http://www.food.com/recipe/beef-taquitos-531515). Fat content registers higher than it really is because it divides the total oil quantity per each portion (even though the point is to drain them).
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1. Blend beef thoroughly with cumin, chili powder, peppers, and file powder and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to settle.
2. Pan cook beef until partly browned. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook until meat is browned and vegetables are softened. Drain. Combine with cheese and salsa.
3. If using a deep fryer, heat oil to 350 F. If using a pan, add enough oil to coat the surface of the pan and raise to medium heat.
4. Microwave a few tortillas at a time on a paper towel to make the tortillas pliable. I warmed 4 tortillas for 45 seconds.
5. Add a heaping tablespoon of beef, cheese, and salsa mixture to the center of a tortilla. Roll tortilla as tightly as possible and secure with a toothpick. NOTE: push filling in from both sides so keep it from falling out while frying.
6. Cook a few taquitos at a time. If deep frying, cook for a few minutes or until golden brown. If using a pan, flip over after a few minutes and cook until both sides are golden brown.
7. Move to drying rack with a paper towel underneath and allow to drain. When cool, remove toothpicks.
The next thing I did that worked incredibly well this time was that I decided to use toothpicks, which are a traditional method used when making taquitos. But, deep frying most certainly is not traditional. I had been concerned that the toothpicks would burn, but they were unaffected. Note the taquitos on the right-hand side and the lack of any sort of burning on the toothpicks.
NOTE: nutritional value is from inputting my recipe into Food.com (http://www.food.com/recipe/beef-taquitos-531515). Fat content registers higher than it really is because it divides the total oil quantity per each portion (even though the point is to drain them).
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon file powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 1 cup salsa (I used homemade salsa verde)
- 30 mini corn tortillas, 5" diameter
- 30 toothpicks
- canola oil
1. Blend beef thoroughly with cumin, chili powder, peppers, and file powder and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow flavors to settle.
2. Pan cook beef until partly browned. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook until meat is browned and vegetables are softened. Drain. Combine with cheese and salsa.
3. If using a deep fryer, heat oil to 350 F. If using a pan, add enough oil to coat the surface of the pan and raise to medium heat.
4. Microwave a few tortillas at a time on a paper towel to make the tortillas pliable. I warmed 4 tortillas for 45 seconds.
5. Add a heaping tablespoon of beef, cheese, and salsa mixture to the center of a tortilla. Roll tortilla as tightly as possible and secure with a toothpick. NOTE: push filling in from both sides so keep it from falling out while frying.
6. Cook a few taquitos at a time. If deep frying, cook for a few minutes or until golden brown. If using a pan, flip over after a few minutes and cook until both sides are golden brown.
7. Move to drying rack with a paper towel underneath and allow to drain. When cool, remove toothpicks.
