Ingredients

  • 1 -3 tablespoon oil (your choice, but vegetable oil is best, (not needed if meat is not the leanest)
  • 3 lbs ground beef (this makes a big batch but it freezes well)
  • 1 onion (medium diced)
  • 1 bell pepper (diced, can use any color pepper, I use red)
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and diced (trust me)
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (including juice)
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin (more or less given your taste)
  • 1 (14 ounce) can ranch style beans (14 oz can-original flavor, DON'T STRAIN, this product is available in Texas)
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper

Method

  • brown oil, meat, potato, onion, bell pepper, salt, black and red pepper (flakes), garlic powder, and cumin to a large dutch oven or big skillet -- drain if necessary.
  • Add to this the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes -- til all the ingredients are soft. Then, remove from heat, and take a potato masher or something like that, and grind the entire pot to a mushy consistency -- VERY IMPORTANT STEP. Once it looks like thick oatmeal, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes and stir to keep from sticking --.
  • * The beans in this recipe is a product found in Texas grocery stores, but all it is, is canned, cooked, whole pinto beans in a Mexican chili powder sauce. The addition of the beans is important to keep the mixture thick. To improvise, add a can of plain canned pinto beans, don't drain, and add a tablespoon or to taste of just plain old Mexican chili powder -- It really adds another dimension of flavor with the cumin.
  • Be sure to taste along the way -- you may like it spicier, saltier, whatever, but here are the basics to use -- just taste along the way.
  • You can use this Taco Meat in Burritos, Tacos, Taco Salads, Chalupas, you name it! It is awesome and everyone will be wanting this recipe from you.