Deep Fried Tacos

Deep Fried Tacos

Tacos are just one of those things that has universal appeal.  I’d guess that most of us make them, and pretty much everyone loves them. But have you had deep fried tacos?  I know what you’re thinking…not so healthy, and you’d be absolutely right, of course.  But if you’re looking for that splurge, one satisfying CRUNCH will let you know you’ve tasted one of the best tacos ever!

Ingredients:

There’s no real recipe, but here’s what you’ll need:

3 lbs. of ground beef

1 package of corn tortillas, 30 count

about 1/4 cup dried oregano

garlic powder

oil for frying

Directions:

seasoned tacos – ready for frying

Take a small handful of the ground beef, and place it on the upper half of the tortilla. Pat it into shape, keeping an even thickness, forming a semicircle.  Make the top part of the patty rounded and just inside the rounded curve of the tortilla.  The bottom of the patty should be straight across, and just shy of the midpoint of the tortilla (so that it can be folded in half when it’s frying).  Sprinkle a generous amount of garlic powder on each patty, along with a good pinch of oregano.  Pat the oregano into the patty so it sticks in place.  I know this seems like a lot of seasoning, but consider that it will lose some during the frying process. (You could also premix the seasonings with the ground beef, but this is more fun!)

deep frying tacos

Using a heavy duty skillet (cast iron works great!) heat the oil to about 350 degrees F.  Work in batches, frying for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.  Remove onto a paper towel lined cookie sheet, and place in a warmed oven while you continue to fry the rest.   Don’t worry about keeping the temperature at 350 F, that’s just a good starting point.  With each batch of tacos, the temperature will dip down quite a bit, but that’s fine.  If the oil is too hot, the outside will be done, but the inside won’t be.  If you’re not sure how long to fry, you can always temp a couple (it should temp at 170 F) of them to get the feel of things.

Top with salsa, chopped iceberg lettuce, and grated cheese.

Recipe Notes:

A note about food safety:  A batch of tacos this large will usually take me about an hour to make and fry.  Please keep the tray of uncooked tacos in the refrigerator during this process.  I work in batches, and while 3 are almost done frying, I remove 3 out of the refrigerator and onto a plate beside the stove, ready to go.

Don’t forget to wash your hands after handling each batch of uncooked tacos!