Crispy Ground Beef Tacos with Pickled Onion
Ground beef browned hard in a dry skillet and spiced, folded into charred tortillas with a fast-pickled onion for crunch.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Written
Method
-
Stir the sliced red onion with the vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and set aside to pickle while you cook the beef.
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Heat a large dry skillet over medium-high and add the ground beef in an even layer; let it sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until the underside is deeply browned before breaking it up.
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Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
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Add the water and simmer until it’s mostly absorbed and the beef looks glossy rather than wet, about 2 minutes.
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Warm the tortillas directly over a gas flame or in a dry skillet until charred in spots and pliable.
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Fill the tortillas with the beef, top with the pickled onion, cotija, and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
The one thing that separates these from the gray, watery version: let the beef sit untouched in a hot dry pan before you break it up. That undisturbed contact is where the browning happens, and browning is where the flavor is — stir too early and you steam the meat instead of searing it.
Ground turkey works as a straight swap if you want it leaner, though it’ll need a splash more fat in the pan to brown properly. The spice mix scales easily, so double it and keep the extra in a jar for the next round.