Hard-Shell Ground Beef Tacos (Home-Fried Shells)
The Taco Tuesday classic done properly: corn tortillas fried into U-shaped shells at home and filled with a saucy spiced ground beef, cheddar, lettuce and tomato.
The crunchy taco is older than Taco Bell. Wikipedia's hard-shell taco article says a fried taco appears in Bertha Haffner Ginger's 1914 "California Mexican-Spanish Cookbook", that companies sold taco-frying gadgets by the late 1930s, and that Juvencio Maldonado, a restaurant owner from Oaxaca living in New York, "is sometimes credited" with inventing a hard-shell taco machine, patented in 1950 (US patent 2,506,305). José R. Ralat notes that the first English-language taco recipes, around 1900, already called for frying the tortilla, and that the Brownsville Herald still called the fried taco the traditional one in 1950. Glen Bell turned it into fast food; he opened the first Taco Bell in Downey, California, in 1962.
Taco Tuesday has its own fight. In July 2023, the AP reported that Taco John's gave up its decades-old "Taco Tuesday" trademark in 49 states after a challenge from Taco Bell, while Gregory's Restaurant & Bar in Somers Point, New Jersey, vowed to keep defending its New Jersey claim.
🇺🇸 This one is American
The Taco Tuesday classic done properly: corn tortillas fried into U-shaped shells at home and filled with a saucy spiced ground beef, cheddar, lettuce and tomato.
🇲🇽 The original
In Mexico, a taco is a warm, soft corn tortilla with a little meat, salsa, onion and cilantro, eaten standing up at a stand. Cheddar and a crunchy shell aren't part of it. See the Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Lean beef plus liquid
90% lean beef keeps the filling from going greasy, and tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar and vinegar give it the saucy body and rounded flavor that seasoning packets aim for (ATK).
Fry half, then shape
Frying one half until set before folding keeps the shell's U shape open wide enough to fill (ATK).
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the 3/4 cup oil in an 8-inch heavy skillet over medium to 350°F, about 5 minutes; a scrap of tortilla should rise to the top in 2 seconds. Line a rimmed sheet with paper towels.
- Step 2
Hold a tortilla with tongs and slip half of it into the oil, keeping that half under with a metal spatula. Fry about 30 seconds, until set but not brown.
- Step 3
Flip it, hold the top about 2 inches open and fry the other half until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip once more and fry the first side 30 seconds more, until golden. Drain upside down and repeat, keeping the oil between 350 and 375°F.
- Step 4
For the filling, heat the 2 tsp oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Cook the onion about 4 minutes, until soft, then stir in the garlic, spices and salt for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Step 5
Add the beef and cook, breaking it up and scraping the bottom, about 5 minutes, until no longer pink (160°F).
- Step 6
Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Lower to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring and breaking up any chunks, about 10 minutes, until thick but not dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 7
Spoon the filling into the shells, two tacos per plate, and pass the toppings.
Hard-Shell Ground Beef Tacos (Home-Fried Shells)
Serves 4 (2 tacos each) · 8 tacos · 55 min total
Shells
- 3/4 cup vegetable, corn or canola oil
- 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Beef filling
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cider vinegar
Toppings
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack (4 oz)
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 2 small tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro
- Hot sauce
Method
- Heat the 3/4 cup oil in an 8-inch heavy skillet over medium to 350°F, about 5 minutes; a scrap of tortilla should rise to the top in 2 seconds. Line a rimmed sheet with paper towels.
- Hold a tortilla with tongs and slip half of it into the oil, keeping that half under with a metal spatula. Fry about 30 seconds, until set but not brown.
- Flip it, hold the top about 2 inches open and fry the other half until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip once more and fry the first side 30 seconds more, until golden. Drain upside down and repeat, keeping the oil between 350 and 375°F.
- For the filling, heat the 2 tsp oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Cook the onion about 4 minutes, until soft, then stir in the garlic, spices and salt for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the beef and cook, breaking it up and scraping the bottom, about 5 minutes, until no longer pink (160°F).
- Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Lower to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring and breaking up any chunks, about 10 minutes, until thick but not dry. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the filling into the shells, two tacos per plate, and pass the toppings.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Beef Tacos" (serves 4, 8 tacos) and "Home-Fried Taco Shells" (8 shells), as written: and. The 160°F check is from USDA FSIS. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- No time to fry? ATK says to warm store-bought shells according to the package.
- Bloom the spices in the oil before the beef goes in; that minute makes the chili powder taste less dusty.
- Fill the shells at the table; they soften fast under hot filling.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Taco Bell invented the hard-shell taco. Folklore: fried tacos appear in a 1914 cookbook and taco-frying gadgets by the late 1930s (Wikipedia); Ralat says the first English-language taco recipes fried the tortilla.
- Juvencio Maldonado invented the taco shell. Disputed: Wikipedia says he is "sometimes credited" for his 1950 patent, but earlier shells and molds existed.
- Glen Bell learned his tacos at the Mitla Cafe. Disputed in emphasis: Wikipedia says head chef Gloria Hoyle showed him her version of the dorado taco after he tried to reverse-engineer the cafe's recipe; some writers call it a stolen idea. Name the Mitla Cafe; don't call it theft.
- Hard shells aren't Mexican. Disputed: Ralat notes tacos dorados, taquitos and flautas are fried tacos in Mexico too; the prefab U-shaped shell is the American part.
- "Taco Tuesday" is trademarked. Disputed and changing: Taco John's abandoned its claim in 49 states in 2023; Gregory's in New Jersey kept fighting (AP, 2023). Check before saying who owns it now.
Every other taco
Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan)
Thin sheets of chile-and-achiote-marinated pork layered with bacon, slow-roasted into a sliceable loaf like a trompo, shaved, crisped and served with roasted pineapple, onion and cilantro.
Carnitas (Michoacán-Style Pork Tacos)
Thick slabs of pork shoulder braised in their own juices, then roasted hot until the fat renders and the edges turn golden and crisp, pulled into chunks for corn tortillas.
Quesabirria Tacos (Birria de Res with Consomé)
Beef chuck braised in a guajillo chile broth, shredded, tucked into fat-dipped corn tortillas with melted cheese, griddled crisp and dunked in a cup of the red consomé.
Tacos de Canasta (Basket Tacos)
Corn tortillas flashed through garlic-and-onion-scented oil, filled with a warm tomato, chile and fresh cheese mixture, then stacked in a towel-lined basket to steam soft.
Baja Fish Tacos (Ensenada-Style Battered Fish)
Fingers of white fish soaked briefly in salt and vinegar, dipped in a light pancake-mix batter, fried crisp and tucked into corn tortillas with creamy slaw, a fried serrano salsa and a mayo-ketchup sauce.
Sonora-Style Carne Asada Tacos
Half-inch beef steaks seasoned with nothing but salt, seared over a hot fire, chopped and piled into warm flour tortillas with refried beans, salsa and guacamole.
San Antonio Puffy Tacos
Raw masa pressed thin and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into a light, crisp-chewy shell that is creased into a taco and filled with a beef and potato picadillo.
Korean BBQ Short Rib Tacos (Kalbi Tacos)
Thin-cut short ribs marinated overnight in a soy, pear, orange and sesame purée, charred on a hot grill and tucked into corn tortillas with a crunchy cabbage slaw and a chile-sesame salsa.
Texas Breakfast Tacos (Crispy Potato, Chorizo and Egg)
Parboiled potatoes crisped in rendered chorizo fat with serrano and scallion, topped with a fried egg and roasted tomato salsa in warm flour tortillas.
30-Minute Weeknight Chicken Tinga Tacos
Boneless chicken thighs simmered right in a smoky chipotle and fire-roasted tomato sauce, shredded and tossed back in, with avocado, Cotija and scallions on top. Dinner in about 30 minutes.
Crunchy Seasoned Beef Tacos, Inspired by Taco Bell
Finely crumbled, saucy seasoned ground beef in a crunchy corn shell with shredded iceberg and a little cheddar, the drive-thru build at home. Inspired by, not official.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.